Heb 12:9 Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?
Father of our flesh. Your father! Your birth father, your step father, your grandfather, the father figure in your life, barring that- your mother if it has only been a mother who has raised you. The people who raise you- fellow human beings- correct us.
Being raised as children by someone-- you are raised to learn right from wrong whatever your environment may be. When a child needs correction that means someone needs to correct them. Is it safe to say that EVERY child needs correcting? I think it is because we LEARN right from wrong. Many children have died because they don't learn right from wrong, they aren't taught right from wrong. We have children growing into young adults who act horribly because they've not learned right from wrong. Is it instinctive to always do right? No. It's not instinctive that we do good, that we do right. It'd be great if it were but living in a carnal world, a world given over to Satan, we are born into the carnal, the world of flesh that does not instinctively live in the spirit of God. I'm not talking general goodness- but God's goodness, God's righteousness. God's goodness goes far beyond us living day to day bothering no one, God's goodness goes far beyond our ability to be good on our own. Good on our own means nothing.
Being corrected is necessary. It's necessary as children to learn right from wrong, it's necessary as adults for the same reason. We never stop learning, never. All through life we are being taught lessons.
As children when we are corrected we don't like it, do we? We might pout and cry and throw little fits, and then we might learn not to throw fits and as time goes on we channel our anger and upset over being corrected in different ways. Sometimes however, as we are growing up we are able to look back and realize that the correction we were given was for our own good. I'm not talking about any abusive correction, but normal correction. We can look back and understand that our correctors corrected us so we'd learn right from wrong, we'd learn how to behave, how to treat others. As we gain this understand we start to respect our correctors. We understand why they corrected us. Still as we grow older we might understand even more because we become correctors ourselves and begin to teach our own children right from wrong hoping that one day they'll respect us for our correcting them.
Drawing from my own personal experience I have respect towards the way I was raised, I respect the correction given to me by my parents. I understand their correcting me.
Heb 12:9 Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?
Shall we NOT much RATHER be in subjection unto the FATHER of SPIRITS, and live?
Father of SPIRITS- God.
We are corrected, we are chastened by our parents and we learn to respect them but when we are corrected and chastened by our Spiritual parent do we learn to respect Him or are we like young children, like teenagers filled will rebellion, feeling anger at our heavenly Father? Do we feel the chastening of the Lord and throw a spiritual fit? Do we HONESTLY believe we can transgress against our Lord and not be chastised?! Not be punished?!
On a flesh level and not spiritual we don't let people get away with wrong doing, not if we can help it. When people do wrong we want them to be corrected- we've prisons FILLED with those we want to be corrected for their wrongs. Spiritual wrong doings need spiritual correction and our Savior strives to spiritually corrects us. We don't often see it that way though. We throw our spiritual fits, we cry out, God why?! We live our lives being corrected constantly in ways we don't even understand but if we TRUST in God and ask Him to help us learn from any and all chastening He brings our way, He will. We have to have faith. Faith- believing without understanding every thing.
Shall we NOT MUCH RATHER be in subjection to the FATHER of SPIRITS…and LIVE?
As children of God we need to be in subjection to our Heavenly Father. We need to allow ourselves to be in subjection to our Heavenly Father. We need to fall to our knees and learn from our Father. We need to stop kicking and screaming and fighting against God. We need to stop accusing Him of being hard on us and grow up realizing that God is chastising us for our own good. We need to be in subjection to God, to His plan. We need to trust that He has OUR GOOD in mind. He loves us, we need to love Him, we need to have faith in Him, we need to trust Him and LIVE.
By His Grace, His Mercy forever!
Amen
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Every son whom he receives
Heb 12:5 And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him:
Heb 12:6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.
Heb 12:7 If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?
Heb 12:8 But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.
EVERY son whom he receives will be ….SCOURGED.
The word scourged means- to flog.
G3146
μαστιγόω
mastigoō
mas-tig-o'-o
From G3148; to flog (literally or figuratively): - scourge.
Webster says flog means-
Flog
FLOG, v.t. [L. figo, to strike, that is, to lay on; L. flagrum, flagellum, Eng. flail; Gr.; L. plaga, a stroke, Eng. plague, slay.]
To beat or strike with a rod or whip; to whip; to lash; to chastise with repeated blows; a colloquial word, applied to whipping or beating for punishment.
Chastised, scourged, flogged, whipped, beat, what sort of image do these words invoke for you? Corporal punishment is one, at least for me. Yet we know that the LORD does not physically wield a whip or flog us. The LORD does not appear in front of us and give us a good talking to, complete with wagging finger and furrowed brow. Yet we have these words, scourge, flog, chastise, whip and they have to mean something because the Bible is telling us that EVERY son whom he receives will be scourged! Whom the LORD loves HE chastens. Without chastisement we are bastards, not sons. Those are very telling words and we NEED to comprehend them fully. We need to dig down and get the meaning of those beyond a superficial meaning because my friends… we will not be sons, we will not be counted among those of God's family, if we are not scourged and chastised by the LORD.
Just writing those words makes me envision something painful. Because God is spirit, this scourging and chastising is also to be applied on a spiritual level, right? Even if circumstances arise in our lives that are unpleasant they can be applied to our spiritual state because every circumstance in our lives is connected to our spiritual self if we are spiritual beings in Christ. So this spiritual scourging, this spiritual whipping that we are to receive is necessary- why?
Eph 4:17 This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind,
Eph 4:18 Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:
Eph 4:19 Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.
Eph 4:20 But ye have not so learned Christ;
Eph 4:21 If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus:
Eph 4:22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;
Eph 4:23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;
Eph 4:24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
Eph 4:25 Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another.
Eph 4:26 Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:
Eph 4:27 Neither give place to the devil.
Eph 4:28 Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.
Eph 4:29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.
Eph 4:30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
Eph 4:31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:
Eph 4:32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.
Our spiritual chastising, our spiritual whipping which is for OUR own good is necessary because we are RENEWED in the spirit of our mind, we are NEW men- which after GOD are CREATED in righteousness and true holiness. We are born again and are NO longer merely flesh beings controlled by our natural carnal natures. We become born in the SPIRIT and are SPIRITUAL beings that need to learn SPIRITUAL lessons. We need to grow in our SPIRITS.
Joh 3:6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
Just as we age in our flesh, we age in our spirit. We grow from being spiritual babes to spiritual children to spiritual adults. Our spiritual life is not stagnant, it grows, it evolves. As adults we don't cease to grow in knowledge because even if we do almost nothing every day the outside stimulus we receive has us growing. A man in solitary confinement can still grow in his thoughts. There is growth as adults and if we are lucky we grow into elderly people who have a true measure of wisdom from years of spiritual growing. As babes and children we need a guardian- this is true even in our spiritual life. We need guidance and we find that guidance in the Word of God. As adults we live our lives based off of the lessons we learn from as children. Adults are products of their childhood. Our spiritual adulthood is the same. We need to be chastised, we need to understand our spiritual failings and the results of them. We need to feel the punishment of disobeying, and we do as we realize our sins bring sorrow. We have spiritual pain, spiritual sorrow, spiritual unease, unrest, we call it being troubled in spirit and when we are troubled in spirit we are troubled for a reason. There are many spiritual lessons we need to learn and some of them over and over again.
Do I have all the answers? Can I be sure I'm 100% right in all this? No, not at all. I do know the Bible tells me that as a spiritual child of God's I will be chastise, I will be scourged spiritually and it won't be pleasurable because chastisement and scourging is anything but pleasant.
So how can a person be spiritually scourged for their own good?
How are we spiritually chastised?
Read this again- this is the word of God to us- the word of God is the most important reading material we'll ever have! I can write a million books and none would mean a thing, but the word of God means everything, it means life.
Eph 4:17 This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind,
Eph 4:18 Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:
Eph 4:19 Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.
