Washed By The Water of the Word

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WASHED BY THE WATER OF THE WORD

INTRODUCTION

The Christian is saved, redeemed, reconciled and restored in Christ Jesus alone.  This lesson focuses on learning how to be washed by the water of the Word.  This teaching has great significance for the Church, I believe, because it is described as Christ’s will for the Church with an end to presenting her as a holy and blameless bride.

ON BEHALF OF THE CHURCH

 

Titus 2:14

“Who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.”

 

We are a people being made into a royal priesthood and a holy temple of God.  We are the bride of Christ, His very own body.  In this passage we’re told about what Christ did for us; He redeemed us from immorality and purified us so that we would be one for Him with great zeal towards good.

 

Hebrews 10:10, 14, 29

“10By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.  14 For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.  29 How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace?”

 

Hebrews 13:12

“12 Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people through His own blood, suffered outside the gate.”

 

Whenever a church- which is, by definition, the believers- find themselves entangled in immorality and indulging in unclean things, that church has found themselves in a very frightful and dangerous place to be; they are gravely at risk of trampling under foot the blood of our covenant and insulting the Spirit of grace.

The sanctification and purification for our hearts has already been made and offered, but that does not mean that you are clean in your current lifestyle.  In most cases, the sanctification of Christ has been rejected- His offer, as it were, has been reviled because those who were meant to receive it never embraced it.

The sacrifice has been made and the power of salvation given; what remains is for you to embrace it.  In many parables many different ways, Jesus taught that you couldn’t be both hot and cold, that you couldn’t have one foot in the darkness and one in the light, that you couldn’t serve two masters at once.  Eventually, you must embrace one or the other.

 

John 8:31-37

“31So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine;32and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” 33They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never yet been enslaved to anyone; how is it that You say, ‘You will become free’?” 34Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin. 35The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son does remain forever. 36So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed. 37I know that you are Abraham’s descendants; yet you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you.”

 

John 15:3

“3You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.”

 

Jesus became the light bursting out from the darkness, setting men’s hearts on fire and shinning light upon the path that leads to life in Christ Jesus.

He was speaking to men who were slaves to sin and set them free with the Truth that is now in us and abides in us through Jesus Christ the Son of God.

The Truth set them free because they believed in it and they were cleansed of sin by it; the sin that once ruled over them was removed from them by the Truth that is in Jesus Christ.

This is the work which Christ did, proclaiming repentance and forgiveness of sin in Him, on behalf of the Church so that she would be made pure and sanctified unto Himself; the perfect bride.

 

THE WASHING OF THE WATER OF THE WORD

We need to understand the nature of the Truth spoken in Christ Jesus and the blood, which is the new covenant, that cleanses us from all sins.

Romans 3:21-31

“21But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; 23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; 25whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; 26for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. 27Where then is boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? Of works? No, but by a law of faith. 28For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law. 29Or is God the God of Jews only? Is He not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, 30since indeed God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith is one. 31Do we then nullify the Law through faith? May it never be! On the contrary, we establish the Law.”

 

Jesus Christ, the Word of God and the blood of the new covenant, was witnessed to by both the Law and the Prophets.  The Law became a tutor to lead us towards Christ and the Prophets foretold of Christ to make ready His way.

There is a law of the new covenant; referred to here as the law of faith (by which boasting is excluded), and in other places, as the Law of Life in the Spirit of Christ Jesus.

It is important to remember that immorality and sin is excluded from the life of a Christian because they have been done away with in the body of Christ by the offering of His body and blood on our behalf.  If one continues in sin, one begins to trample under foot the body of Christ and insult the Spirit of Grace which is meant to lead us through repentance to God.

 

Ephesians 5:26-2

“So that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless.”

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was God, and the Word was with God”.  Jesus is the Word of God and He has made for us a washing done by His blood and the Truth of His word.

