Past Review: Sanctification Only in Christ

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Our precious sanctification made for us by Christ has been on my mind lately with a heavy weight.  If you don’t know what this word “sanctification” is, or what the big deal about it is, I encourage you to go and read this post about sanctification.

Sanctification: Only in Christ

This post deals with sanctification from the perspective that it is made for us only in Jesus Christ! 

There is no other way!  It is in Him alone.

Please, if you are not already seeking the sanctification of Christ in your life, I urge you, begin seeking it from Christ!  My posts will not give you sanctification, they will only point you to Christ.

Past Review: Sanctification Introduction

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This past few days I’ve been reminded, over and over again, of what a wicked and perverse world we live in.  It makes me weep because of all the souls who are rejecting God, the Fountain of Living Waters, and digging out broken cisterns that can hold no water.  But what am I to do about this?

Almost 3 years ago God began revealing to me the sanctification which He has prepared for His children in Jesus Christ.

To this day He has continued revealing this work in Christ to me and given me great reason to praise His name.

Our response to this wicked and perverse generation is to stand up and declare with a mighty voice, “Jesus Christ has come!”  With all zeal for God, let us point to Christ and know that He is the summation of God’s work for us!

Sanctification: Introduction

In the linked-post above I have written a brief introduction regarding what Sanctification is.

I have a whole series on this topic and I am reviewing, updating, and re-releasing them!

I pray that you will be encouraged and edified to grow in your sanctification towards God through Christ by the Holy Spirit!  Amen!

Removing the Immoral Brother

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“It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and such sexual immorality as is not even named among the Gentiles—that a man has his father’s wife! 2 And you are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he who has done this deed might be taken away from among you. 3 For I indeed, as absent in body but present in spirit, have already judged (as though I were present) him who has so done this deed. 4 In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when you are gathered together, along with my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, 5 deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.

 6 Your glorying is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? 7 Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. 8 Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

9 I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with sexually immoral people. 10 Yet I certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. 11 But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner— not even to eat with such a person. 

12 For what have I to do with judging those also who are outside? Do you not judge those who are inside? 13 But those who are outside God judges. Therefore ‘put away from yourselves the evil person.’”- 1st Corinthians 5

Is the above command unloving?

The world today is judging God’s word as unloving and exerting peer pressure on the church to turn her back on God’s commands.  It grieves me deeply to see the church giving her holy “Amen” to the world’s judgments instead of to God’s!

There are very few in my generation with first hand experience in a church that rightly practiced this command: usually they have either seen churches who abused this command or altogether rejected.  Unfortunately, basing our obedience to God’s commands out of our personal experience with how other people fail to carry it out is a very poor compass indeed.

I have seen firsthand this commandment practiced rightly when I was a young boy in a small church that was in a largely un-church community (I think they were the only church in that town).

One of their young men began living a life of sexual immorality.  Somehow they found out and the elders- not the membership- confronted him, but to no avail because he did not repent.

All of this happened before I was born so that I only got to witness firsthand the fruits of this mans repentance.  From what I know of this, he was outside the church for almost 10 years.  To the world, this seems counter-productive and unloving.  But in God’s superior wisdom, this man tasted the bitter brew that is the world’s life and learned what it was like to live under the world Satan has corrupted.  He returned with repentance, conviction, and testimony to the Church and was welcomed with open arms!

Today, he is now one of their elders, and has been for a long time.

GOD’S COMMANDS ARE LOVE

The above passage from 1st Corinthians 5 is almost wholly rejected in the American church today, and I do not think we are any better off for having taken the easy way out of this command.  Is the church more Christ like today?  Is she purer today than she was when she implemented this command?  Sexual immorality, divorce, and abortion rates are actually on the increase in the church.

I believe the above commandment is a commandment of wisdom and love from God given to be carried out by the elders of the church for her benefit.

So what is the command?  If there are “evil persons” among you, such as those practicing sexual immorality, covetousness, extortion, or idolatry, the Church is told to judge (vv. 12, 13) and remove them, handing them over to Satan for the destruction of their flesh so that they may learn their lesson and be saved in the end (v. 5).

Paul did not commend the Corinthian church for their “glorying” that they “had not removed the leaven from the lump”, rather, he rebuked her for it!

I want to draw attention to something: “Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth” (v. 8).  This command from the Lord has to do with the leavening and un-leavening of the Lord’s communion!

If you’ll read the parable of the new wine and old wine in Luke 5:37ff, you’ll see this very same teaching regarding the exclusivity of the old and new creations.

The feast that we celebrate is the Lord’s Supper, and that is with the un-leavened bread of sincerity and truth; therefore, we cannot celebrate it if there remain some who are leavened.  And this, too, is love, for anyone who eats and drinks the Lord’s Supper in an improper manner is himself eating and drinking condemnation.

THE MINISTRY OF RECONCILIATION

“18 Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation,”—2nd Corinthians 5:18

Through Jesus Christ God has taken for Himself a people holy unto Himself.  He has reconciled us in Christ Jesus- that means that He has brought us into fellowship with Himself.

He has shown us how that ministry of reconciliation is to be administered.  He has made it clear that in Christ there is repentance and forgiveness made available to all mankind, whomever would come to Him in faith.

The door for repentance is never to be shut to anyone who is sincere; our sins have been justified in Christ Jesus, once and for all, and we are washed, and we are cleansed in Him by His precious blood.

Yet, if someone refuses to repent and they are treating with contempt the precious sacrifice of God in Christ Jesus, that man or woman is to be removed from the church so that his or her leaven does not spread through the whole lump.

These grievous acts of sexual immorality must not be allowed to remain in the Church.  It is an unacceptable thing!

WHAT SHOULD OUR ANSWER BE?

Should the church be like the son who said, “yes, I will obey” and then did not go out and do the thing that his father told him to do?  Or should we be the one’s who are saying, “here I am, Lord send me”?