Eph 4:20 But ye have not so learned Christ;
Eph 4:21 If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus:
Eph 4:22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;
Eph 4:23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;
Eph 4:24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
Eph 4:25 Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another.
Eph 4:26 Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:
Eph 4:27 Neither give place to the devil.
Eph 4:28 Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.
Eph 4:29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.
Eph 4:30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
Eph 4:31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:
Eph 4:32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.
We are chastised by the Holy Spirit convicting us of our sins. The weight of sin lays heavy upon us and the knowledge of that sin will wear us down until we confess and repent, forsaking that sin, setting that sin aside rather than indulging in it.
Psa 119:28 My soul melteth for heaviness: strengthen thou me according unto thy word.
We can't give place to the devil. We can't grieve the holy Spirit of God. We have to let all bitterness and wrath, anger and clamor, all evil speaking with ALL malice be put aside. Honestly we are to have the FRUITS of the Spirit in our lives and when we don't -we need to be chastised. We need to be woken up to the fact that we are not walking in the Spirit, we are not growing up in the Spirit, we are not living in the Spirit as God would have us do- through Him.
1Pe 1:6 Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations:
1Pe 1:7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ
The heaviness of many temptations will assail us and this is GOOD! We need that heaviness! We need the guilt! We need to have our conscience whipped as we commit wrongs- punishable wrongs- wrongs that deserve death because they are sinful and sin separates us from God!
May God try our faith with fire! May we be scourged! May we be chastised by God our Heavenly Father!
May we count it all joy, and be ever thankful giving praises to our Father who loves us so much He continuously shows us our failings and reveals the correct path to Him through the mercy and grace of His Only Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, our Savior!
AMEN!
Heb 12:6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.
Heb 12:7 If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?
Heb 12:8 But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.
EVERY son whom he receives will be ….SCOURGED.
The word scourged means- to flog.
G3146
μαστιγόω
mastigoō
mas-tig-o'-o
From G3148; to flog (literally or figuratively): - scourge.
Webster says flog means-
Flog
FLOG, v.t. [L. figo, to strike, that is, to lay on; L. flagrum, flagellum, Eng. flail; Gr.; L. plaga, a stroke, Eng. plague, slay.]
To beat or strike with a rod or whip; to whip; to lash; to chastise with repeated blows; a colloquial word, applied to whipping or beating for punishment.
Chastised, scourged, flogged, whipped, beat, what sort of image do these words invoke for you? Corporal punishment is one, at least for me. Yet we know that the LORD does not physically wield a whip or flog us. The LORD does not appear in front of us and give us a good talking to, complete with wagging finger and furrowed brow. Yet we have these words, scourge, flog, chastise, whip and they have to mean something because the Bible is telling us that EVERY son whom he receives will be scourged! Whom the LORD loves HE chastens. Without chastisement we are bastards, not sons. Those are very telling words and we NEED to comprehend them fully. We need to dig down and get the meaning of those beyond a superficial meaning because my friends… we will not be sons, we will not be counted among those of God's family, if we are not scourged and chastised by the LORD.
Just writing those words makes me envision something painful. Because God is spirit, this scourging and chastising is also to be applied on a spiritual level, right? Even if circumstances arise in our lives that are unpleasant they can be applied to our spiritual state because every circumstance in our lives is connected to our spiritual self if we are spiritual beings in Christ. So this spiritual scourging, this spiritual whipping that we are to receive is necessary- why?
Eph 4:17 This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind,
Eph 4:18 Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:
Eph 4:19 Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.
Eph 4:20 But ye have not so learned Christ;
Eph 4:21 If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus:
Eph 4:22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;
Eph 4:23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;
Eph 4:24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
Eph 4:25 Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another.
Eph 4:26 Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:
Eph 4:27 Neither give place to the devil.
Eph 4:28 Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.
Eph 4:29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.
Eph 4:30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
Eph 4:31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:
Eph 4:32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.
Our spiritual chastising, our spiritual whipping which is for OUR own good is necessary because we are RENEWED in the spirit of our mind, we are NEW men- which after GOD are CREATED in righteousness and true holiness. We are born again and are NO longer merely flesh beings controlled by our natural carnal natures. We become born in the SPIRIT and are SPIRITUAL beings that need to learn SPIRITUAL lessons. We need to grow in our SPIRITS.
Joh 3:6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
Just as we age in our flesh, we age in our spirit. We grow from being spiritual babes to spiritual children to spiritual adults. Our spiritual life is not stagnant, it grows, it evolves. As adults we don't cease to grow in knowledge because even if we do almost nothing every day the outside stimulus we receive has us growing. A man in solitary confinement can still grow in his thoughts. There is growth as adults and if we are lucky we grow into elderly people who have a true measure of wisdom from years of spiritual growing. As babes and children we need a guardian- this is true even in our spiritual life. We need guidance and we find that guidance in the Word of God. As adults we live our lives based off of the lessons we learn from as children. Adults are products of their childhood. Our spiritual adulthood is the same. We need to be chastised, we need to understand our spiritual failings and the results of them. We need to feel the punishment of disobeying, and we do as we realize our sins bring sorrow. We have spiritual pain, spiritual sorrow, spiritual unease, unrest, we call it being troubled in spirit and when we are troubled in spirit we are troubled for a reason. There are many spiritual lessons we need to learn and some of them over and over again.
Do I have all the answers? Can I be sure I'm 100% right in all this? No, not at all. I do know the Bible tells me that as a spiritual child of God's I will be chastise, I will be scourged spiritually and it won't be pleasurable because chastisement and scourging is anything but pleasant.
So how can a person be spiritually scourged for their own good?
How are we spiritually chastised?
Read this again- this is the word of God to us- the word of God is the most important reading material we'll ever have! I can write a million books and none would mean a thing, but the word of God means everything, it means life.
Eph 4:17 This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind,
Eph 4:18 Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:
Eph 4:19 Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.
Eph 4:20 But ye have not so learned Christ;
Eph 4:21 If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus:
Eph 4:22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;
Eph 4:23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;
Eph 4:24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
Eph 4:25 Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another.
Eph 4:26 Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:
Eph 4:27 Neither give place to the devil.
Eph 4:28 Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.
Eph 4:29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.
Eph 4:30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
Eph 4:31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:
Eph 4:32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.
We are chastised by the Holy Spirit convicting us of our sins. The weight of sin lays heavy upon us and the knowledge of that sin will wear us down until we confess and repent, forsaking that sin, setting that sin aside rather than indulging in it.
Psa 119:28 My soul melteth for heaviness: strengthen thou me according unto thy word.
We can't give place to the devil. We can't grieve the holy Spirit of God. We have to let all bitterness and wrath, anger and clamor, all evil speaking with ALL malice be put aside. Honestly we are to have the FRUITS of the Spirit in our lives and when we don't -we need to be chastised. We need to be woken up to the fact that we are not walking in the Spirit, we are not growing up in the Spirit, we are not living in the Spirit as God would have us do- through Him.
1Pe 1:6 Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations:
1Pe 1:7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ
The heaviness of many temptations will assail us and this is GOOD! We need that heaviness! We need the guilt! We need to have our conscience whipped as we commit wrongs- punishable wrongs- wrongs that deserve death because they are sinful and sin separates us from God!
May God try our faith with fire! May we be scourged! May we be chastised by God our Heavenly Father!
May we count it all joy, and be ever thankful giving praises to our Father who loves us so much He continuously shows us our failings and reveals the correct path to Him through the mercy and grace of His Only Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, our Savior!
AMEN!
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Strive against sin
Heb 12:4 Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.
Striving-
G464
antagōnizomai
From G473 and G75; to struggle against (figuratively), (“antagonize”): - strive against.
Struggle against sin.
Strive against sin.
Strive (Webster)
1. To make efforts; to use exertions; to endeavor with earnestness; to labor hard; applicable to exertions of body or mind. A workman strives to perform his task before another; a student strives to excel his fellows in improvement.
