Beauty for Ashes - Issue
2:3.
`Personal Revival’
“Grace
is the sweetest sound
That ever reached our
ears:
When conscience charged and justice frowned,
T’was grace removed our fears.
Grace is a mine of wealth
Laid open to the poor,
Grace is the sov’reign spring of health,
T’is life for evermore.”
A dying sinner, fully aware of his disgraceful
life before God, and filled with repentance at last, could not accept the
Saviour. When asked if he would like to be saved, he had said,
“I certainly would, but I don’t want God
to do anything wrong in saving me.” When verses from the book of
Romans were read to him, he could see that “God can be just and the Justifier
of him which believeth in Jesus.” In joy unspeakable he let God wash him
in the precious Blood of the Lamb! (Romans 3:26). Praise God
- for we too are washed in the Precious Blood. All is of Amazing Grace.
All is by God’s own Holy Justification.
As the world grows rapidly more godless
and wicked, as the time for the end of the Church Age approaches, the deceptions
of the Latter Days are becoming more difficult to recognise. The enemy
of men’s souls is of great and evil genius. How important it is then for
believers in Christ Jesus to be living in victory over sin, the world and
the devil. Not only for their own sakes, but because of the need for God’s
witness to go forth uncorrupted by the carnal, old man, the natural man.
The redeemed of the Church Age are the Bride of Christ, we must walk worthy
of our high calling (Ephesians 4:1-4). We can accomplish nothing by our
own strength, the world of the lost around us is in desperate need of the
mighty power of the Holy Spirit through committed, uncompromising believers
who have not sold out to the darkness and the apostasies of this perilous
period.
“ [God] Who hath delivered us from the
power of darkness, and hath translated [us] into the kingdom of his dear
Son:” (Colossians 1:13).
Because we are delivered from spiritual
darkness, it is essential that we never cooperate with anything which is
of error and the devil. For his is the kingdom of darkness, and we are
of the Kingdom of Light. If we have been delivered from the power of darkness
by Christ Jesus, we have no business to join in with the things of the
dark. We must deny the depravity of our own natures for this too is spiritual
darkness. The mind in darkness is filled with enmity against God. The believer
who cooperates with error and compromise will allow his own mind to be
tampered with - ultimately. Darkness will fill the mind with thoughts against
the Truth, and will prejudice the compromiser against the Plans of Almighty
God:
“And you, that were sometime alienated
and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled.”
(Colossians 1:21).
How easy it is to let “love” draw us into going along with the religious crowds of our day. We can look at churchgoers who are kindly, well-presented, sincere and “loving,” and so as to not offend them, we can reImages quiet or even join in with them when darkness prevails. Perhaps the issue might be the apostate Alpha Bible Course, or maybe the ecumenical movement. It could be over the terrible preachers of darkness in the Pentecostal Movement. Maybe you have fallen into the trap of thinking “we all have our own opinions” and are entitled to have. But it is GOD’S opinion which alone counts, and if we stand for His Word “no correspondence can be entered into” about it. Perhaps you are like me sometimes, it is easy to stand only for the Light and Truth when we are not in a real situation of conflict! When we are discussing Truth and God’s Word with others of like-mind it is easy to stand firm. But when a situation arises where strongly-held opinions are expressed by intelligent, dogmatic, condescending people, our resolve and courage can fade away. These are serious times, God wants us to be filled with the power of the Holy Spirit, not filled with our “own opinions.” He wants us to be just as brave in any given situation as we are with our own friends in the Lord.
Our world and this country are being prepared for the flood-gates of false doctrine to be opened. The lives of multitudes hang in the balance. Around us there are various groups who comprise the unsaved masses. In a sense the most unreachable, untouchable group is the unsaved CHURCH group. They have been, in most cases, inoculated against the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and His shed Blood by churchiosity and religious vanities. They imagine they have the truth already, and that the real Gospel is “your opinion” and “your interpretation.” Yet, the militancy of the Vatican and the various One World Church organisations, (World Council of Churches, United Religions, National Council of Churches, World Conference on Religion and Peace et al) make it imperative that we believers be filled with boldness and concern for those who are deceived and are like lambs about to be brought to the slaughter. How can we influence such people, and bring them to the true Gospel? What will we do to warn such people when we have the opportunity to speak with them? How we need the power of the Holy Spirit to be conquerors over the world, the flesh and the devil.