I believe that I sin and stumble, even to this day; I groan and I struggle in this manner because I know what is righteous through the revelation of the Holy Spirit and sin is contemptuous to me.  And I am constrained for my own benefit in the Holy Spirit.

Therefore, I repent and confess because the Lord is faithful to create a new heart in me, just as He promised He would do in times past!

FINAL CONSIDERATION

“20Again, when a righteous man turns from his righteousness and commits iniquity, and I lay a stumbling block before him, he shall die; because you did not give him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he has done shall not be remembered; but his blood I will require at your hand. 21 Nevertheless if you warn the righteous man that the righteous should not sin, and he does not sin, he shall surely live because he took warning; also you will have delivered your soul.”—Ezekiel 3:20-21

God says that the righteous man who turns from his righteousness shall die.  But God says that He will lay the blood on the hand of His servant who did not warn Him.

Brethren, we are righteous in Christ Jesus alone- if I see one of you turning from Christ and committing iniquity (for it is written, “let the one who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity”- 2nd Timothy 2:19) and I do not warn you, you surely will die, and that, my brothers, is not love!

However, if I warn you, and you do not sin, then you will live in Christ Jesus because you were wise in taking warning, and I will not be guilty of your blood.

Therefore, let us be careful how we judge God by what we say is or is not love in His holy word.  It is with wisdom and love that God works out all His will. 

Conscience and Sin Consciousness

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SIN CONSCIOUSNESS

I believe that sin consciousness is real and present in every human being and our consciences have been given to us by God for our benefit; from them we derive a deep craving for goodness, though unable to attain it by ourselves, and a piercing desire to free ourselves from evil, though unable to free ourselves from the bondages of sin by ourselves.  Fundamentally, this is one of the differences between an animal and a human being.

We must understand that our consciences give us an awareness of sin, but they do not, and cannot, illuminate the path of righteousness nor break the bonds of sin that shackle us to the very things our consciences tell us are wrong.

Satan hates everything that calls his work evil.  Therefore, part of his work is setting about to corrupt, twist, and sear our consciences so that they no longer call his work evil, or even so that they call his work good!

“Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!”

—Isaiah 5:20

It is a serious thing to call evil good and good evil.  As brothers who love one another, we should be alarmed as we see our fellow brothers consistently giving approval to evil and calling it good!

This brings me to one of my first points: if we blind ourselves to what is evil, we harken woe upon ourselves and store up bitterness in great vats for days to come!

I feel compelled to address this because of how much discussion I’ve encountered lately regarding whether or not sin consciousness is good or bad.  I don’t believe this is a mere matter of intellectual muse; I believe the effects of this are profound and must absolutely be understood.

In fact, the attitude we’re commanded to take in this world is one of wisdom, not foolishness, because the days are evil.

“15 See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, 16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil.”

—Ephesians 5:15-16

This passage itself necessitates that we are aware, at least, that the days are evil.  Those who do not believe that we live in a wicked generation are usually lax in their attitudes and do not walk in wisdom because they have no urgency.

In order to examine this closer I am going to look at the teaching that we receive from the grace of God and an example from the Bible itself regarding sin-consciousness in Christians.

TEACHING US TO…

Titus 2:11-15

“11 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, 12 teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, 13 looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14 who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.15 Speak these things, exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no one despise you.”

Instructing Titus to teach Christians in “the things that are proper for sound doctrine” (v1), Paul exhorted Titus to remember that the Grace of God that brings Salvation has appeared to all men, that is Jesus Christ (1st Peter 1:13), and teaches us to “deny ungodliness and worldly lusts”, “live soberly”, “live righteously”, and “to live godly in this present age”.

Our days are evil, as we remember, and whether or not we have an awareness of such things is a matter of “sound doctrine” according to Paul.

In addition to revealing sober, righteous, and Godly living to us, the grace of God also teaches us to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts.

What if I told you to avoid senescence?  Could you do it?

If you are finished Googling the word senescence you have probably discovered that you cannot, in fact, avoid senescence because senescence is “the gradual decline in physiological function of cells”.  From the moment you are born you are immersed in senescence.  You do not have the power to overcome it.

The same is true of sin: from the moment you are born you are living and breathing in a fallen and corrupted world- according to your own powers, you cannot avoid sin, nor can you deny it.

But we have a teacher who shows us how to deny sin.  By necessity, just as when you read the word “senescence” you probably immediately asked yourself “what’s that”, denying sin necessitates an understanding of what is sin.

One of the most profound men of God, Augustine of Hippo (sometimes called “Saint Augustine”) wrote the following remarks:

“For what is nearer to Thy ears than a confessing heart, and a life of faith?[1]”

- Confessions of Saint Augustine

The Psalmist concurs with Augustine when He writes “17The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart— These, O God, You will not despise.”- Psalm 51:17

PETER STOOD CONDEMNED…

I think it is now time to turn to an example from the Bible in which one of the apostles themselves sinned and stood condemned before God and had to be made aware of their sin and repent.

“11 But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. 12For prior to the coming of certain men from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he began to withdraw and hold himself aloof, fearing the party of the circumcision. 13The rest of the Jews joined him in hypocrisy, with the result that even Barnabas was carried away by their hypocrisy.

14But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in the presence of all, “If you, being a Jew, live like the Gentiles and not like the Jews, how is it that you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews?”

– Galatians 2:11-14

This story is explained in fuller context in Acts 11 to 15 in which we find that Peter had received a vision of the unclean food made sanctified by God and was instructed to have fellowship with the gentiles.  Peter obeyed this and even stood boldly before the circumcision group at one time to defend the gentiles.

However, as we see from this story, Peter became fearful of the circumcision party and withdrew from fellowship with the gentiles.

Was Peter aware of the righteousness of God?  Did he receive teaching and instruction by the grace of God to live soberly, righteously, and godly in his present age?  Yes he did.

Yet Peter still fell to sin and succumbed to the temptation and pressure from the circumcision group.