2. To contend; to contest; to struggle in opposition to another; to be in contention or dispute; followed by against or with before the person or thing opposed; as, strive against temptation; strive for the truth.
Striving against sin- this is an ACTION. Striving.
Make an effort against sin.
Endeavor with earnestness against sin.
Labor hard against sin.
Contend against sin.
Struggle against sin.
It's easy to give into sin, hard to strive against sin.
It's a REAL FIGHT!
If you were told you had to get into a fight would you prepare for it? You would, wouldn't you? Seriously. If you were informed that you'd be in a fight you'd want to be in shape to fight. You might want to learn some fight moves, right? You'd want to be ready to fight plain and simple, either that or you'd be cowering in fear, afraid of that fight. You might want to run from that fight, hide. We can't run from the fight we have against sin. We can't hide. We are immersed in this fight every single day of our lives. Knowing it's a fight is a good thing, because when we don't even realize we are to be striving against sin it is easier to give into sin, to ignore it's detrimental effects. Sometimes sin is so tempting we do give into it, we sometime LIVE in sin, enjoying that sin for a season, liking that sin, wanting that sin. Just because it is something we like, something we are compelled to desire, just because it's something we're comfortable in, something we have fun with doesn't mean it's something good for us at all. This verse--
Heb 11:25 Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season
ENJOY THE PLEASURES OF SIN FOR A SEASON.
Sin is pleasurable! Sin is enjoyable! Don't let anyone tell you that sin isn't fun, it is! Why it is fun and not something naturally abhorrent to us? There is spiritual and natural carnal natures in us and that natural carnal nature is in control until we are born in the Spirit, until our spiritual life is realized. Once our spiritual life is realize our carnal nature will fight against the spiritual. There really will be a war inside of us, if we expect anything less we are deluding ourselves. In this war we MUST strive against sin. We have to strive against that carnal nature that is part of us. Striving against someone else isn't fun but at least they are outside of ourselves, they are an opponent we don't have to live with. We have to live with ourselves, we have to live with the enemy inside us and the battle with that enemy inside us is one that will go on and on until we are perfected in Christ and HE in us prevails. Our letting Christ into our lives to fight that battle is what our fight is. We have to fight to keep Christ in us, Christ paramount in our lives. We strive against sin because sin is contrary to Christ. Christ and sin cannot dwell together. Christ forgives sin and tells the sinner to GO AND SIN NO MORE. Go and strive against sin, go and keep sin out of your lives. Sin, while pleasurable, is ONLY FOR A SEASON. If we are mostly concerned with pleasure, with worldly happiness, worldly gain then we will be at odds against our Savior.
Heb 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
1Co 10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
Rev 12:11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.
We overcome by the BLOOD OF THE LAMB!
We overcome by NOT loving our lives here and now, by NOT choosing life here and now over death for Christ.
We get so caught up in having a stress-free life here and now, so caught up in having as few problems as we possibly can, thinking that the fewer problems we have, the fewer upsets, the calmer and problem free our lives are, the better. It seems strange to dispute wanting a life of ease. I do want my life to be one of ease, to be as problem free as possible, but the reality is this sin filled world isn't geared towards being problem free and spiritual.
Satan will stop at nothing to have us. Christ stopped at nothing to have us.
Until we are with Christ, until His glorious second coming, we have to have CHRIST live in us as we strive against the sin of this very sinful world ruled by Satan.
We have to actively strive against sinning by actively striving to have Christ in us making our spiritual selves more prominent than our carnal, natural selves.
By HIS grace and by His grace alone we live in Him, by Him, for Him our Savior, our King!
Amen.
Striving-
G464
antagōnizomai
From G473 and G75; to struggle against (figuratively), (“antagonize”): - strive against.
Struggle against sin.
Strive against sin.
Strive (Webster)
1. To make efforts; to use exertions; to endeavor with earnestness; to labor hard; applicable to exertions of body or mind. A workman strives to perform his task before another; a student strives to excel his fellows in improvement.
2. To contend; to contest; to struggle in opposition to another; to be in contention or dispute; followed by against or with before the person or thing opposed; as, strive against temptation; strive for the truth.
Striving against sin- this is an ACTION. Striving.
Make an effort against sin.
Endeavor with earnestness against sin.
Labor hard against sin.
Contend against sin.
Struggle against sin.
It's easy to give into sin, hard to strive against sin.
It's a REAL FIGHT!
If you were told you had to get into a fight would you prepare for it? You would, wouldn't you? Seriously. If you were informed that you'd be in a fight you'd want to be in shape to fight. You might want to learn some fight moves, right? You'd want to be ready to fight plain and simple, either that or you'd be cowering in fear, afraid of that fight. You might want to run from that fight, hide. We can't run from the fight we have against sin. We can't hide. We are immersed in this fight every single day of our lives. Knowing it's a fight is a good thing, because when we don't even realize we are to be striving against sin it is easier to give into sin, to ignore it's detrimental effects. Sometimes sin is so tempting we do give into it, we sometime LIVE in sin, enjoying that sin for a season, liking that sin, wanting that sin. Just because it is something we like, something we are compelled to desire, just because it's something we're comfortable in, something we have fun with doesn't mean it's something good for us at all. This verse--
Heb 11:25 Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season
ENJOY THE PLEASURES OF SIN FOR A SEASON.
Sin is pleasurable! Sin is enjoyable! Don't let anyone tell you that sin isn't fun, it is! Why it is fun and not something naturally abhorrent to us? There is spiritual and natural carnal natures in us and that natural carnal nature is in control until we are born in the Spirit, until our spiritual life is realized. Once our spiritual life is realize our carnal nature will fight against the spiritual. There really will be a war inside of us, if we expect anything less we are deluding ourselves. In this war we MUST strive against sin. We have to strive against that carnal nature that is part of us. Striving against someone else isn't fun but at least they are outside of ourselves, they are an opponent we don't have to live with. We have to live with ourselves, we have to live with the enemy inside us and the battle with that enemy inside us is one that will go on and on until we are perfected in Christ and HE in us prevails. Our letting Christ into our lives to fight that battle is what our fight is. We have to fight to keep Christ in us, Christ paramount in our lives. We strive against sin because sin is contrary to Christ. Christ and sin cannot dwell together. Christ forgives sin and tells the sinner to GO AND SIN NO MORE. Go and strive against sin, go and keep sin out of your lives. Sin, while pleasurable, is ONLY FOR A SEASON. If we are mostly concerned with pleasure, with worldly happiness, worldly gain then we will be at odds against our Savior.
Heb 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
1Co 10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
Rev 12:11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.
We overcome by the BLOOD OF THE LAMB!
We overcome by NOT loving our lives here and now, by NOT choosing life here and now over death for Christ.
We get so caught up in having a stress-free life here and now, so caught up in having as few problems as we possibly can, thinking that the fewer problems we have, the fewer upsets, the calmer and problem free our lives are, the better. It seems strange to dispute wanting a life of ease. I do want my life to be one of ease, to be as problem free as possible, but the reality is this sin filled world isn't geared towards being problem free and spiritual.
Satan will stop at nothing to have us. Christ stopped at nothing to have us.
Until we are with Christ, until His glorious second coming, we have to have CHRIST live in us as we strive against the sin of this very sinful world ruled by Satan.
We have to actively strive against sinning by actively striving to have Christ in us making our spiritual selves more prominent than our carnal, natural selves.
By HIS grace and by His grace alone we live in Him, by Him, for Him our Savior, our King!
Amen.
Monday, November 8, 2010
Spiritually Fainting
Heb 12:3 For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.