Indeed, our washing in the water of the Word is both critical and continual; it is the beginning of our purification, in which we are washed by the blood of Christ, and it is the continuation of our sanctification through the Word as the Work of the Holy Spirit, just as it says “according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood: may Grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure” (1st Peter 1:2).

We were told above in Ephesians that the end-result of this is the presentation of the church, His bride, to Jesus, holy and blameless in every respect.

Great measures have been taken to present the church pure and blameless to Christ- to ensure that she is filled with everlasting life and becomes of One Spirit with Him.

The Apostles said, “16Now why do you delay? Get up and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on His name.” (Acts 22:16).  There was no reason for delay!  This was the message of Christ, repentance and forgiveness of sins by which reconciliation and restoration to God in Christ Jesus was made possible!

 

Romans 10:8

“8But what does it say? “THE WORD IS NEAR YOU, IN YOUR MOUTH AND IN YOUR HEART”—that is, the word of faith which we are preaching,”

 

The Truth, which is Jesus Christ, was brought near to us as He descended upon Earth, and it was put in them, to be spoken and lived in Christ Jesus.  The message of repentance and forgiveness was the word of Truth put on their lips to preach in the name of Christ and it is also the message put in us today through the Spirit of Christ.

1st Corinthians 6:11

“11 Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.”

 

Every one of us were once sinners- but now notice that we were washed and sanctified and justified in the name of Jesus and in the Spirit of our God.

This is a full-measure of salvation- one in which the blood of Christ became our atonement that makes ready the way of salvation and the Truth of Christ sets us free from sin.

Even from the beginning there have been many who longed for this salvation but were never willing to embrace it.  The Spirit of Grace has been greatly insulted throughout all the ages, as the patience and love of God is testified to by every insult.

 

EMBRACING CHRIST

A lot of people would like to skip everything that has been witnessed to us above about the work of Christ done on behalf of the church for her sanctification and purification and how these things are made exclusively available through Him alone.  It is easier to pursue righteousness in the flesh than it is to crucify the flesh and lay it down for Christ to raise anew.

This message of repentance means everything to us- and seeking the forgiveness of our sins is futile unless it is according to the Truth in Christ that He has promised will set us free.  Remember, “if the Son of God set’s you free, you will be free indeed!”  The converse of that is that if the Son of God has not set you free, you will not be free!

Laying down our lives means that we have to sacrifice them in the service of God, just as Jesus Christ Himself also sacrificed His life in the service of God; and what? Do we think that we are greater than the Son of God that we would not have to suffer as He Himself also suffered?

For the poor and suffering in this world, we should empty ourselves of our life to help them- to the ends of the Earth we should go to preach Christ.

Vanity should be put away.  Pride and all the things that might focus our attentions back onto our flesh are things that prevent us from ever sacrificing ourselves in the service of God.

 

2 Peter 1:5-9

5 Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, 6 and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, 7 and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. 8 For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins.

 

I know that the Lord spoke very powerfully to me a few years back saying that there were things here, things contained in His word, that I had not embraced and that were keeping me from growing in Christ and being fruitful in the true knowledge of Jesus Christ.

For me, personally, it was self-control, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love that I was lacking, and especially self-control (which hindered me from possessing the others also).

 

Titus 3:5

“5 He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit,”

 

I have made the mistake of pursuing the above qualities through using measures of fleshly disciplines- by that I mean, I used techniques that focused on the flesh, such as “fasting from TV” or “fasting from lunch on Friday” and an assortment of other things by which I tried to teach myself discipline.  And these things “have some value”, as Paul said, but have no power to overcome the flesh.  Lacking the regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit meant that I was perpetually stuck in the bonds of sin and could never get past my sin.

Ephesians 6:17-

 “17 And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”

Hebrews 4:12

“12 For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”

We need to seek the revelation of Jesus Christ from the Word of God by the Holy Spirit.  It is essential to take up the sword of The Spirit that has the power to divide soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and receive its judgments so that the thoughts and intentions of our hearts are laid bare and the way of repentance and forgiveness in Christ Jesus can be made known.