Paul had to confront him regarding the sin that Peter was already aware that he was committing; that’s right, Peter knew of the sin that he was committing because he himself had confronted it earlier and received confirmation from God through a prophetic vision!

CONSCIENCE AND SIN CONCIOUSNESS IN OUR LIFE

What many Christians rightly deduce is that there is a form of sin consciousness that is not good- this ungodly guilt leads to a separation from God on the basis of doubt in His grace.  This is a wrongful kind of guilty shame that is cleansed from our life by the blood of Christ, and what remains is a pure consciences able to receive the discipline of the Lord and help us hold to the mystery of the faith.

The purpose and function of our consciences in our faith as Christians are absolutely inseparable!

Here are just a few of the teachings regarding the conscience in the Bible:

Romans 13:5 Therefore you must be subject, not only because of wrath but also for conscience’ sake.

Paul said that we should submit to the governing authorities, not only because of their power over us, but also for the sake of our consciences.  When we rebel against governing authorities we sear our consciences towards the ultimate authority of God, and this is most dangerous!

Imagine if our consciences stopped alerting and convicting us; they would cease to be a conscience (for that is the definition of what a conscience is).

2nd Corinthians 1:12 For our boasting is this: the testimony of our conscience that we conducted ourselves in the world in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom but by the grace of God, and more abundantly toward you.

It is by the testimony of our conscience that we know our conduct in this world was right and godly.  Our consciences are an indispensible reassurance for those who have not walked in fleshly wisdom but in the grace of God.

Our consciences would be a poor and faulty reassurance if they were blind to sin and had been seared to the point that they could not ring out alarms when we do wrong!  They would, essentially, be nothing more than a mechanism to render false “face” to us.

1st Timothy 1:19 having faith and a good conscience, which some having rejected, concerning the faith have suffered shipwreck,

Notice that Paul said that some of those who have rejected having a good conscience have suffered shipwreck in their faith!  Our consciences are much like our rudders, the Holy Spirit being our wind, and faith being our sails.  Those who have damaged or rejected their consciences are without control of their faith and suffer shipwreck!

I hope you can excuse my clumsy illustration above (it’s certainly not flawless), but there is a very real revelation in Paul’s writing here about how much damage we suffer in our faith if we deny, corrupt, blind, or sear our consciences!

1st Timothy 3:9 holding the mystery of the faith with a pure conscience.

Our consciences, made pure by regeneration in the Holy Spirit, help us hold to the mystery of our faith.  What a blessing that we have consciences that have been made pure by Christ!

They are no longer corrupt, as the consciences of the world have become, “calling good evil and evil good”, but they are now pure and accurately able to call “good, good” and “evil, evil”.

1st Peter 2:19 For this is commendable, if because of conscience toward God one endures grief, suffering wrongfully.

It is on behalf of our consciences towards God that we conduct ourselves with commendable behavior by suffering wrongfully at the hands of the world.

Yes, if you do not have a conscience towards God, you would not suffer wrongfully at the hands of the world.

IN SUMMARY

As in all things, what is pure and right Satan seeks to corrupt and destroy.  Many suffer at the hands of corrupted consciences and have an ungodly consciousness of sin- one that leads them into legalism and a false path of righteousness.

But, if you are regenerated in the Holy Spirit, your conscience has been made pure and your consciousness (awareness) of sin made righteous by faith in Jesus Christ.

Therefore, we should not be deceived into rejecting our conscience, nor tricked into thinking that God causes our consciences to become blind, and thus risk shipwrecking our faith!  Rather, we should embrace and seek to submit pure consciences before Him each and every day, knowing that if our hearts do not condemn us before God, neither will He (1st John 3:21)!

[1] Augustine, S., Bishop of Hippo, & Pusey, E. B. (1996). The confessions of St. Augustine. Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

A Letter From a Persecuted Brother in Christ

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The following is a letter posted on the Christian Post from a fellow brother in Christ, Youcef Nadarkhani.

I want to express praise to God on behalf of the faithful witness of this brother, as well as ask for the petition of our brothers in Christ on this mans behalf!