Jesus, consider Jesus, and all that He endured against Himself from all the sinners surrounding Him. The pure, undefiled, living in and among sinners. Jesus ENDURED the way He was called to live, the way he chose to live to bring us life everlasting. We like to imagine it was easy for Him. We like to believe that it wasn't hard at all for Him to live among us sinners, yet just try to recall one instance in your own life when you've been convicted during a situation that you were in among those who weren't godly and how out of place you felt. I know personally I've been in several of those situations, and the devil will whisper to me that I'm being 'holier than thou', that I'm thinking myself superior to others, which we all know is wrong. I've been accused of being that way by others just because I've refused to engage in the same behavior they do and it pricks my conscience and causes to me to doubt myself. It's like a Catch-22 situation, a no win scenario. I want to follow God and yet following God leads to NOT following things I'm convicted aren't godly, which leads others to believe I'm acting self-righteous and so on and so on and… so on. I know how it is for me in those sorts of situations and I'm FAR from sinless! Jesus was sinless and lived among sinners, He endured. We are called to endure. We are called to consider what Jesus went through and we are told that we are to do so in order for us NOT to grow weary and faint in our minds.
Growing wearing and fainting in our minds. Do you understand what that is saying? It's talking about our minds, our thoughts, and our becoming discouraged which can lead to depression and we all know what can happen if we become discouraged and get depressed. It's very easy to stop racing in the race for eternal life, it's very easy to give up and let ourselves indulge in the sins that beset us easily. Sinning will ALWAYS be easier than not sinning as long as we are indulging our carnal natures and not our spiritual natures.
Have you ever found it easier to just tell a lie than the truth? Have you ever told the truth and have it hurt a relationship, a friendship, family- knowing that a lie would have been so much easier and less hurtful? It's easier to give into sin than it is to fight against it. And when we grow weary of having to live around others in our lives that are a contradiction to the spiritual life we want to lead, we can become very discouraged and faint in our minds, our spiritual life can faint. When our physical bodies faint happens? We stop functioning, we fall down, and until we are revived we remain seemingly lifeless. The same thing will happen to our spiritual lives. When we faint spiritually we fall down, we are spiritually lifeless we are not living in the Spirit but wholly given over to our carnal natures. Is it any wonder we are to behold our Savior and all He endured knowing that we are called to endure as He did and that no matter how hard it is for us to endure it was a million times harder for Him to endure. We really need to understand that Jesus had to endure. Jesus suffered long before He was whipped, long before a crown of thorns was thrust down upon His head, long, long before He felt the nails pierce his flesh. Long before He was dying upon the cross He suffered. He endured temptations, He endured the pain of sinners all around Him in a world that was never meant to be filled with sin. He who was there at Creation lived among those He'd created, those who had become corrupted by sin and He knew better than ANY the horrors of sin and the horrific changes wrought by sin in creatures and all His creation. He suffered. He endured.
Heb 12:3 For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.
When we consider our Savior we have to realize we who endure what we believe is a lot of pain and heartache, endure so much less than He endured on all levels.
We can't allow ourselves to spiritually faint, so when we even have a hint of growing weary spiritually we need to get on our knees and pray for faith, for strength, for the Holy Spirit to uplift us. You might instantly think that you'd never get off your knees if this is the case because so much in life makes us weary. Remember this?
Eph 6:18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints
We really do need to be praying always, always connected to our Savior, always aware of our spiritual life as much as we are aware of our physical life. Our spiritual well-being matters so much more than we can imagine, and people neglect so much of their spiritual life.
May God help us to not grow weary, and to never faint in our minds. May we look upon our Savior and gain the spiritual strength we need to endure all we are to face good and bad until we see Him face to face in that glorious day of His second coming.
By His grace!
By His love!
By His mercy!
Amen.
Jesus, consider Jesus, and all that He endured against Himself from all the sinners surrounding Him. The pure, undefiled, living in and among sinners. Jesus ENDURED the way He was called to live, the way he chose to live to bring us life everlasting. We like to imagine it was easy for Him. We like to believe that it wasn't hard at all for Him to live among us sinners, yet just try to recall one instance in your own life when you've been convicted during a situation that you were in among those who weren't godly and how out of place you felt. I know personally I've been in several of those situations, and the devil will whisper to me that I'm being 'holier than thou', that I'm thinking myself superior to others, which we all know is wrong. I've been accused of being that way by others just because I've refused to engage in the same behavior they do and it pricks my conscience and causes to me to doubt myself. It's like a Catch-22 situation, a no win scenario. I want to follow God and yet following God leads to NOT following things I'm convicted aren't godly, which leads others to believe I'm acting self-righteous and so on and so on and… so on. I know how it is for me in those sorts of situations and I'm FAR from sinless! Jesus was sinless and lived among sinners, He endured. We are called to endure. We are called to consider what Jesus went through and we are told that we are to do so in order for us NOT to grow weary and faint in our minds.
Growing wearing and fainting in our minds. Do you understand what that is saying? It's talking about our minds, our thoughts, and our becoming discouraged which can lead to depression and we all know what can happen if we become discouraged and get depressed. It's very easy to stop racing in the race for eternal life, it's very easy to give up and let ourselves indulge in the sins that beset us easily. Sinning will ALWAYS be easier than not sinning as long as we are indulging our carnal natures and not our spiritual natures.
Have you ever found it easier to just tell a lie than the truth? Have you ever told the truth and have it hurt a relationship, a friendship, family- knowing that a lie would have been so much easier and less hurtful? It's easier to give into sin than it is to fight against it. And when we grow weary of having to live around others in our lives that are a contradiction to the spiritual life we want to lead, we can become very discouraged and faint in our minds, our spiritual life can faint. When our physical bodies faint happens? We stop functioning, we fall down, and until we are revived we remain seemingly lifeless. The same thing will happen to our spiritual lives. When we faint spiritually we fall down, we are spiritually lifeless we are not living in the Spirit but wholly given over to our carnal natures. Is it any wonder we are to behold our Savior and all He endured knowing that we are called to endure as He did and that no matter how hard it is for us to endure it was a million times harder for Him to endure. We really need to understand that Jesus had to endure. Jesus suffered long before He was whipped, long before a crown of thorns was thrust down upon His head, long, long before He felt the nails pierce his flesh. Long before He was dying upon the cross He suffered. He endured temptations, He endured the pain of sinners all around Him in a world that was never meant to be filled with sin. He who was there at Creation lived among those He'd created, those who had become corrupted by sin and He knew better than ANY the horrors of sin and the horrific changes wrought by sin in creatures and all His creation. He suffered. He endured.
Heb 12:3 For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.
When we consider our Savior we have to realize we who endure what we believe is a lot of pain and heartache, endure so much less than He endured on all levels.
We can't allow ourselves to spiritually faint, so when we even have a hint of growing weary spiritually we need to get on our knees and pray for faith, for strength, for the Holy Spirit to uplift us. You might instantly think that you'd never get off your knees if this is the case because so much in life makes us weary. Remember this?
Eph 6:18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints
We really do need to be praying always, always connected to our Savior, always aware of our spiritual life as much as we are aware of our physical life. Our spiritual well-being matters so much more than we can imagine, and people neglect so much of their spiritual life.
May God help us to not grow weary, and to never faint in our minds. May we look upon our Savior and gain the spiritual strength we need to endure all we are to face good and bad until we see Him face to face in that glorious day of His second coming.
By His grace!
By His love!
By His mercy!
Amen.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Run with patience
Heb 12:1,2
Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Run with patience.
A lot of times when we run it's with anything but patience. In races- unless they are long distance marathons and sometimes even then- there is little patience. The need to get to where you're running, to get to the destination in a race is paramount, and race by it's very nature means competing against others racing. In competitions there is a desire to win, to beat others, to IMPATIENTLY rush to get to that end goal.
Run with patience.
What is the race that is set before us?
The Eternal Life Race.
The most important race we'll all ever take part in.