 

 

 

The Secret of Contentment

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PHILIPPIANS 4:12

“12I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.”

Discontent is never easy to bear: it turns things that once were joyful to us into things of contempt in our minds.

So what was it that caused Paul to be filled with this overwhelming contentedness?

HEBREWS 12:28-29

Therefore, since we receive a Kingdom, which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; for our God is a consuming fire.

Paul was fully aware of the salvation that he had received: indeed, one could spend many, many months teaching on the depth of our salvation and what it means without even scratching the full measure of these hidden mysteries in Christ.

The gratitude that Paul received as a result of his faith in what Christ had done, and who Christ is, was the power that overcame every circumstance he faced and caused him to view even the worst suffering as unworthy to be compared with the glory that was to come in Christ!

GRATITUDE.

Gratitude: the quality of being thankful (New Oxford American Dictionary).

This readiness to show appreciation and return kindness is a quality that you find in those who have had a realization of the great value or worth of some act of kindness or good fortune that has been given to them.

In a Christian, it is derived entirely from the revelation of Christ- knowing the indescribable depths of His mercy and kindness and the glory that we know will be revealed to us at His return!

A BROTHER OF GRATITUDE

A Christian believer once recounted how he had been converted while he was working as a prison guard in a persecuted country: he told how a prisoner endured the terrible and wretched conditions he was in while continuing, day in and day out, to sing praises to God.  The guard was overcome by this gratitude and knew that this joy was an undeniable evidence of the work of Christ.

What was the source of this gratitude?

Was it not the same source that we see in Paul:

ACTS 16:22-34.

“The crowd rose up together against them (Paul and Silas), and the chief magistrates tore their robes off them and proceeded to order them to be beaten with rods.  When they had struck them with many blows, they threw them into the prison, commanding the jailer to guard them securely; and he, having received such a command, threw them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.

But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, ad the prisoners were listening to them; and suddenly there came a great earthquake, so tat the foundations of the prison house were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were unfastened.  When the jailer awoke and saw the prison doors opened, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped.  But Paul cried out with a loud voice saying, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here!” and he called for lights and rushed in and trembling with fear, he fell down before Paul and Silas, and after he brought them to, he said, “sirs, what must I do to be saved?”  They said, “believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”  And they spoke the Word of the Lord to him together with all who were in his house.  And he took them that very hour of the night and washed their wounds, and immediately he was baptized, he and all his household.  And he brought them into his house and set food before them, and rejoiced greatly, having believed in God with his whole household.”

These two stories are tremendous accounts of faith.

Gratitude is not the goal, nor is it the source: gratitude is the result of the faith they had according to the work of Christ being done in them.  Our thanksgiving is a result of Christ and it is the will of God (1st Thessalonians 5:18).

HEBREWS 13:15

“Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.”

Is there any greater way by which the children of God can glorify His name in the face of a wicked world than to declare His praises under the oppression of injustice and trial?

What’s more is that this is not a practice that only veteran Christians can do; Paul was not a 30-year veteran Christian in the story above (certainly less than 10 years).

This is a sacrifice of praise we can all make!  And it is a sacrifice of praise that comes from God!  How blessed are we that the Lord has provided our sacrifice for us!

JAMES 4:6-7

“God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.  Submit yourselves, therefore, to God.” 

Both pride and ingratitude deny what the Lord has done for us and cause us to exalt ourselves over the Lord.

Pride is that thing which causes us to take offense when wronged; ingratitude is that feeling you get when you believe that you deserve better than what you’ve received.  And this feeling usually arises when we have forgotten what has already been given to us in Christ and begin to elevate the importance of perishing things in this world that we do not have!

In a very rare exception, I’ve decided to link to a video because it demonstrates in a very clear, funny, and clean way how easily ingratitude festers in us: Monty Python- Four Yorkshiremen

ROMANS 1:21

“21For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.” 

 

SUMMARY

If we are living in pride and ingratitude, we have not tasted or known the glory of God and our hearts are both foolish and dark.