Here is his letter; I hope you are all encouraged.

~~~

Greetings from your servant and younger brother in Christ, Youcef Nadarkhani.

To: All those who are concerned and worried about my current situation.

First, I would like to inform all of my beloved brothers and sisters that I am in perfect health in the flesh and spirit. And I try to have a little different approach from others to these days, and consider it as the day of exam and trial of my faith. And during these days which are hard in order to prove your loyalty and sincerity to God, I am trying to do the best in my power to stay right with what I have learned from God’s commandments.

I need to remind my beloveds, though my trial due has been so long, and as in the flesh I wish these days to end, yet I have surrendered myself to God’s will.

I am neither a political person nor do I know about political complicity, but I know that while there are many things in common between different cultures, there are also differences between these cultures around the world which can result in criticism, which most of the times response to this criticisms will be harsh and as a result will lengthen our problems.

From time to time I am informed about the news which is spreading in the media about my current situation, for instance being supported by various churches and famous politicians who have asked for my release, or campaigns and human rights activities which are going on against the charges which are applied to me. I do believe that these kind of activities can be very helpful in order to reach freedom, and respecting human rights in a right way can bring forth positive results.

I want to appreciate all those are trying to reach this goal. But at the other hand, I’d like to announce my disagreement with the insulting activities which cause stress and trouble, which unfortunately are done with the justification (excuse) of defending human rights and freedom, for the results are so clear and obvious for me.

I try to be humble and obedient to those who are in power, obedience to those in authority which God has granted to the officials of my country, and pray for them to rule the country according to the will of God and be successful in doing this. For I know in this way I have obeyed God’s word. I try to obey along with those whom I see in a common situation with me. They never had any complaint, but just let the power of God be manifested in their lives, and though sometimes we read that they have used this right to defend themselves, for they had this right, I am not an exception as well and have used all possibilities and so forth and am waiting for the final result.

So I ask all the beloved ones to pray for me as the holy word has said. At the end I hope my freedom will be prepared as soon as possible, as the authorities of my country will do with free will according to their law and commandments which are answerable to.

May God’s Grace and Mercy be upon you now and forever. Amen.

Youcef Nadarkhani

The Issue of Homosexuality

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The issue of homosexuality has taken center stage on Christian and secular discussions; “high-profile” leaders on both sides of the issue have come out to take sides, perhaps culminating with President Obama’s recent statement of support for homosexual marriage.

This issue is exposing and taking advantage of the seeds of deception that have long since been sown in and among the church; our feeble faith in the Word of God is being exposed!

Additionally, I think this is an issue of faith, obedience, and love.  I think it is time for the Children of God to take their stand in faith and be obedient to His word as we are controlled and compelled by the love of Christ.

Bobby Conway addressed this issue, which you can watch here on this video link from GNLi.  I think he effectively communicated the attitude that Christians need to take when talking with someone who is struggling with or practicing homosexuality; boldness and compassion are both irreplaceable!

 

FAITH IN THE REDEMPTION OF CHRIST

I want to be explicitly clear: at the heart of this issue is faith.  When the church turns her back on what the Word of God clearly states, she is turning her back on her faith in God.

And I believe the church is doing that because she no longer believes in the redemptive power of Jesus Christ through the gospel by the working of the Holy Spirit.

In fact, one of the first counter arguments you’ll hear is that homosexuals are born gay, therefore, God could not possibly hold that sin against them and will accept them.  I’m not a scientist, but I do believe that people can have certain genetic predispositions; some people are born with aggressive violent tendencies, while others a tendency to lie.  But your natural state of carnality does not excuse your sinful behavior because there is salvation and victory in Jesus Christ through which you have the power to overcome this world.

As the Word says, God’s salvation is for all men who believe:

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” –Romans 1:16

 

Each and every one of us was born carnally into a fallen and depraved world.  All of us came from various backgrounds in which sins were engrained deeply into us- some of us were fornicators, some practiced forms of idolatry and worshipped their money above God, some practiced adultery, some were thieves, some were covetous or drunkards, and some were homosexuals: but in Jesus Christ we are a new creation!

Here is what God says about the redemption of Christ:

1st Corinthians 6:9-11- 9 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, 10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.  

11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.

Jesus justified you before God, washed you clean, and sanctified you- you are anew in Him!

I will repeat again that the issue I see at the heart of excusing homosexuality is not love, nor is it compassion or kindness, but it is faithlessness.  The Church is losing her faith in the power of the salvation of Christ to set us free from the sins we were hopelessly in bondage to!

Part of my call tonight is to stir up the spirit of faith in the Church, in whatever little way I can do that, and exhort the brethren to preach the message of redemption and reconciliation in Jesus Christ to the Church.

For just as the Word says;

Romans 10:14, 17-“How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

1st John 5:5- “Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?”

Our brethren who struggle with homosexuality will not overcome their temptations if we are not preaching the power of the gospel to them by the Holy Spirit!

It is not love for the brethren if we withhold the full measure of the gospel of reconciliation from them because we do not want to hurt their feelings, are afraid of getting rejected, or worry that we will damage our “relationship” with them.  That is selfishness!

 

GOD’S JUDGMENT

God said that he would lift up a standard against the flood of the enemy (Isaiah 59:19 NKJV), and it is to that standard that we must go to receive God’s judgment upon the matter.  If I judge the matter for myself, then my judgment holds no authority, but if God gives His judgment, then His judgment will stand. 

“3 For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, 4 that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”- Romans 8:3-4

 

I want to begin with this passage because I want us to understand that God has condemned sin in the flesh.  We are not to live by the flesh, but by the Spirit- if you are walking in the flesh then you are walking condemned.

Is homosexuality a sinful act of the flesh?

Leviticus 18:22- 22 You shall not lie with a male as with a woman. It is an abomination.

In black and white terms God said this is an abomination to Him.  Justifying an abomination before God is a very difficult thing to do.

Do you believe the Word of God?

Let us not fall into the temptation of saying that the moral laws of the Old Testament no longer apply because of Jesus’ sacrifice.  Jesus Himself said that not a single word from the law would pass away until heaven and earth had passed away (Matthew 5:18).

Rather, we need to understand the purpose of the Law and know its application:

1st Timothy 1:10- 8 But we know that the law is good if one uses it lawfully, 9 knowing this: that the law is not made for a righteous person, but for the lawless and insubordinate, for the ungodly and for sinners, for the unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, 10 for fornicators, for sodomites [homosexuals- NASB], for kidnappers, for liars, for perjurers, and if there is any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine, 11 according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God which was committed to my trust.

Paul reveals to us who The Law governs: it is not for those who have been redeemed in Christ, those who walk by faith in the righteousness of God, but for those who are walking in the flesh in rebellion to God.