We have to run this race with patience. The race for eternal life IS a competition though and we can't forget it. We aren't competing against each other we are competing against ourselves and our carnal nature. We are racing for our lives, for our eternal lives and there are those who do not want to see us win this race. We can't let ourselves forget that there are many obstacles thrown onto the path of our race and the enemy that doesn't want us to win this race will stop at nothing to get us to drop out, to falter, to fail, to throw in the towel and just stop racing. We are all born into the race but how you run that race is up to you. You can choose to run it in ways that will never get you to the finish line. Not all will have eternal life it's plain and simple, not all will make it to the end to get the prize. Can you imagine being in a race and having someone constantly trying to get you to give up? They try blatantly, they try subtly, they never give up trying to get you to give up, never. Their sole goal in life is to stop you from winning the prize of eternal life. Is it any wonder we HAVE to run this race with patience? How easy it would be to give up quickly if you had no patience.
Webster--
Patience
PATIENCE, n. pa'shens. [L. patientia, from patior, to suffer.]
1. The suffering of afflictions, pain, toil, calamity, provocation or other evil, with a calm, unruffled temper; endurance without murmuring or fretfulness. Patience may spring from constitutional fortitude, from a kind of heroic pride, or from christian submission to the divine will.
2. A calm temper which bears evils without murmuring or discontent.
3. The act or quality of waiting long for justice or expected good without discontent.
4. Perseverance; constancy in labor or exertion.
5. The quality of bearing offenses and injuries without anger or revenge.
*******
Dictionary.com--
–noun
1. the quality of being patient, as the bearing of provocation, annoyance, misfortune, or pain, without complaint, loss of temper, irritation, or the like.
2. an ability or willingness to suppress restlessness or annoyance when confronted with delay: to have patience with a slow learner.
3. quiet, steady perseverance; even-tempered care; diligence: to work with patience.
*******
Those definitions of patience say it all.
Patience-
Suffering of --
Pain
Toil
Calamity
Provocation
Evil
Suffering it all calmly with an unruffled temper.
Enduring without murmuring or fretfulness.
Calm temper.
Bearing evil without discontent.
Waiting long without discontent.
Persevering.
Bearing offenses and injuries without anger or revenge.
Being patient.
Bearing annoyance, misfortune WITHOUT complaint!
Being confronted with delay and not being annoyed!
What is one of the problems of mankind you hear about a lot today? Stress. Stress is being annoyed at all of the above. Stress is all about NOT having patience.
The Bible tells us to run with patience. Basically God is telling us we need to live patiently as we seek eternal life in Jesus Christ our Savior.
We will endure much as we seek eternal life and through it all we have to have patience. Where are we to get this patience that seems almost impossible to have?
' Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.'
Jesus. He is the author and the finisher of our faith.
Like Him, for the joy set before us we have to endure our race and all the horrible things that we will face.
Jesus faced DEATH without any fight!
I have a whole new respect for the saying- led like a lamb to the slaughter. Last night I was watching an old Survivor tv show this one was from South Africa and on the show the contestants were very hungry- they had fruit and fish, but they wanted more. Two of the contestants were walking along the beach and there was a TAME pelican. They walked up to the tame pelican and the man knelt down and put his hand on the pelican's head and pushed it gently to the ground and raised his machete. That POOR tame pelican didn't struggle at all, that tame pelican didn't understand it was about to die, that poor pelican lay there and died. My heart broke for the innocent, unsuspecting, tame, friendly pelican and I cried and cried and still now it breaks my heart as I remember the way it died. Jesus knowingly laid down his life. Jesus KNEW what was coming. Unlike a lamb, unlike that pelican whose trusting nature let them die without any struggle, Jesus knew and fully comprehended that he was going to suffer and he was innocent, undeserving of every bit of that pain. He chose to suffer for us with that full awareness. He laid down His life for us, He didn't struggle as they nailed Him to the cross. They didn't have to force Him to lay down and hold Him there as He fought to be freed. Trusting in God that ALL things would work out for good, He allowed Himself to suffer.
Jesus- truly is the AUTHOR of our faith.
Jesus- truly is the FINISHER of our faith.
We have to live patiently, with faith in our Savior. Jesus spent three years- His ministry- trying to teach us this, trying to teach us patience, faith. Think about it, read about it, there is no mistaking it really. Is there any wonder we are to run the race for eternal life with patience? Jesus is our example, Jesus was very, very patient.
By His grace we will learn to run the race with patience.
As we live, day by day immersed in this spiritual warfare we call life, may we always keep our eye on the prize set before us- eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.
In His love.
Amen.
Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Run with patience.
A lot of times when we run it's with anything but patience. In races- unless they are long distance marathons and sometimes even then- there is little patience. The need to get to where you're running, to get to the destination in a race is paramount, and race by it's very nature means competing against others racing. In competitions there is a desire to win, to beat others, to IMPATIENTLY rush to get to that end goal.
Run with patience.
What is the race that is set before us?
The Eternal Life Race.
The most important race we'll all ever take part in.
We have to run this race with patience. The race for eternal life IS a competition though and we can't forget it. We aren't competing against each other we are competing against ourselves and our carnal nature. We are racing for our lives, for our eternal lives and there are those who do not want to see us win this race. We can't let ourselves forget that there are many obstacles thrown onto the path of our race and the enemy that doesn't want us to win this race will stop at nothing to get us to drop out, to falter, to fail, to throw in the towel and just stop racing. We are all born into the race but how you run that race is up to you. You can choose to run it in ways that will never get you to the finish line. Not all will have eternal life it's plain and simple, not all will make it to the end to get the prize. Can you imagine being in a race and having someone constantly trying to get you to give up? They try blatantly, they try subtly, they never give up trying to get you to give up, never. Their sole goal in life is to stop you from winning the prize of eternal life. Is it any wonder we HAVE to run this race with patience? How easy it would be to give up quickly if you had no patience.
Webster--
Patience
PATIENCE, n. pa'shens. [L. patientia, from patior, to suffer.]
1. The suffering of afflictions, pain, toil, calamity, provocation or other evil, with a calm, unruffled temper; endurance without murmuring or fretfulness. Patience may spring from constitutional fortitude, from a kind of heroic pride, or from christian submission to the divine will.
2. A calm temper which bears evils without murmuring or discontent.
3. The act or quality of waiting long for justice or expected good without discontent.
4. Perseverance; constancy in labor or exertion.
5. The quality of bearing offenses and injuries without anger or revenge.
*******
Dictionary.com--
–noun
1. the quality of being patient, as the bearing of provocation, annoyance, misfortune, or pain, without complaint, loss of temper, irritation, or the like.
2. an ability or willingness to suppress restlessness or annoyance when confronted with delay: to have patience with a slow learner.
3. quiet, steady perseverance; even-tempered care; diligence: to work with patience.
*******
Those definitions of patience say it all.
Patience-
Suffering of --
Pain
Toil
Calamity
Provocation
Evil
Suffering it all calmly with an unruffled temper.
Enduring without murmuring or fretfulness.
Calm temper.
Bearing evil without discontent.
Waiting long without discontent.
Persevering.
Bearing offenses and injuries without anger or revenge.
Being patient.
Bearing annoyance, misfortune WITHOUT complaint!
Being confronted with delay and not being annoyed!
What is one of the problems of mankind you hear about a lot today? Stress. Stress is being annoyed at all of the above. Stress is all about NOT having patience.
The Bible tells us to run with patience. Basically God is telling us we need to live patiently as we seek eternal life in Jesus Christ our Savior.
We will endure much as we seek eternal life and through it all we have to have patience. Where are we to get this patience that seems almost impossible to have?
' Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.'
Jesus. He is the author and the finisher of our faith.
Like Him, for the joy set before us we have to endure our race and all the horrible things that we will face.
Jesus faced DEATH without any fight!