Are we filled with the power of the Holy
Spirit, with the resulting boldness, pureness, self-sacrifice and long
suffering which He alone produces?
Or are we saved, but living by self-effort
and have the results in our lives which are timidity, no victory over sin,
selfish living and fear?
Now is the time to know, the immediate
future, with its overflow of religious darkness, must have LIGHT through
the Remnant Church. We haven’t been Raptured yet, this is no time
to rest from the great work of preaching the Gospel. Whether to individuals
face-to-face, on the Internet, by phone, or in groups, holiness demands
that we pray and reach the unsaved. Do you care?
A teacher of other days, John Owen, wrote
this in the book, “The Holy Spirit,” originally published in 1674
as “Pneumatologia,” or “A Discourse concerning the Holy Spirit”:
“There is, then, a great difference between true holiness wrought in us by the Holy Spirit and a morally decent life produced by self-effort. Moreover the life of holiness wrought in us by the Holy Spirit needs to be kept pure and undefiled by the Spirit of God and the blood of Christ, whereas the morally decent life, produced by self-effort, endeavours to keep itself pure by ‘good resolutions.’”
Some of us are no longer young Christians.
We have seen so much in our lifetimes. Souls saved; joyful times of sheer
delight in God; wonderful men and women of God. But also we have
seen churches split up; immorality amongst the leaders in the churches;
greed and ambition taking centre stage in fellowships; coldness and formality
amongst the people of God; slander and cruelty extended to believers who
are innocent of the charges levelled against them; fake revivals and crazy
experiences - and so it goes. Perhaps you now have no heart to do anything
but pray and wait for Jesus to take you home! But, dear one, the Lord God
Almighty never gives up on His work of conforming you to the image of Christ
Jesus. He has plans for you until you draw your last breathe, or are lifted
in bodily form to meet the Lord in the air. He has plans for you in Eternity,
and He is going to bring you into all sorts of situations here, yet, in
His great work:
“For we are his workmanship, created in
Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should
walk in them.”
(Ephesians 2:10).
Hear again our preacher from past days,
John Owen:
“In the early days of faith, the streams
seem to flow in green pastures, and the new Christian seems always fresh
and green in the ways of grace and holiness. But later in the Christian
life, it seems good to God to turn the stream into another channel. He
sees that the exercise of humility, godly sorrow, fear, diligent warring
with temptations and all things that strike at the very root of faith and
love, are now more needed.
So older, more experienced Christians
often have greater troubles, temptations and difficulties in the world.
God has new work for them to do. He now plans that all the graces they
have be used in new and harder ways. They may not find in their spiritual
desires to be as strong as before, nor have such delight in spiritual duties
as they had before. Because of this, they feel that grace has dried up
in them. No longer do they feel and enjoy the springs of holiness that
once joyfully flowed in them. They do not know where they are or what they
are. But in spite of all this, the real work of sanctification is still
thriving in them and the Holy Spirit is still working it effectively in
them. Therefore let us cling to our hope without wavering.”
(”The Holy Spirit” p.p.111,112).
I have read in some publications of today that there are NO carnal Christians, that if a person is carnal they are not saved at all. Now this is simply not true to Scripture (See Romans 7:14-25). We have a new nature if we are truly born again, but the old nature has not been annihilated altogether. Actually we can be carnal one moment, and spiritual the next! We can be saved but severely back-slidden, we can be sincere and concerned about growing in Christ, but be utterly barren in faith and love. Why is this? Because God works with us, never against our wills. He gives us all the supplies we need of holiness, righteous and spiritual power - but we must be willing to draw upon them.
Everywhere we look today we see works,
and more works. One would think that people are saved by trust in
Christ’s Blood, and then they had to do all these things by their own efforts:
Keep on persevering in works until the
end, or they would be lost;
Perform works of righteousness by their
own strength and ability;
And show the Church leaders how good they
are, or God will cast them away.
These are mere “works” and a total misunderstanding
of what the NEW CREATION is about, and how far reaching the New Creation
is.
He Is Guilty!
Then we accept Christ Jesus as Saviour,
and all is brand new! We are now part of the New Creation in our Saviour.