There is no way to overcome this except through Christ- for He is the summation and the completion of all things for the glory of God’s name.

If you see the signs of ingratitude in your life, seek and ask for the revelation of Christ, by which you will be both renewed and overwhelmed with joy and gratitude!

Set your mind on the things above: things which are good and pure, holy and righteous, noble and pleasing in the sight of God.

 

TAKE IT FURTHER

▪   Romans 3:28 and 5:1

▪   John 17:19

▪   Romans 15:16

▪   1 Corinthians 1:2

▪   Hebrews 9:14

▪   1 Peter 1:2

▪   Galatians 3:20-27

▪   Colossians 3:16

▪   Luke 18:9-14

▪   James 4:10

▪   1 Thess. 5:18

 

Prayer Focus Finished

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We have just finished a prayer focus in which we have cried out to God to tear down the strongholds in our hearts that raise up against the Word of God and cause us to fall.

This is one of those most important things to pray on- we need God to tear these strongholds down and show us how to tear them down.

I hope and encourage you to join us in our next prayer focus!

REVIVE: Reparations

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Even in times when idolatry runs rampant and morality is mocked, scoffed, and perverted, and even when the holy name of God is widely profaned, God’s mercy is endless; God allowed Josiah to lead Judah into a short revival before He poured out His wrath because they turned from their ways and repented.  God always searches the hearts of man- He sends His prophets before them, and brings before the His Word to test the heart of man to see whether or not the fruits of repentance would be found.

In the time of Josiah, the fruits of repentance were found.  The question we will want to ask ourselves is whether or not the fruits of repentance will again be found in our time?

II Kings 22:1-13  

There were 7 evidences in the time of Josiah that led to this revival:

  1. They made reparations to the Temple.
  2. They rediscovered Gods Word.
  3. They repented of their sins.
  4. They petitioned God for guidance.
  5. They responded to God’s guidance.
  6. They removed the idols from the temple.
  7. They observed the covenant of God.

REPARATIONS

The timbers and stones of the temple had been damaged; from years of neglect and abuse, the temple had fallen into despair.

1st Corinthians 3:16

16Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?

1st Peter 2:5

5you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

When the people of God become sick and ill, corrupted and led astray, the stones of God’s living temple are laid desolate and left in disrepair.

We know the kind of qualities that are of the world:

Galatians 5:20-21

  • Idolatry: hobbies, entertainment, money.
  • Sorcery: use of magic.
  • Enmities: hostility, hatred, and ill-will.
  • Strife: bitterness and anger.
  • Jealousy: greed and lust.
  • Outbursts of anger: out of control.
  • Disputes: arguments.
  • Dissensions: discord.
  • Factions: divisions.
  • Envying: discontentment.
  • Drunkenness: carousal.

But these are unholy and profane things that are not fit for the temple of God!  Rather, God has set aside holy things for His temple!

Galatians 5:22-26:

  • Love: mercy and compassion.
  • Joy: praise and worship.
  • Peace: contentment and freedom.
  • Patience: longsuffering and understanding.
  • Kindness: gentleness and helpfulness.
  • Goodness: purity and truth.
  • Faithfulness: trustworthiness.
  • Gentleness: tenderness and sympathy.
  • Self-Control: regeneration and discipline.

Making reparations to the temple of God today is not about picking up hammer and nails; to make reparations to the temple of God we must remember who it is that supplies us with all the things pertaining to life and godliness, we must remember the declarations God has made to us and set about returning to the divine nature that God has caused to dwell in us by the Holy Spirit through faith!

In short, to make reparations to God’s temple we must forsake ourselves and come after Him!

God is checking the hearts of man today; will we repent?

We have done wicked deeds in the church, indeed, before all the nations today!  Will we turn away from these things and draw unto God?  He has shown us the way through Jesus Christ, but will we follow?