I have a whole new respect for the saying- led like a lamb to the slaughter. Last night I was watching an old Survivor tv show this one was from South Africa and on the show the contestants were very hungry- they had fruit and fish, but they wanted more. Two of the contestants were walking along the beach and there was a TAME pelican. They walked up to the tame pelican and the man knelt down and put his hand on the pelican's head and pushed it gently to the ground and raised his machete. That POOR tame pelican didn't struggle at all, that tame pelican didn't understand it was about to die, that poor pelican lay there and died. My heart broke for the innocent, unsuspecting, tame, friendly pelican and I cried and cried and still now it breaks my heart as I remember the way it died. Jesus knowingly laid down his life. Jesus KNEW what was coming. Unlike a lamb, unlike that pelican whose trusting nature let them die without any struggle, Jesus knew and fully comprehended that he was going to suffer and he was innocent, undeserving of every bit of that pain. He chose to suffer for us with that full awareness. He laid down His life for us, He didn't struggle as they nailed Him to the cross. They didn't have to force Him to lay down and hold Him there as He fought to be freed. Trusting in God that ALL things would work out for good, He allowed Himself to suffer.
Jesus- truly is the AUTHOR of our faith.
Jesus- truly is the FINISHER of our faith.
We have to live patiently, with faith in our Savior. Jesus spent three years- His ministry- trying to teach us this, trying to teach us patience, faith. Think about it, read about it, there is no mistaking it really. Is there any wonder we are to run the race for eternal life with patience? Jesus is our example, Jesus was very, very patient.
By His grace we will learn to run the race with patience.
As we live, day by day immersed in this spiritual warfare we call life, may we always keep our eye on the prize set before us- eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.
In His love.
Amen.
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Sin Weight
Heb 12:1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.
Heb 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Are you compassed about with a great cloud of witnesses?
We just read a lot about the faith of the elders- are we witnesses to what they endured? Not first hand witnesses but we through faith believed their testimony, we believe the history of them. Do you believe there are unseen witnesses around us? Spiritual witnesses? Not everyone has family they live with, not every one has friends they associate with. We are living in a world of technology that enables people to live very solitary lives and yet have a social life through the internet. Are people witnessing us through the internet? We aren't sure who is at the other end of an email, or an instant message. We like to think we are sure but all too often people find out everything they thought about someone they call a friend online is all fake. We are witness to their deception though, aren't we? When we find out people we don't physically see are not who they pretend to be, we are witness to the real person's deception and that is still a witness.
Do you think it's true our every action has a witness?
What good does it do to put on a public face only to take it off in private and become something horrible? Without witnesses we are left to be our true selves and yet the question is… do you think it's true our every action has a witness?
Our every action does have a witness. You might not have a cloud of physical witnesses about you, but you are compassed about with a cloud of spiritual witnesses- both evil and good.
Mat 10:26 Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known.
Mar 4:22 For there is nothing hid, which shall not be manifested; neither was any thing kept secret, but that it should come abroad.
Luk 8:17 For nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest; neither any thing hid, that shall not be known and come abroad.
Luk 12:2 For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known.
Luk 12:3 Therefore whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light; and that which ye have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops.
Psa 90:8 Thou hast set our iniquities before thee, our secret sins in the light of thy countenance.
Ecc 12:14 For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.
Jer 23:24 Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the LORD. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the LORD.
Mat 6:6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
Mat 18:10 Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven.
2Ki 6:15 And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do?
2Ki 6:16 And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them.
2Ki 6:17 And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.
Job 1:8 And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?
Job 1:9 Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought?
Job 1:10 Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land.
Job 1:11 But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face.
Job 1:12 And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD.
Satan himself knows us. Evil spirits know us. People find it easy to imagine that God knows us, that He knows everything but turn it around and try to get them to understand that Satan and his evil spirits see us just as God's angels can see us, that our lives, our secret actions are NOT hidden from Satan- it's a whole new ballgame.
We have witnesses whether we like it or not. We have physical witnesses and spiritual witnesses. You could hole yourself up in a cave for fifty years alone and still have witnesses. We can't ever believe we are not being witnessed by someone.
We have to live our lives in Christ always, not only when we are about other people.
Heb 12:1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
Heb 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
We have to lay aside every weight.
What sort of weight? Anything that would hold us back and keep us from moving forward, ever forward in Christ. Things weigh us down all the time and I'm not talking physical clothing, or heavy shoes. We could streamline our bodies with the latest in professional swimwear, or bicycle wear, runner's wear and still we could be weighed down heavily by so much in life.
How much weight are we to lay aside? EVERY weight. Do you think we hold on to some of our spiritual weight because we just don't know how to live without it in our lives? Some weight or as people call it- baggage we carry around with us is like a friend to us. We're familiar with it, we just don't know what life would be like without that baggage, it often grows up with us from childhood. We hold on to a lot of unnecessary weight that would keep us down, that would keep us from running our fastest. Every day we wake up with weight on us and unfortunately we often add more weight rather than set it aside. Satan wants us HEAVY, he wants us spiritually weighed down as heavy as he can possibly make us. He will make opportunity after opportunity to increase the weight upon us laying burden after burden upon us as he tries to convince us there is NO way to get rid of the burdens. It works right into Satan's plan to make us feel hopelessly heavy so that we don't even want to run any race, in fact we don't want to walk, and he loves it when we barely want to move in Christ's direction.
Laying aside every weight, that can be a lot of weight and it's something we have to lay aside EVERY day, and as often throughout the day as we can when we realize we're putting on weight rather than keeping it off. There are no spiritually anorexic people, we are to have how much spiritual weight upon us? NONE. We are to lay it ALL aside, every last bit of weight. The spiritual forces we are to have with us are light and how heavy is light? No, I’m not talking lamps or flashlights but the light they produce. How heavy is the light they produce? It's not, light has no weight. Our spiritual armor isn't heavy, it isn't weighty, we aren't encumbered by it because it's all light! Jesus is the light of the world! Jesus sets us free!
Joh 8:34 Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.
Joh 8:35 And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever.
Joh 8:36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
Free in Christ, free from the weight of sin.
Heb 2:14 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;
Heb 2:15 And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.
ALL their lifetime subject to bondage. If you're being bound you aren't free. If you're being bound you are not weightless. Bonds can be very, very heavy.
We are to set aside the weight that would hold us down. We are to dump all spiritual baggage and run free in Christ!
Salvation!
Righteousness!
Truth!
Gospel of Peace!
Faith!
Spirit of the word of God!
How much does all that weigh? Absolutely nothing!
Sin is heavy, sin is a spiritual weight. Death is heavy, the heaviest of all. Salvation is life, freedom from eternal death.
Take a few moments to think about the things that weigh you down spiritually, things that keep you from running spiritually unencumbered. What things threaten to hide the light of Christ from your life?
Every day we will face these things, threatening things. Satan is every ready with his bags of spiritual weight to toss upon us and keep us down. We need to recognize the spiritual weight and pray for freedom from that weighty spiritual tie of bondage. We know when we over eat we gain weight. We also know that when we choose to eat up spiritual problems that we should be giving to God in prayer, we'll gain spiritual sin weight- because it truly is a sin to trust in ourselves more than trusting in God.
We are warned….
Luk 21:34 And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.
CARES OF THIS LIFE- they can weigh us down and keep us from Christ.
It all has to do with faith in GOD's righteousness, faith in God and NOT in ourselves.
By faith!!!
By faith we will run the race, by faith we can and will set aside every weight!
In fact, only through faith is it possible to set aside EVERY weight.
May God help us to lay aside the weight that is upon us, the sin that so easily besets us through faith in Him.
By the grace of our loving Savior, in His mercy, in His righteousness forever and ever!
Amen.
Heb 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Are you compassed about with a great cloud of witnesses?
We just read a lot about the faith of the elders- are we witnesses to what they endured? Not first hand witnesses but we through faith believed their testimony, we believe the history of them. Do you believe there are unseen witnesses around us? Spiritual witnesses? Not everyone has family they live with, not every one has friends they associate with. We are living in a world of technology that enables people to live very solitary lives and yet have a social life through the internet. Are people witnessing us through the internet? We aren't sure who is at the other end of an email, or an instant message. We like to think we are sure but all too often people find out everything they thought about someone they call a friend online is all fake. We are witness to their deception though, aren't we? When we find out people we don't physically see are not who they pretend to be, we are witness to the real person's deception and that is still a witness.