In fact, Paul specifically calls homosexuals out as those whom Law itself still condemns to this day.

The judgment of God has been revealed to us on the matter of homosexuality:

Romans 1:18, 26-27- 18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness… 

 26 For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. 27 Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.

It has been made clear, so that we would have no confusion or excuse that God is storing up judgment to be poured out against the ungodly and those who suppress the truth in his or her unrighteousness.

I fear for many who are making themselves guilty of this because they are doing precisely that: suppressing the truth in unrighteousness.

God lists out a representative list of carnal sins in the above passage (there are something like 24 different sins listed, homosexuality being described in the most detail) and says that His wrath will be poured out against such things.

 

REMEMBER THE HEART OF THE MATTER

It is most important to me, as someone God has called out to help train and equip the Church, to exhort the brethren to careful and sober personal examination of themselves on this issue.

One more time, the Word of God has made clear the power of Christ’s redemption:

1st Corinthians 6:9-11- 9 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, 10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.

If you are excusing homosexuality within the Church and not calling it out as a sin then you are denouncing the redemption of Jesus Christ.  You are not exhorting or encouraging your brethren in all forms of holiness and coming along side them in love to help them overcome the struggles that are ensnaring them in carnality.

This is a matter of faith: judge for yourselves if you believe God’s word or if you have to change His word to suit yourself.

 

EDITORS NOTE: this is a revision of the original post- I have 
edited and shortened this post to amplify the specificity and 
Clarity of the post.

The Fear of God

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With the abundance of knowledge available to humanity and no end in sight of the seemingly insatiable appetite man has for figuring out how to abuse that knowledge, one might ask the question “where can wisdom be found?  And where is the place of understanding?” (Job 28:12).

And God did, indeed, answer that question: He said, “Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.” (Job 28:28)

Humanity has been storing up knowledge since the beginning, but where is our wisdom?

For this post I merely want to point towards that hidden place where God said wisdom could be found; from there I can only pray that to each who seek with devotion the God of this creation, it be granted that he may enter that place and find wisdom from God.

 

WHERE WISDOM IS FOUND:

“And to man He said, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.’” (Job 28:28)

The fear of God is deep and vast and cannot be sufficiently explained through academia or words; it is only dimly glimmered in such settings.  We gain the awareness of its deep and reverential trust as we experience the revelation of God that He gives to those who humbly search for Him.

The fear of God can be seen in two lights: 1) the cringing, anxious dread or unrelieved guilt due to a wrong relationship with God (Genesis 3:10, Job 9:35), and 2) in accordance with His mighty deliverance that has been made to us by the power of His love (Joshua 4:23-24, Psalm 22:22-24, 2nd Corinthians 5:11, Revelation 11:18).

The ways of God are higher than our ways- He looks after the widows and orphans, the homeless, the alien, and the weak, and cares for the needs of the oppressed.  The humble in heart are precious in His sight and He turns away from the haughty and prideful.  Therefore, the one whom the Lord has revealed His ways to sees Truth and has found wisdom; he is repulsed by the wicked ways of the world because the Lord has revealed His ways to him (Proverbs 16:6).

Only an arrogant fool has no fear of God in his heart; understanding does not touch his lips.  But the fear of God rests upon all who know His deliverance.

“‘Then I will draw near to you for judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers and against the adulterers and against those who swear falsely, and against those who oppress the wage earner in his wages, the widow and the orphan, and those who turn aside the alien and do not fear Me,’ says the Lord of hosts.” (Malachi 3:5)

Everyone who has been delivered by the Lord knows that the judgment of God falls upon all kinds of evil; the rebellious, liars, all kinds of greed, the oppressive and unjust, and upon all those who do such things because they do not fear the Lord.

Those who know deliverance of God have a revelation of the great judgment of God that will befall wickedness; they “do not fear those who are able to kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather, fear Him who is able to destroy both the soul and the body in Hell.” (Matthew 10:28)

And, just in case there might be confusion, let there be no mistake about it: the fear of God is founded upon the knowledge of His judgment.

Paul said it this way,

“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade men, but we are made manifest to God; and I hope that we are made manifest also in your consciences.” 2nd Corinthians 5:10-11

Because we will all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, those who have had a revelation of Christ, the mighty King of kings and Lord of lords, the risen Son of God by whom all things were created, all who have had this revelation know the fear of the Lord.

We must understand this clearly: the fear of God is not the end or substance of our faith- it is the only right application of the knowledge of God and the proper stance of a reverential attitude in the presence of God!

To those who would doubt this, I ask, are we supposed to submit to one another?  In what attitude are we to submit to one another?

“Submit to one another in the fear of God.”- Ephesians 5:21

And,

“Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for ‘God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.’”- 1st Peter 5:5

 

THE FOOLHEARTINESS IN REJECTING THE FEAR OF GOD

If the fear of God is based upon God’s judgment against sin and unrighteousness, then who is exempt from fear?

“For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?”- 1st Peter 4:17

I hear many who say that God will not judge them, but I believe this is a profound lie sold to us by the father of lies- that serpent of old that deceived Eve into thinking that the judgment of God would not come upon her in the form of death, as He had said it would.

When I hear such things I know that their confidence is misplaced and is not in accordance with the knowledge of God.

The Judgment of God begins with His House.

On that day, every knee will bow; there will be no one arrogant, nor anyone prideful before the King of kings in that hour.

But there will be a multitude who will be clothed with confidence before God.

How can this be?  If the judgment of God begins even with His house, who can stand with confidence before God in that Day of Judgment?

 

PERFECTED IN THE LOVE OF CHRIST

“We have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have confidence in the Day of Judgment because as He is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.  We love, because He first loved us.” And “By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and observe His commandments.”- 1st John 4:16-19 & 5:2

The Word of God is revealing to us the Seed of God that brings about the new creation in Christ Jesus.  It is those that have become a new creation in Christ Jesus that will be clothed with confidence in the Day of Judgment!

Remember what John has said here: “We have known and believed the Love of God for us… Love has been perfected among us… so that we may have confidence in the Day of Judgment because as He is, so are we in this world”.

Make no mistake about it, our confidence before God is not blind, it comes because as He is, so are we in this world.  By the grace of God the work of the new creation is perfected in us who persevere unto the end.  It does not begin in us, rather, it begins in God and continues in us.

I believe that it is of utmost importance that we test ourselves.

So, how do we test the new creation?  How do we know that He abides in us and that we have the Love of God for the Children of God abiding in us?

“By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. We have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.”- 1st John 4:13-15

“By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and observe His commandments.”- 1st John 5:2

Is the Spirit of God barren?  May it never be!  Therefore, if He abides in us then the fruits of God will surely come to bear in our lives!

 