The Ways of Life Made Known

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It is almost impossible to describe the immense turmoil the world is going through right now: entire countries are in uproar, revolutions spread, and people are uncertain about the future.  Christians who have been imprisoned for years, continue their plight unheard of by their families, and many around the world live in constant fear of being imprisoned.  Protestors are marching all over the US, and the uncertainty of the coming elections this year has many people around the world on edge.  Dictators have fallen and are being replaced by the next generation of dictators around the world.

The throne of Satan is truly cruel.

Acts 2:28 You have made known to me the ways of life; You will make me full of joy in Your presence.’

The salvation of Christ is as deep as it is wide- its depths stretch as far as the soul and its breadth is as wide as the heart.  Every turmoil has been overcome in Christ Jesus.  The ways of life have been made known.

So extensive is the salvation of Christ that it surpasses the things of this earth and makes them even unworthy to be named among His salvation!  He conquered the plight of sin and death, He removed the yokes around our neck, and He has restored the children of God with a new heart and a new spirit.

When I stop to consider the salvation of Christ I am overwhelmed by the comprehensive work done in Him- indeed, when the scriptures instruct us saying, “set your mind on the things above” or “think on the things of excellence”, they are telling us that the salvation of Christ is so incredible, so powerful, so overwhelming and so complete that it demands and requires our full attention all the time!  It is that big!

This brings me to my first point: 1) the way of life in Christ Jesus has been made known and in Jesus the work is made complete.  So what is missing?

Rom 15:13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

The believer is filled with peace and joy in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.  They are the fruits of the Spirit.

If I have a tree and call it an apple tree, but it produces figs, do I not have a fig tree instead?

Likewise, if I have a thorn bush, but call it a rose bush, do I not still have a thorn bush?

So it is in the Kingdom of God: if I have the Spirit of God, I shall know its fruits.  And they will be obvious to me, and they will be in me, and I will partake of them.

After hearing the gospel preached by the Spirit, a man once responded saying, ”I see what the Word of God declares and I do not see them in my life.  I think I have been so afraid to admit this all my life that I never addressed the issue.”  Because he admitted what was lacking in his life, he was made ready to begin drawing unto God for restoration and to be made complete.

John 15:10–11 If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. 11 “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.

For many it is merely a matter of faith: they have not believed, and therefore, followed Christ.  Still more, it is a matter of deception- Satan has introduced a lie and sown thorns and thistles in among the wheat.  Tares have come up with the wheat and chocked the life out of us.

Often times it is a matter of coming to God in prayer and exposing our lives to the Light of the Word of Truth so that He may “prune” the areas of our life that are preventing us from becoming fruitful and bearing fruit in the Kingdom of God (and remember, Peace, Joy, Love, and even Hope are fruits of the Spirit).

1 Cor 14:33 For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.

Surely God does not lead us into confusion but into peace.  So as many are in confusion, if they should draw unto Him, forsaking their former lives and coming to Him with humility, love, and sincerity of heart, surely He will write the marks of peace on the hearts and seal them forever in the Holy Spirit- the seal of our covenant with God!

John 7:38 “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’ ”

Jesus is not weak in His power to deliver according to His promise.  He does not lack what is necessary to create rivers of living water within us.

There is such a immense and wonderful desire in the children of God to find these living waters;  with this wonderful desire in our hearts, let us draw firmly and wholeheartedly, with all our hearts, soul, mind, and strength to the God of our salvation who is able to create in us living waters from which abundant peace and joy will flow.

So that in times of trial and turmoil, in times of peace and prosperity, we will have learned the secret of contentment and always dwell in the peace of Christ, which is never to depart from us.

John 16:33 “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”

2nd Thessalonians 3:16 Now may the Lord of peace Himself continually grant you peace in every circumstance. The Lord be with you all!

Not Greater Than Him

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The servant is not greater than his master, nor the disciple greater than his teacher; it is enough if the servant becomes like the master, and the disciple like the teacher.