Do you think it's true our every action has a witness?
What good does it do to put on a public face only to take it off in private and become something horrible? Without witnesses we are left to be our true selves and yet the question is… do you think it's true our every action has a witness?
Our every action does have a witness. You might not have a cloud of physical witnesses about you, but you are compassed about with a cloud of spiritual witnesses- both evil and good.
Mat 10:26 Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known.
Mar 4:22 For there is nothing hid, which shall not be manifested; neither was any thing kept secret, but that it should come abroad.
Luk 8:17 For nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest; neither any thing hid, that shall not be known and come abroad.
Luk 12:2 For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known.
Luk 12:3 Therefore whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light; and that which ye have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops.
Psa 90:8 Thou hast set our iniquities before thee, our secret sins in the light of thy countenance.
Ecc 12:14 For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.
Jer 23:24 Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the LORD. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the LORD.
Mat 6:6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
Mat 18:10 Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven.
2Ki 6:15 And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do?
2Ki 6:16 And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them.
2Ki 6:17 And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.
Job 1:8 And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?
Job 1:9 Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought?
Job 1:10 Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land.
Job 1:11 But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face.
Job 1:12 And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD.
Satan himself knows us. Evil spirits know us. People find it easy to imagine that God knows us, that He knows everything but turn it around and try to get them to understand that Satan and his evil spirits see us just as God's angels can see us, that our lives, our secret actions are NOT hidden from Satan- it's a whole new ballgame.
We have witnesses whether we like it or not. We have physical witnesses and spiritual witnesses. You could hole yourself up in a cave for fifty years alone and still have witnesses. We can't ever believe we are not being witnessed by someone.
We have to live our lives in Christ always, not only when we are about other people.
Heb 12:1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
Heb 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
We have to lay aside every weight.
What sort of weight? Anything that would hold us back and keep us from moving forward, ever forward in Christ. Things weigh us down all the time and I'm not talking physical clothing, or heavy shoes. We could streamline our bodies with the latest in professional swimwear, or bicycle wear, runner's wear and still we could be weighed down heavily by so much in life.
How much weight are we to lay aside? EVERY weight. Do you think we hold on to some of our spiritual weight because we just don't know how to live without it in our lives? Some weight or as people call it- baggage we carry around with us is like a friend to us. We're familiar with it, we just don't know what life would be like without that baggage, it often grows up with us from childhood. We hold on to a lot of unnecessary weight that would keep us down, that would keep us from running our fastest. Every day we wake up with weight on us and unfortunately we often add more weight rather than set it aside. Satan wants us HEAVY, he wants us spiritually weighed down as heavy as he can possibly make us. He will make opportunity after opportunity to increase the weight upon us laying burden after burden upon us as he tries to convince us there is NO way to get rid of the burdens. It works right into Satan's plan to make us feel hopelessly heavy so that we don't even want to run any race, in fact we don't want to walk, and he loves it when we barely want to move in Christ's direction.
Laying aside every weight, that can be a lot of weight and it's something we have to lay aside EVERY day, and as often throughout the day as we can when we realize we're putting on weight rather than keeping it off. There are no spiritually anorexic people, we are to have how much spiritual weight upon us? NONE. We are to lay it ALL aside, every last bit of weight. The spiritual forces we are to have with us are light and how heavy is light? No, I’m not talking lamps or flashlights but the light they produce. How heavy is the light they produce? It's not, light has no weight. Our spiritual armor isn't heavy, it isn't weighty, we aren't encumbered by it because it's all light! Jesus is the light of the world! Jesus sets us free!
Joh 8:34 Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.
Joh 8:35 And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever.
Joh 8:36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
Free in Christ, free from the weight of sin.
Heb 2:14 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;
Heb 2:15 And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.
ALL their lifetime subject to bondage. If you're being bound you aren't free. If you're being bound you are not weightless. Bonds can be very, very heavy.
We are to set aside the weight that would hold us down. We are to dump all spiritual baggage and run free in Christ!
Salvation!
Righteousness!
Truth!
Gospel of Peace!
Faith!
Spirit of the word of God!
How much does all that weigh? Absolutely nothing!
Sin is heavy, sin is a spiritual weight. Death is heavy, the heaviest of all. Salvation is life, freedom from eternal death.
Take a few moments to think about the things that weigh you down spiritually, things that keep you from running spiritually unencumbered. What things threaten to hide the light of Christ from your life?
Every day we will face these things, threatening things. Satan is every ready with his bags of spiritual weight to toss upon us and keep us down. We need to recognize the spiritual weight and pray for freedom from that weighty spiritual tie of bondage. We know when we over eat we gain weight. We also know that when we choose to eat up spiritual problems that we should be giving to God in prayer, we'll gain spiritual sin weight- because it truly is a sin to trust in ourselves more than trusting in God.
We are warned….
Luk 21:34 And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.
CARES OF THIS LIFE- they can weigh us down and keep us from Christ.
It all has to do with faith in GOD's righteousness, faith in God and NOT in ourselves.
By faith!!!
By faith we will run the race, by faith we can and will set aside every weight!
In fact, only through faith is it possible to set aside EVERY weight.
May God help us to lay aside the weight that is upon us, the sin that so easily besets us through faith in Him.
By the grace of our loving Savior, in His mercy, in His righteousness forever and ever!
Amen.
Friday, November 5, 2010
Not perfect without us
Heb 11:39 And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise:
Heb 11:40 God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.
Obtained a good report through faith.
Good report...
G3140
martureō
mar-too-reh'-o
From G3144; to be a witness, that is, testify (literally or figuratively): - charge, give [evidence], bear record, have (obtain, of) good (honest) report, be well reported of, testify, give (have) testimony, (be, bear, give, obtain) witness.
Act 10:22 And they said, Cornelius the centurion, a just man, and one that feareth God, and of good report among all the nation of the Jews, was warned from God by an holy angel to send for thee into his house, and to hear words of thee.
Fearing God.
Php 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
True, honest, just, pure, lovely - things of good report, virtuous, praiseworthy things- THINK on these things.
Heb 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Heb 11:2 For by it the elders obtained a good report.
FAITH.
Heb 11:13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
Heb 11:39 And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise:
Heb 11:40 God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.
Receiving not the promise, yet believing the promise,
They without US should not be made perfect.
They- the elders. Who were the elders? Who were those spoken about, who without US should not be made perfect?
Able, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarha, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Rahab, Gedeon, Barak, Samson, Jephthae, David, Samuel, the prophets, the apostles, the martyrs.
They are not perfect without us. Amazing! How is it possible? Enoch was translated to heaven, Moses was taken up to heaven after death, the apostles walked, talked- lived with the Son of God and they are NOT perfect without us.
Heaven is would not be complete without all those who love God. The new world must have ALL those who love God and not leave a single person who loves God out. Only when ALL those who will love God are claimed as His by faith will there be a completeness- a whole, complete body, a perfect bride, a perfect people.
It's not easy to imagine the likes of myself making up the perfection found in Christ, receiving the promise. That's a good thing though, really it is, because I can't believe in myself, I must believe in Christ. Christ is the perfection, Christ is the righteousness and I must believe this- that is faith. Not believing in ME, but believing in the Son of God, my Savior. All those before me who believed, all those before me who have placed their faith in God and all those with me now who have faith and all those after me who have faith will make up the perfection of those brought to life everlasting, taking on perfect immortality.
There will be a perfect day.
Pro 4:18 But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.
The promise will be received!
Heb 11:39 And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise:
Heb 11:40 God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.
When we are all perfected by Christ that will be perfected, then the promise will be received.