THE ONE WHO HAS NEITHER THE FEAR OF GOD NOR THE LOVE OF GOD ABIDING IN HIM…

Just as the multitude in Christ will be clothed in confidence before the judgment Seat of Christ, so also will there be those who are overcome by fear and will be consumed in the judgment of God.

Who does the Word of God reveal will be judged by Him?

Is it not those who neither knew the fear of God nor made their abode in Him?

 

TO KNOW THE FEAR OF GOD IS WISDOM

When we say that Christians do not know the fear of God we are saying that Christians are unwise.

What I am pointing to is the deeper manifestation of what God’s fear is: it is not at odds with His love, nor is it absent in the believer who walks by faith in Christ upon this world.

I have confidence in Christ Jesus by the love of God because I am abiding in Him and the work of God causes me to grow up in maturity to the head, that is Jesus Christ.

But I remain humble because God has revealed to me His higher ways- “we have the mind of Christ”- and I know that the judgment and wrath of God falls upon all the wickedness, sin, injustice, and unrighteousness of this present age.

Therefore, brethren,

“…be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil.  So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father; and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ.”- Ephesians 5:15-21

On Bended Knee: Prayer Focus

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Grace and Peace to all my brethren in the name of our Holy Lord Jesus Christ!

“Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.” Hebrews 7:25. 

Brothers and Sisters, I am writing this as a tired brother- particularly worn out right now.

The above passage, inspired by the Spirit- a sharp and living sword for us today- spoke to me today.

Therefore I am calling out to all my brethren in the Lord Jesus Christ.  I am asking that you join with me in prayer.  Let us all, with one accord and with one mind, take a bended knee before God our Father and the creator of all things, and beseech Him to teach us, as only a Loving Father can, to draw unto Him through Jesus Christ His one and only begotten Son!

I believe that our generation has lost the true knowledge of the gospel and is no longer drawing near to God through Jesus Christ- though the many say “Lord, Lord!”, they do not know Him.

Call out to God, only He can rescue us from this wicked and perverse generation!

 

You can exhort your brothers and sisters in Christ to pray on this petition here on this page: http://dedicatedfaith.org/pray/on-bended-knee-come-through-thy-holy-son/

 

The Called Out

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I was discussing with a close friend the tendency I often have to discuss the struggles we face and how many churches need to “come out” from being religious, or Pharisaical”, and simply follow Christ and His teachings. The Church is the bride of Christ.  He bought Her with His own blood.  It is a divine institution established by Jesus Christ HIMSELF.  You might say, “ok I get that but why then are you so against everything the church stands for?”   It’s time that we come out from among the apostate church, the false church, and sound the “wake up call” to our faithful brethren in the Church.  And that is what I want to make very clear to all who read articles on this site.

 

1). The Church is not the church.

 

In our years of spiritual conditioning we’ve forgotten we are apart of a greater whole.  The body I worship with in Louisiana is still the same body that worships in Hartselle, Alabama, and part of the same body that worships in any part of the globe.  The Church is made up of the followers of Jesus Christ and is not tied to any denominational title, building, or man made creed.  Where man screwed things up was when we stopped being simply followers of Jesus Christ and decided, like Israel of old, God was no longer our King, but we wanted to “Title” ourselves instead of simply following the Bible.  You see, when I write an article and I talk about the problems in our churches I’m not singling out a denomination or a certain body of believers.  There is a huge difference between the Church and the apostate church; one is composed of those who call upon the Lord from a pure heart and submit to His teachings, while the other has erected idols in their hearts and gone astray seeking after the pleasures of their hearts and the tickling of their ears.  So, I’m not saying there are no good churches, but as Isaiah said in Isaiah 53- “For we all like sheep have gone astray”.

 

2). Is Going To Church Important… Yeah It Is.

 

There’s a common thought that you don’t have to go to church to go to heaven.  And where I agree going to church alone will not save you, faith without works is dead (James 2:26).  Going to church makes one no more of Christian that putting a Ford in a Chevy dealer’s lot make it a Chevy.  Is church attendance important YES IT IS!  We are told in Hebrews 10 not to neglect the assembly.  It is a direct command from God.  At the same token so is loving the lost, living a Godly life, and keeping oneself unstained from the world.  My point is simply this;  Will going to church alone get you to heaven.. NO.  But it is a part of a greater whole that molds us and shapes us into the Godly people we need to be.  It’s a time to come together with other believers and worship God for what He has done for us.  Don’t get me wrong we can’t earn our salvation, but to worship the one who gave His life to set us free from sin is the least we can do for Him.

 

3). What’s So Important About Church?

 

In the above paragraph I used a verse from Hebrews 10: 25.  Unfortunately, many people treat this as a type of “proof text” as if to create a new written law on tablets of stone- rather, there’s a greater lesson meant to dwell in our hearts and minds to effect real change that we need to see here. In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus would say, “You have heard it said if you commit murder you are in danger of prosecution.  But I say to you if you are angry with your brother you are in danger of judgment” (Matthew 5:21-22).  Now, the Scriptures teach “Be angry and do not sin” (Eph. 4:26), so simply being angry is not sinful: apparently there’s more to consider than the “Do’s and Don’ts”.

 

When I was kid my parents never questioned my decisions.  What they always questioned were my motivations.  And I think that is key.  God earnestly desires our heart, so much so that He has given His Son as a sacrifice to render to us a new heart.  Our actions alone, if not accompanied by the heart, are useless.  This passage in Hebrews 10:25 is no different.  Yes we need to go to church but why is the key question.

 

The reason church attendance is so important has little to do with rules and regulations and more about have a Christ-like heart and attitude.  Think of it like this:

 

For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body–Jews or Greeks, slaves or free–and all were made to drink of one Spirit. For the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.

 

(1Co 12:12-26)

 

I know that this is a lengthy reading but I felt the need to show the magnitude of this point. We are the body of Christ. The Church is the body of Christ. When you decide, “I don’t need the church”, you are saying that you as an individual do not need the body. Thus you have chosen to leave the body incomplete. In our world of my, me, and mine we’ve forgotten the selflessness of the Savior. We all have a part in the body. Does this mean we all have to worship under the same roof, no, but this does mean we belong to something greater than ourselves. When I was in college one of the churches in Florence would ride us about not being there on Sunday mornings for worship. What they failed to realize was we were in church, not their specific church, but at our home congregations worshiping. This concept was completely lost on them. Their concept of worship and what made up the Church was so constricted to a simplistic understanding of their church.

 

And you see as Paul would say in Ephesians 4:16

 

And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

 

(Eph 4:11-16)

 

In other words we all have a place. We all have a function. In Christ we have a purpose in His Kingdom. And what is the result? Verse 16: In Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body to GROW so that it BUILDS itself up in LOVE. When it comes down to it, it is not about do’s vs. don’t. It’s about love. It’s about gratitude. It’s about understanding our need for each other. And most importantly the knowledge we don’t have to do this alone.


Closing: The Purpose of Church

