2010-06-18
Good Morning Cherished of God,
The Lord knows those who are His. We are prompted by the Holy Spirit to continue with this examination of our own faith. Being a born into a Christian family won’t give you heaven. You must be fully committed to Christ for this. JN 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one goes to the Father except through Me, “ He said. Much in the same way that a non-Christian must learn what does a Christian believe and then, become committed to it, those born in the faith must do the same. To really be committed in a permanent way, one must learn God’s word, allow Him to reveal Himself to him, and have an active prayer life. I repeat many times because of its importance, that prayer is two-way communication between the person and God in which God gets the chance to speak first. Study of God’s word, on the other hand is learning to listen and to believe what God has given us of His teaching. In order to commit to Christ, one need to allow the Lord to reveal Himself through His word. Then, a mature commitment can be made. Memorizing verses and passages can be of utmost importance, and everyone with a healthy mind can do this, no matter what his age. 2 TIM 3: 16-17, “All Scripture is God-breathed and useful in teaching the truth, rebuking error, correcting faults, and giving instruction for right living, so that the person who serves God may be fully qualified and equipped to do every kind of good deed.”
When Christ was giving His Sermon on the Mount, included was the part of MT 7, which discusses the two house builders [MT 7: 24-27]. The way the house is being built is our spiritual profile and preparation for the day when He raptures us into heaven [1 THESS 4: 13-17-glorifies us]. It’s a goal for us for the future, but it could happen at any time God decides. MT 7: 24, “So then, anyone who hears these words of Mine and obeys them is like a wise man who built his house on rock.” I think that last word should be capitalized, because it can refer metaphorically to the Lord Jesus and the values He teaches us. No matter what dirty work the devil tries, a person who is firmly grounded in the Lord won’t be shaken or fall into the pit. If he begins to slide, he has what it takes to recognize it and the power to make a correction before disaster happens. On the other hand if a person doesn’t do this, then (26) “Anyone who hears these words of Mine and does not obey them is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.” When trials come, as they most certainly do to all of us, this man’s house will be swept away down into the pit of hell. This man gives himself no way to recognize trouble and make life-saving corrections for it.
It’s a truth that God does send sinners to hell, who refuse to see Christ’s deity or to respect His teaching. Look at what happened with Judas Iscariot, Christ’s betrayer, in MT 27: 3-5. “When Judas, the traitor, learned that Jesus had been condemned, he repented and took back the thirty silver coins to the chief priests and the elders. I have sinned by betraying an innocent man.’ ‘What do we care about that?’ they answered. ‘That is your business.’ Judas threw the coins down in the temple and left; then he went and hanged himself.” Judas felt remorse, but he didn’t stop rejecting Christ as the Father’s Son. Unlike this, a believer who has come into awful troubles can take comfort in PS 40: 1-2, “I waited patiently for the Lord’s help; then He listened to me and hard my cry. He pulled me out of a dangerous pit, out of the deadly quicksand. He set me safely on a Rock and made me secure.” Oh, how many times in my own life, He has done this for me! How about you? This should take us right back to MT 5: 3, “Blessed are those who are poor in Spirit, for the Kingdom of heaven belongs to them!” Stop and think about it, these are the people who recognize their need for the Lord and aren’t afraid to turn to Him for His wisdom, compassion, righteousness, and guidance. I can attest from first-hand experience that He takes one’s hand and guides one through trials, step by step- all the while giving a person increasing spiritual strength and maturity. That’s how He works when we submit to Him and accept His help.
God works very hard and continuously on our sanctification-that on-going process of purifying and perfecting us in preparation for our glorification-the time He takes us up to our permanent home in heaven. COL 3: 10 is an example. “And [we] have put on the new self. This is the new being which God, its Creator, is constantly renewing in His own image in order to bring you to a full knowledge of Himself.” That’s the work He is doing. If we cooperate with Him, He will bring us closer to His perspective than ever before and will mature us in this sanctification process. The Covenant of Grace is a real, personal, working-relationship with God in leadership and both parties to the covenant cooperating with each other. It is when we refuse to allow God to guide and lead that we bring real trouble into our lives. Remember HE 4 :13, “There is nothing that can be hid from God; everything in all creation is exposed and lies open before his eyes. And it is to Him that we must all give an account of ourselves.” He knows our real heart-attitudes. From His mission statements [JN 6: 39-40; EPH 1: 4-5] we learn that bringing us back to Him in heaven is His greatest goal. He really loves us more than any other being!