 

Philippians 2:5-11

“5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. 8 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, 10 so that at the name of JesusEVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth,11 and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.“

As Christians we either uphold the Word of God, or we make Him out to be a liar (though He is not a liar).  I cannot firmly beg the brethren enough; uphold the word of God!  Jesus had this attitude of humility before God and obeyed everything He was sent to do.  He spoke and did only what He was asked to do and did not reside in comfort in this world because it was not His home.

“Have this attitude in yourselves…” 

If we are His disciples, are not greater than He is, we must take this attitude upon ourselves.

Questions to ask:

  • Why do so many live greater than He did?

Is it because He did not ask us to pick up our crosses and follow Him, or because He withheld the Word of God and did not lead us into confession and cause us to leave everything behind to follow Him?  Jesus is the Apostle of our Confession (Hebrews 3:1), He leads us in the ways that we are to go, just as He has sent us to lead the world in the way that they should go.

  • If I’m not living as a servant, am I truly following Him?

If we are living like kings, are we not in rebellion against the King of kings?  And if we are not obeying God unto death, will we join His Son in His resurrection?

  • Why am I not suffering if my Lord suffered and sent me into the same world to do the same work that He did?

The Lord Himself suffered at the hands of the world and He has sent us on His behalf, to bear His name, into the same world to lead people into the confession that He has shown us.  So why are you not suffering, if you are not suffering for His name?

How can we settle down with measures of great wealth when the Lord had no place to rest His head?

Damnation upon our riches!  What will they profit us anyway?  Who can buy God or give Him a bribe great enough to win His favor?  What can we offer to Him?

Jesus came so that the world would know what we have to offer God, and so that the world would know How we may come to Him and enter into a right relationship with our Father who is in Heaven, but the world has hated Jesus for it!  Will they not also, then, hate us if we remain faithful to Him?

If we say that we do not have to follow Christ in the likeness of His death, we’re calling Him a liar and cannot possibly expect that we will join Him in the likeness of His resurrection!

Deceived

The flesh seeks a law to measure and define everything; to restrict the manner of our suffering so that we will not have to take up our cross, and so the flesh is deceived and deprived of the fellowship of His suffering!

Our flesh asks “how much do I have to suffer”, but faith responds “yes, Lord, yes”.

Our flesh remarks, “yes, but, what about this…”, but faith humbly says, “I will follow Him”.

Therefore, our faith is rewarded with fellowship and our faith perceives the love and Light of Christ.

1st Corinthians 2:14

14 But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.

The followers of Christ, not just Paul, determine to know nothing except the cross of Christ and Him crucified; to live under the message He delivered and follow Him into the confession that He became God’s apostle of!

The natural man refuses to accept these things because they are foolish to him.  And how foolish it is for man to suffer; but we do not suffer as men- we suffer as the children of God, bought and redeemed by the Lord so that we may be raised and perfected in that glorious and truly wonderful day of His return!

Why then do we store up 401k’s, IRA’s, and savings accounts?  Why do we moan and wail when depressions, devaluations, and crashes come and take away these blessings that we have stored up for ourselves in greed upon this Earth?

Let us follow Jesus in the likeness of His sufferings with the joy and expectation of following Him into His glory- serving the poor out of Love and joy, not from selfish ambition and empty conceit.

And these things are not hard, if indeed you have been born again, for they are the burden  of Christ.

Empty or Full?

  • Why is the salvation preached today so empty?

Isn’t it because we empty the Word of God of it’s fullness?  Aren’t we carving out a shell of the gospel when we remove the fellowship of His suffering from its message?

  • Why was the salvation preached by the Lord’s faithful servants so full?

Wasn’t it because they had the attitude of Christ and did not consider themselves greater than He, but did, themselves, become servants and emptied themselves of the world’s things so that they could be filled with the Spiritual things?

I was asked this question:

“If you say we should suffer with Christ, then why should we come to Christ, because shouldn’t we come to Christ because He has something to offer us?“

Do you not fear God?  Then you have no knowledge.  For the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, and he who wishes to save his life must lose it. But why should you suffer, if the message that you have believed since the beginning has emptied the Word of God of it’s wisdom and preached a temporary prosperity to you?  But God did not preach that message.