I know this post is a bit longer than I usually post, but much has needed to be said. The idea of what church is and who Christians really are has become a blurred line to the world. A Bible class teacher I had growing up once said, “If you look at the world, look at your life, and can’t see a difference something is wrong”. Brother, sisters, this is where we must wake up! The word church literally means, “The Called Out”, but if the world can’t see a difference in the way we live our lives what have we been called out of?

In my statements excuses for sinful living, but we live in a world who looks at our churches and they are convicted; Not by the Holy Spirit, but by us. The purpose of our churches has never been to be a retirement home for the saints, but a hospital for sinners. Last time I checked that’s all of us. The purpose of the church is to encourage us, for us to worship with a common spirit (His Spirit), and to be a refuge to the lost and hurting. Think of the potential we hold within our hands. I’ll end with a few lines of a song I heard recently.

Jesus, friend of sinners, we have strayed so far away
We cut down people in your name but the sword was never ours to swing
Jesus, friend of sinners, the truth’s become so hard to see
The world is on their way to You but they’re tripping over me
Always looking around but never looking up I’m so double minded
A plank eyed saint with dirty hands and a heart divided

Jesus, friend of sinners, the one who’s writing in the sand
Make the righteous turn away and the stones fall from their hands
Help us to remember we are all the least of thieves
Let the memory of Your mercy bring Your people to their knees
No one knows what we’re for only against when we judge the wounded
What if we put down our signs crossed over the lines and loved like You did

Oh Jesus, friend of sinners
Open our eyes to world at the end of our pointing fingers
Let our hearts be led by mercy
Help us reach with open hearts and open doors
Oh Jesus, friend of sinners, break our hearts for what breaks yours

We have an altar from which those who serve the tent have no right to eat. For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy places by the high priest as a sacrifice for sin are burned outside the camp. So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood. Therefore let us go to him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured. For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come.

(Heb 13:10-14)

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Wrath V.S. Discipline

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PROVERBS 23:12

12 Apply your heart to discipline And your ears to words of knowledge.

Does discipline have a negative connotation in your ear?

Wrath of God

Because this topic is not touched very often in churches, it has become increasingly more and more difficult to know the difference between the Lord’s discipline and the wrath of God!  Therefore, we must learn to tell the difference because we are told on the one hand to apply our hearts to the Lords discipline, while on the other hand, that we are not children of wrath.

As children of discernment we want to understand the things that we are experiencing in our life.  That means knowing the difference between the trials and temptations of Satan, the discipline of the Lord, and the mighty wrath of God.

DISCIPLINE

PROVERBS 12:1

“Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, But he who hates reproof is stupid.“

The Lord does not discipline to no effect: His discipline avails great things in the hearts of those who love knowledge.  It brings about correction and righteousness in the lives of His children.

PROVERBS 13:1

“A wise son accepts his father’s discipline, But a scoffer does not listen to rebuke.”

We have all witnessed the difference between a wise and foolish children- the wise children accept the counsel of their fathers because they know the love and insight their fathers have for them.  Foolish children run headstrong into things, scoffing at the rebuke of their fathers and ignoring their wise counsel.

Ezekiel 36:26-27 reveals to us that God has given us a new heart and a new mind; He has caused His word to live and dwell within us.  Let the wise children of God earnestly desire the discipline of God and grow in maturity and wisdom towards Him.

I’m afraid that this correlation continues to fade in our modern world as many children do not have wise fathers to offer them the loving counsel they so desperately need.

However, it is not so with our Father in Heaven.  He is both loving and wise and His discipline, though often times stern, does not break His children, but guides them.  The discipline of the Lord causes you to grow in wisdom and understanding towards righteousness and strengthens you to resist sin and its pitfalls.

PROVERBS 6:22-24

“When you walk about, they will guide you; 
When you sleep, they will watch over you; 
And when you awake, they will talk to you.  For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching is light; 
And reproofs for discipline are the way of life.  To keep you from the evil woman, 
From the smooth tongue of the adulteress.“

The commandments of God have been given to lead us in the ways of life- the living Word welling up inside us like a living spring.  In all good ways we have the counsel and command of the Holy Spirit to bring light unto our path.  Therefore, the discipline of the Lord is like a fathers firm hand outstretched to restrain us from going down the way of evil and rejecting His commandments that lead to life.

Here the difference between the discipline of the Lord and the trials and temptations of the Devil are distinguished and made evident: our Fathers discipline restrains us from evil and guides us into obedience towards His commandments.  The temptations of Satan deceive us into rebelling against the Fathers outstretched hand and cause us to go down the path of evil.

Satan’s temptations may be sly and covert, but the Fathers discipline is firm and true.  He does not hide His ways from His children, from those who learn to honor their Father.

Just as the Psalmist has said, “I will not die, but live, and tell of the works of the LORD.  The LORD has disciplined me severely, but He has not given me over to death!  Open to me the gates of righteousness; I shall enter through them, I shall give thanks to the LORD” (Psalm 118:17-18).

The Lord’s discipline does not hand us over unto death, but causes us to live and tell of His works: it opens to us the gates of righteousness, which are Christ, that we may enter through them and give thanks to the Lord!

To restrain us from paths that lead unto condemnation…

1ST CORINTHIANS 11:31-32

“31 But if we judged ourselves rightly, we would not be judged. 32 But when we are judged, we are disciplined by the Lord so that we will not be condemned along withthe world.“

Satan has deceived many in this generation into believing that they should not judge or have any discernment whatsoever.  Therefore, the hand of the Lord may be seen disciplining His children in our generation because we have not judged and corrected ourselves.

A wise child will receive the discipline of our Father in Heaven because His discipline saves us, but woe to that rebellious child who scorns the discipline of the Father and does not accept His restraint!  That child’s path will lead to condemnation!

JOB 5:16-17

“So the helpless has hope, 
And unrighteousness must shut its mouth.  “Behold, how happy is the man whom God reproves, 
So do not despise the discipline of the Almighty.“

There’s no partiality with God: let each man, helpless as he may be, rejoice because the reproof of the Lord has befallen him and caused him to straighten up his ways!

PSALM 50:16-18

“But to the wicked God says, 
“What right have you to tell of My statutes 
And to take My covenant in your mouth? “For you hate discipline, 
And you cast My words behind you. 
“When you see a thief, you are pleased with him, 
And you associate with adulterers.“

Interwoven into the covenant that God has made in Christ Jesus is His hand of discipline.

This passage speaks with love to warn the weary and urge the rebellious child to lift his face to the Lord’s discipline: do not hate the discipline of the Lord and cast His words behind you in your delight of sin and communion with darkness!

I cannot expound on this, or articulate the meaning of God’s word on this subject better than the revelation contained in His scriptures already.  Therefore, I will merely put forth this question to my readers: do you believe the above passage and accept its warning?

REVELATION 3:18-20

“18 I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see. 19 Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent.20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.“

What does the Lord counsel us to do regarding His discipline and reproof?

“therefore, be zealous and repent!”  (v19).

Having the wisdom to identify the Lord’s discipline in our life is only the starting point: we are to zealously seek it and repent when we find it!  Let our hearts and minds discern and humbly respond to the discipline of the Lord!