PRAYER: O Lord, as these last few weeks of this long series on True Faith winds up, we are more sure than ever that obedience to You and having a personal relationship with You is not only fulfilling, but quite necessary to our happiness. The thought of having a permanent home in heaven with You at Your perfect time takes the awful sting out of the suffering for our faith that we must do here on earth. You empower us to live “in Christ” and to trust that You will help us whenever we need it. COL 3: 3-4, “For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. Your real life is Christ and when He appears, then you too will appear with Him and share His glory!” Because we haven’t been to heaven yet, we don’t realize the full extent of this wonderful passage, but in Your perfect time we will. What we can learn from it is to self-evaluate without guilt the condition of our faith, to keep our eyes upon the Lord Jesus during our earthly lifetime and beyond, and to trust that You will never lead us to a pit or refuse to remove us from one. PS 33: 19, “How wonderful are the good things you keep for those who honor You! Everyone knows how good You, how securely You protect those who trust in You.” PS 84: 12, “Almighty God, how happy are those who trust in You.” Many of us are suffering through trials that threaten to break our spirits, but You will never allow that to happen to anyone trying to remain righteous and obedient to You [1 COR 10: 13]. We offer You praise, honor, and glory for all You are and all You do for us. Our lives are worthless without You. As we appraise the condition of our heart-attitudes, we are given plenty of help. You have given some the gift of teaching, others shepherding their congregational flocks, still others with leadership in prayer. If any of these people are using their talents in the ways You lead, then they help us to mature in our faith. Sometimes they even help us to uncover subtle sins that we can expunge from our lives with Your help. For these things and so much more, we praise and thank You. In the holy and mighty name of Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.
Next week: Upon the backdrop of the teaching we have had on Christ’s Sermon on the Mount, we will continue in this examination of our own faith. I urge you to join me in this pursuit, as all of us can benefit from it. Many people, we know from the Scriptures- both OT and NT, were examining their own faith, using their knowledge of the Scriptures and prayerful relationship with God. For example, in 1 K 19: 1-18, after the end of the drought when King Ahab and his evil wife, Jezebel, determined they would kill Elijah, he spent a whole day in the wilderness. He stopped and sat by a broom tree and wished he would die. He prayed, in 1 K 19: 4b, “Take away my life; I might as well be dead!,” rehearsing all his troubles. He fell asleep and suddenly an angel touched him and said, ‘Wake up and eat.’ He looked around and saw a loaf of bread and a jar of water near his head. He ate and drank and lay down again. The Lord’s angel returned and awoke him a second time, saying ‘Get up and eat, or the trip will be too much for you.’ Elijah complied, and it gave him enough strength to work forty days to Sinai, the holy mountain. Then he went into a cave to spend the night. The Lord asked him, “What are you doing here?” Elijah said in (10), “Lord, God Almighty, I have always served You-You alone. But the people of Israel have broken their covenant with You, torn down Your altars, and killed all Your prophets. I am the only one left-and they are trying to kill me!” What followed was Elijah obeying God’s directive to stand on the top of the mountain. A furious wind kicked up as the Lord passed by. The hill was split, and rocks were shattered, but the Lord was not in the wind. Then, it stopped blowing and there was an earthquake-but the Lord was not in the earthquake. A fire followed, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the soft whisper of a voice. This time when Elijah once again rehearsed his troubles, he was back in the cave. Elijah was told to return to Damascus to anoint Hazael is king of Syria, Jehu as king of Israel and Elisha to succeed himself. Many deaths would follow, but God kept his promise to leave 7,000 people-all loyal to Him, who had not bowed to the god Baal or kissed his idol. This is a great story to show how the Lord takes us out of the pit step by step, by prayer and our compliant action. If you are recognizing all believers and potential believers are loved, then this author has done her job. Praise and thanks be to Him!
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn
JS 24: 15