2014-08-29
Good Morning Dear Ones,
Last week, I had the rather painful responsibility of discussing the one unpardonable sin-blaspheming the Holy Spirit [LK 12: 10; 1 JN 5: 16-17]. It is necessary for God to draw the line, or He would not be taken seriously when He contraindicates a particular behavior or series of behaviors [RO 3: 25-26]. If a person who has heard and accepted Christ’s teaching falls away after having the gift of the Holy Spirit, he is crucifying the Son all over again and subjecting Him to public disgrace [HE 6: 4-6]. HE 10: 26-27, “If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sin is left. But only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God.” Anyone who “tramples the Son of God underfoot” has treated the blood of the covenant as an “unholy thing” and has insulted the Spirit of grace. Once again, it’s important to understand that this refers to serial sinning after one has received the Holy Spirit, sin which insults and blasphemes the Holy Spirit.
In view of RO 8: 38-39, which tells us that nothing can separate a true believer from the love of God, I can’t help but come to the conclusion that these serial sinners above were never really true believers. I’m reminded of Judas Iscariot, one of the original 12 disciples, who fits this profile to a tee. The same can be said of 10 of the 12 spies who were sent by Moses into the territory now occupied by Israel from the Goshen area of Egypt and came back lying that Caanan was full of giants, whom the Israelites could never vanquish. Only Joshua and Caleb told the truth [NU 13: 1-33].
There are some truths in the lives of believers that counterbalance the serial sinners and their sins mentioned above. 1 JN 4: 4, “You, dear children, are from God, and you can overcome [the spirit of the antichrist], because the One [The Holy Spirit] Who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.” Now let’s look at faith in the Son of God. 1 JN 5: 3-6, “This is love for God: to obey His commands; and His commands are not burdensome. For everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God. This is the One Who came by water and blood-Jesus Christ. He did not come by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit Who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth.” What is truly unique about our Lord Jesus is that baptism by water leads to repentance, and His blood shed is a sacrificial offering, which brings salvation. Further essential reconnaissance is found in 1 JN 5: 7-10, 14-15, “For there are three that testify: the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and the three are in agreement. We accept man’s testimony, but God’s testimony is greater because it is the testimony of God, which He has given about His Son. Anyone who believes in the Son of God has this testimony in his heart. Anyone who does not believe God has made Him out to be a Liar, because he has not believed the testimony God has given about His Son…This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of Him.”
After writing all of this, we needed the kind of reassurance that our loving Covenant Partner gives us. He wants us to know the truth, the whole truth, not a watered down or human-altered version of it. That’s a good reason among many for going daily to the Scriptures and allowing Scripture to explain Scripture. The same may be said for praying frequently, allowing God to speak first. The latter requires us to calm down our human spirit and to allow the stresses and temptations of daily life to fade away in beginning a prayer session. This would explain why Jesus went up a hill to be by Himself when He wanted to pray to the Father [MT 14: 23]. It would also explain the impact of Christ’s words about telling believers everything He knows from the Father in JN 15: 14-15, thus treating us as friends, rather than just servants. We, who believe, do indeed know “our Master’s business.” Those of us who are true believers must bear in mind EPH 3: 12, “In Him and through faith in Him, we may approach God with freedom and confidence.” Christ Himself wanted us to know “If you remain in Me and My words in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you” [JN 15: 7]. The many times that I have cited 2 TIM 3: 16-17, which tells us the value to us of reading Scripture, is not an empty exercise. We must believe that we are at war with the enemies our Covenant Partner and us share. It’s spiritual warfare, and He has given us the means to be victorious in Christ’s name in it. It’s a real war, one that separates us from those who reject the Lord Jesus [MT 25: 32], and it can often lead us to uncomfortable places with people who oppose us. But we can believe this, we have the same power God used to raise Jesus from death to eternal life, to chase off the adversary and to win this war in Christ’s name. Remember God’s words to the serpent, in GN 3: 15, “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” Think about it: those believers who persist in defending their covenant partners [and their Covenant Partner] will endure pain, but will live eternally; the adversary will eventually be entirely vanquished [REV 19: 12; REV 20: 10]. Believe in and obey Christ; join me in persisting against the adversary. This is the way to eternal bliss with our Covenant Partner and partners. How sweet that will be!
PRAYER: O Lord, as true believers in Your Son, Jesus Christ, we offer thanks and praise to You, for supplying us with the whole truth. Even those parts of it that can be painful are so much better than suffering spiritual death. Your mission statements in JN 6: 39-40 and EPH 1: 4-5 tell us just how important our redemption and salvation are to You. We are grateful for being informed --though the Scriptures and prayer-- of Your will, Your ultimate goals for us, and even things we need to know for our individual lives. We feel enveloped in Your love and encouraged in the spiritual warfare we must wage on Your behalf. Our lives are not lived in vain. We understand that we must face illnesses, loss, disappointments, and insults along the way. We know there will be times when the adversary will cause us pain and stress. But You have given us a way to know our faith is real, the power to choose not to give into the evil one’s temptation, and the ability to cause him to flee the scene. Even when we make mistakes, You forgive us when we confess with genuineness and stop the sin. You have given us the way to know Your will and to obey it. Your ultimate goal is for us to think in eternal perspective and to look forward to everlasting bliss and fellowship with You. Dearest Lord, You are our heartfelt Covenant Partner, and we are Yours forever. We express our love for you, in PS 40: 3, “He taught me to sing a new song, a song of praise to our God. Many who see this will take a warning and will put their trust in the Lord.” Our forever praise and thanks to You, in the holy/mighty name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Messiah. Amen.
NEXT WEEK: There is a song called “Made Me Glad,” which I love for its descriptions of God. One of them is Strong Tower, and that is exactly what our Covenant Partner is. It’s the reason why next week’s message in this “Our Lives At Stake” segment of the “Our Covenant” series will be about God as our Strong Tower. As Peter and I have been aging, there are always new challenges in our lives. When we were younger, we felt invincible, but as we have gotten older, we recognize the finiteness of earthly life ever more intensely. Our faith, which has deepened over the years, our life’s experiences, and the sharing of solid, long-term friendships have given us perspective which younger people can’t be expected to have. There is a kind of frustration in not being able to bottle up this more eternal perspective and give it to those who will follow us. But then, we are reminded of the story of the butterfly struggling to emerge from its chrysalis. When the man observing this used a sharp scissors to cut the chrysalis, he shortened the time of the butterfly’s struggles, thus causing its blood not to reach all the veins of its wings. This butterfly never flew normally in its life. So, we must join together in prayer for our younger human covenant partners-- a prayer that they will gain ever-strengthening faith in Jesus Christ, the will to obey His teaching, and the wisdom they need to gain eternal life. In addition, we must obey MT 28: 19-20, which is the Great Commission for us to reach out to those who have yet to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ and who will listen, to bring them to the Holy Spirit, Who can give them life saving faith in Him. Eternal praise and thanks be to Him!
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn
JS 24: 15
© Lynn Johnson 2014. All Rights Reserved.
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