Rev 22:11 He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.
Make no mistake- there will be the unjust and the just, the filthy and the clean, the unrighteous and the righteous, the unholy and the holy.
People don't want to believe it. They want that Santa Clause God we've talked about before, one that will give good things to the naughty and the nice. Exactly what are parents thinking when they say that Santa doesn't give good gifts to naughty children? The children that are old enough know that they aren't being good and yet they know that regardless of that there will be gifts from Santa, that Santa will ignore their badness, that Santa doesn't ask for anything more than their trying to be good. People want God to be like Santa Clause. They say Santa automatically forgives the badness, and yet the Bible teaches us that we need to ASK for forgiveness, that Christ died to give us unworthy ones forgiveness we can never get on our own. Teaching our children that there is a Santa Clause God who will give us gifts, in fact the greatest gift of all (eternal life) no matter what, as long as we are good or try to be good is a huge mistake. Our goodness will NOT get us the gift of eternal life. And our un-forgiven badness will not be forgiven because we falsely believe Santa Clause God is a big ol' softy. We have an exacting God and the only way to please Him is through His Son. Our having faith in Christ's righteousness, our recognizing our sinfulness, our striving to have quality faith, real faith, our clinging to Christ, our living for Christ- this is what our God desires. God doesn't want a bunch of people that think He's a jolly fellow. God doesn't need people to approve of HIM, to think He's just and good. God IS just and good whether we approve or not. We cannot bend God to our concept of Santa Claus goodness. How disappointed many will be when they wake up too late to realize there is NO Santa Clause god. That the REAL, One and Only True God knows there will be the just and unjust, the good and bad, the holy and unholy, the righteous and unrighteous. That magically all the unjust, the unholy, the unrighteous, and the filthy will NOT be transformed. Read this again….
Rev 22:11 He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.
HE THAT IS … see that?! HE THAT IS….IS….IS!!!!!! What does that word 'IS' mean? It's the state of a person at that moment, right? He that IS unjust will what? REMAIN unjust. He that IS filthy will remain what? FILTHY! He that is righteous will what? REMAIN righteous! He that is holy will what? REMAIN holy. There is NO he that is unjust will become just, he that is filthy will be come clean, he that is unholy will become holy, he that is unrighteous will be righteous- it doesn't EXIST! There will be NO gift of eternal life given to the unjust, the filthy, the unholy, the unrighteous! Make no mistake that day is FAST approaching when those words will be spoken. That perfect day is coming when all that will be perfect in God, perfect in our Savior will be perfect at long last, a perfection only made so for all those from Able to the last human saved by grace. We can be among those made perfect in Christ. We can be among those who obtain a good report THROUGH FAITH! We can be among those who receive the better thing in Him- by His mercy, His grace, His love, His righteousness, His holiness!
Heb 11:39 And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise:
Heb 11:40 God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.
Amen!
Heb 11:40 God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.
Obtained a good report through faith.
Good report...
G3140
martureō
mar-too-reh'-o
From G3144; to be a witness, that is, testify (literally or figuratively): - charge, give [evidence], bear record, have (obtain, of) good (honest) report, be well reported of, testify, give (have) testimony, (be, bear, give, obtain) witness.
Act 10:22 And they said, Cornelius the centurion, a just man, and one that feareth God, and of good report among all the nation of the Jews, was warned from God by an holy angel to send for thee into his house, and to hear words of thee.
Fearing God.
Php 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
True, honest, just, pure, lovely - things of good report, virtuous, praiseworthy things- THINK on these things.
Heb 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Heb 11:2 For by it the elders obtained a good report.
FAITH.
Heb 11:13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
Heb 11:39 And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise:
Heb 11:40 God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.
Receiving not the promise, yet believing the promise,
They without US should not be made perfect.
They- the elders. Who were the elders? Who were those spoken about, who without US should not be made perfect?
Able, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarha, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Rahab, Gedeon, Barak, Samson, Jephthae, David, Samuel, the prophets, the apostles, the martyrs.
They are not perfect without us. Amazing! How is it possible? Enoch was translated to heaven, Moses was taken up to heaven after death, the apostles walked, talked- lived with the Son of God and they are NOT perfect without us.
Heaven is would not be complete without all those who love God. The new world must have ALL those who love God and not leave a single person who loves God out. Only when ALL those who will love God are claimed as His by faith will there be a completeness- a whole, complete body, a perfect bride, a perfect people.
It's not easy to imagine the likes of myself making up the perfection found in Christ, receiving the promise. That's a good thing though, really it is, because I can't believe in myself, I must believe in Christ. Christ is the perfection, Christ is the righteousness and I must believe this- that is faith. Not believing in ME, but believing in the Son of God, my Savior. All those before me who believed, all those before me who have placed their faith in God and all those with me now who have faith and all those after me who have faith will make up the perfection of those brought to life everlasting, taking on perfect immortality.
There will be a perfect day.
Pro 4:18 But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.
The promise will be received!
Heb 11:39 And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise:
Heb 11:40 God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.
When we are all perfected by Christ that will be perfected, then the promise will be received.
Rev 22:11 He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.
Make no mistake- there will be the unjust and the just, the filthy and the clean, the unrighteous and the righteous, the unholy and the holy.
People don't want to believe it. They want that Santa Clause God we've talked about before, one that will give good things to the naughty and the nice. Exactly what are parents thinking when they say that Santa doesn't give good gifts to naughty children? The children that are old enough know that they aren't being good and yet they know that regardless of that there will be gifts from Santa, that Santa will ignore their badness, that Santa doesn't ask for anything more than their trying to be good. People want God to be like Santa Clause. They say Santa automatically forgives the badness, and yet the Bible teaches us that we need to ASK for forgiveness, that Christ died to give us unworthy ones forgiveness we can never get on our own. Teaching our children that there is a Santa Clause God who will give us gifts, in fact the greatest gift of all (eternal life) no matter what, as long as we are good or try to be good is a huge mistake. Our goodness will NOT get us the gift of eternal life. And our un-forgiven badness will not be forgiven because we falsely believe Santa Clause God is a big ol' softy. We have an exacting God and the only way to please Him is through His Son. Our having faith in Christ's righteousness, our recognizing our sinfulness, our striving to have quality faith, real faith, our clinging to Christ, our living for Christ- this is what our God desires. God doesn't want a bunch of people that think He's a jolly fellow. God doesn't need people to approve of HIM, to think He's just and good. God IS just and good whether we approve or not. We cannot bend God to our concept of Santa Claus goodness. How disappointed many will be when they wake up too late to realize there is NO Santa Clause god. That the REAL, One and Only True God knows there will be the just and unjust, the good and bad, the holy and unholy, the righteous and unrighteous. That magically all the unjust, the unholy, the unrighteous, and the filthy will NOT be transformed. Read this again….
Rev 22:11 He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.
HE THAT IS … see that?! HE THAT IS….IS….IS!!!!!! What does that word 'IS' mean? It's the state of a person at that moment, right? He that IS unjust will what? REMAIN unjust. He that IS filthy will remain what? FILTHY! He that is righteous will what? REMAIN righteous! He that is holy will what? REMAIN holy. There is NO he that is unjust will become just, he that is filthy will be come clean, he that is unholy will become holy, he that is unrighteous will be righteous- it doesn't EXIST! There will be NO gift of eternal life given to the unjust, the filthy, the unholy, the unrighteous! Make no mistake that day is FAST approaching when those words will be spoken. That perfect day is coming when all that will be perfect in God, perfect in our Savior will be perfect at long last, a perfection only made so for all those from Able to the last human saved by grace. We can be among those made perfect in Christ. We can be among those who obtain a good report THROUGH FAITH! We can be among those who receive the better thing in Him- by His mercy, His grace, His love, His righteousness, His holiness!
Heb 11:39 And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise:
Heb 11:40 God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.
Amen!
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