~~~~~~~~~

WRATH

If the discipline of the Lord leads to life and righteousness, then what does God’s wrath accomplish?

JOHN 3:36

“36 He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”

The first thing we should begin to notice is that God addresses His discipline to His children, but says that His wrath abides on those who do not believe upon His Son.

ROMANS 1:18-20

“18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them.20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.“

Furthermore God says that His wrath is revealed from heaven against all forms of evil because He has manifested Himself to the world without excuse and they still suppressed the Truth.  His wrath is not random, or unjust, but is poured out upon those who are without excuse.

In vv25-27 God says that He has given them over to their own sin and the natural punishments of their sin.

We must realize that much of what we see in the world today exists as the natural outcome of our own sins.  Because we persist in our iniquity we also dwell in our own depravity and pay the price as such.

In short, God has handed us over to the natural punishments of our own sins, and is storing up and reserving His wrath for the day of wrath: ”5 But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God” (Romans 2:5).

The Day of Wrath…

ZEPHANIAH 1:18

“18 Neither their silver nor their gold Will be able to deliver them On the day of the LORD’S wrath; And all the earth will be devoured In the fire of His jealousy, For He will make a complete end, Indeed a terrifying one, Of all the inhabitants of the earth.”

God’s wrath is poured out upon all the inhabitants of the earth in His Day of Wrath- their silver and gold, and all the might of nations will not be able to deliver them from this mighty and terrifying wrath that will utterly and completely devour them!

Of God’s wrath, He says, ”1 Then I heard a loud voice from the temple, saying to the seven angels, “Go and pour out on the earth the seven bowls of the wrath of God.” (Revelation 16:1)

The Wrath of God is a day of destiny.  A time foreknown by Him and Him alone, a mighty and terrifying thing- the inhabitants of the world who receive it will not question themselves and ask “is this God’s wrath?”  It will be plain to all as it is something the likes of which have never been witnessed upon the face of the earth before.

This brings me to the question of identity; who are you?

Are you an inhabitant of the earth?  If you are, then you are surely at peril of falling under His wrath in that frightful day!

Or, are you a Child of God and an inhabitant of the Kingdom of God?

Listen to the message of hope the Children of God receive regarding this:

1ST THESSALONIANS 5:9-10

“9 For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him.”

The Lord’s death and resurrection would be meaningless if His salvation could not shelter us from that Day of Wrath in which the Lord will consume the world in plagues, fire and brimstone, and great destruction.

SUMMARY

JOHN 15:1-3

“1I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.  2“Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit.  3” You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.”

We have been grafted in as part of the True vine.  Therefore we also will be pruned and trimmed by the Vinedresser (God).  Branches that become sick and that do not bear fruit are cut off, and indeed there are branches (people) that are cut out, tossed away and thrown into the fire to be consumed by the wrath of God.

The discipline of the Lord is reserved for His children and administered for their benefit to restrain them from sin and guide them on the paths of life.

 

The temptations of Satan cause us to go astray, rebel against the commandments of God, and lead us into error and destruction.  They bring blasphemy and unrighteous living according to the carnality of our flesh.

 

God’s wrath is stored and reserved for the frightful Day of Wrath when He will pour out His burning wrath upon all the wicked and rebellious inhabitants of the world who refused His salvation, suppressed the Truth, and welcomed the deceit of Satan.


This post has briefly dealt with a vast topic of great importance.  Below are additional passage references, especially regarding the work of Satan, which I did not address at great length in this post.

PASSAGE REFERENCE LIST

  • Proverbs 6:23
  • Proverbs 6:22-24
  • Proverbs 12:1-3
  • Proverbs 13:1-3
  • Proverbs 23:11-13
  • Job 5:16-18
  • Psalm 50:16-18
  • Psalm 118:17-19
  • 1 Corinthians 11:31-33
  • Hebrews 12:4-6
  • Hebrews 12:5-7
  • Revelation 3:18-20
  • 2 Samuel 11-12
  • Psalm 51 
  • Zephaniah 1:18
  • Revelation 16:1
  • Romans 1:18-20
  • Romans 2:5
  • Genesis 18
  • Genesis 19
  • 1 Thessalonians 5:9-10