Christ came that we should all repent and be saved because the Kingdom of God is coming!

If you believe Christ, then you believe His word, and that is why you come to Him, and His offer is eternal life- not perishable riches that will fade away!

 

Lord, if there be anyone to hear your word and believe in His heart, draw him that he may know You and the Light of your fellowship!  Amen!

Attitudes of Prayer

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PREVIOUSLY in “Praying To Our Father”

HEBREWS 4:16

Therefore, let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

 

In this previous post we discussed the confidence we have in prayer because we are praying to our Father.

Now we should also venture to God’s Word and let the Light of Christ shine upon our hearts to reveal to us what the proper attitudes of prayer are.

NOT BY HUMAN STANDARDS

 

We can be assured that the attitude of our prayer is not in human standards.  We do not approach God according to the vastness of our intellect, or fluency of speech.  Our gold and silver perish before Him- so they do us no good.  Your status in life matters little before the God who holds the whole of the universe in the span of His hand.

In short, there is nothing hidden before Gods sight.

PROVERBS 15:29

“29 The LORD is far from the wicked, 
But He hears the prayer of the righteous.”

 

Man is righteous before God by faith (Romans 1:17 & Hebrews 10:38), and out of the heart of faith comes obedience.

The attitude of our prayer is that of faith and obedience.  It is an attitude of righteousness.

For God has already revealed to us that His righteousness descended from up on high and became obedient to death, even death on a cross so that whoever would believe in Him would not perish but have eternal life!

 

Indeed, this is the message that we have heard from Him since the beginning:

 

1st JOHN 5:6-9

“If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Christ cleanses us from all sin.
If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the Truth is not in us.  If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

 

Therefore, because righteousness is according to faith, and obedience is from the heart, we also repent from the heart of our sins.  In this way, we are cleansed and the unrighteous are made righteous by the sacrifice of One- just as also by the sin of one, the many died.

WHERE, THEN, IS BOASTING?

 

If it is in an attitude of righteousness, which came to us by faith, that we take an attitude of repentance in obedience from the heart to the message that we have heard from the beginning, where is boasting?  It is done away with on account of the Work of Christ, that is from first to last, accomplished by the mercy of God our Father in Heaven!

PSALM 51:17

17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; 
A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.

 

The Word of the LORD has shed light upon our hearts and laid us bare before Him: the LORD will not despise the humble.

Anyone who would exalt themselves before God will bow, and those who bow before Him will be lifted up!

But the Lord has bestowed a blessing upon the humble: they shall inherit the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 5:5).

SUMMARY

 

It is not man that searches our hearts and lays them bare before righteous judgment.  Only the LORD God Almighty knows every thought and every intention of man.

To learn the attitudes of prayer, you must come with faith through repentance and humble yourself before God to seek His counsel.  It is only by the counsel of God that you will learn to be pleasing to Him.

Below is a short beginning place to seeking the Lord through His word- and coupled with prayer, you may begin to receive the counsel of the Lord!

 

Take it Farther;

  • 2 Kings 19:14-19
  • Psalm 30:1-12
  • Psalm 34:1-3
  • Psalm 36:11
  • Psalm 51
  • Psalm 69:30
  • Psalm 101:5
  • Psalm 113
  • Psalm 117:1
  • Psalm 119:21
  • Psalm 134:1
  • Psalm 136:1-3
  • Proverbs 15:29
  • Proverbs 16:18
  • Ecclesiastes 3:11-15
  • Ecclesiastes 5:7
  • Ecclesiastes 7:15-18
  • Ecclesiastes 8:10-13
  • Ecclesiastes 12:13-14
  • Isaiah 2:17
  • Mark 7:14-23
  • Luke 1:46-55 & 68-79
  • Luke 2:13-14.
  • John 8:32
  • Romans 8:16
  • Colossians 3:16-17
  • 1st John 2:15-17
  • James 1:5-6
  • James 2:14
  • Revelation 19:1-2, 5