We are not now under the old LAW SYSTEM, but under GRACE.
Under the Law, the whole world is declared
guilty. Man’s own works are an abomination before the Lord. The Law is,
because of necessity, about condemnation, eternal death and God’s wrath
and curse upon mankind
(Romans 3:19; II Cor.3:7-9; Gal. 3: 10).
Christ Jesus came to us as sinners and
bore the curse for us, and so released us from the domination of the Law
(Gal.3:13; 4:5-7).
Law cannot ever justify sinners nor can
it sanctify the believer
(Gal. 2:16; 3:2,3,11,12).
Saved believers are not any longer under
the Law, they are both dead to it and redeemed from it. We are now under
Grace, not Law
(Rom.6:14; 7:4; Gal.2:19; 4:4-7;
I Tim. 1:8,9).
Under the new covenant of Grace, we have
the principle of obedience to God’s will inwrought within us (Heb. 10:16).
In Christ the believer is delivered from
the anarchy of self-will and is now “inlawed to Christ” (I Cor. 9:21).
The new law of Christ is now our delight.
(Gal.6:2; II John 5).
Through the Holy Spirit of God, who dwells
within the believer, the righteousness of the law is fulfilled in him (Rom.
8:2-4; Gal. 5:16-18). Believers in Christ now have distinctively Christian
Scriptures as instruction in righteousness
( II Tim. 3:16; Rom. 13:8-10; Eph. 6:1-3;
I Cor. 9:8,9).
(Outline from Scofield Reference Bible
notes, p.1245,
Galatians chapters 3,4).
Our salvation is a part of a glorious salvation Plan for the whole creation, not just a salvation for human believers. When the whole Plan has come to culmination, then the New Earth and New Heavens will be established. Our salvation is a part of that culmination, all those who will not fit in have no place to go but into the “fire!” What is this “fire” but the place where God is, for He is Omnipresent, but the rebellious, lost person is not of God, and wills to be not be of God in any way. So it is a “burning” like a log in the fire which cannot be consumed. He/she is in God, but not of God!
When we were saved we immediately shared
the Life of God. THE LIFE which we have been given already by God is eternal,
and is called “aionios”. This Life has more to do with the quality of Life
rather than the duration. The Life of God has become our life, He
gave it to us the moment we received Christ as Saviour. “Aionios” can never
be temporal, lost, taken away or destroyed. It is ETERNAL LIFE. Therefore
our surroundings in eternity must suit the resurrected beings’ “aionios”
life. We have a description of the New Heavens and the New Earth for the
eternal dwelling of the redeemed in Revelation 21. The word for “new” in
this passage is the Greek “kainos” which means qualitatively new. Our resurrection
bodies will be changed, and our eternal environment will also be transformed.
ALL will be accomplished by God Himself, Who is bringing His people into
conformity to the image of His Son throughout our life times.
“For whom he did foreknow, he also did
predestinate [to be] conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be
the firstborn among many brethren.” (Romans 8:29).
“And as we have borne the image of the
earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.”
( I Corinthians 15:4.9.)
“But we all, with open face beholding
as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from
glory to glory, [even] as by the Spirit of the Lord.” ( II Corinthians
3:18.)
Spiritual meaning - the place
of the everlasting blessedness of the redeemed in Christ Jesus.
(a) Christ calls it his “Father’s
house” (John 14:2).
(b) It is called “paradise”
(Luke 23:43; 2 Cor. 12:4; Rev. 2:7).
(c) “The Heavenly Jerusalem”
(Gal. 4: 26; Heb. 12:22; Rev. 3:12).
(d) The “Kingdom of
Heaven” (Matt. 25:1; James 2:5).
(e) The “Eternal Kingdom”
(2 Pet. 1:11).
(f) The “Eternal Inheritance”
(1 Pet. 1:4; Heb. 9:15).
(g) The “Better Country”
(Heb. 11:14, 16).
(h) The blessed are said
to “sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,” and to be “in Abraham’s bosom”
(Lu 16:22; Matt. 8:11); to “reign with Christ” (2 Tim. 2:12); and to enjoy
“rest” (Heb. 4:10, 11).
In heaven the blessedness of the righteous
consists in the possession of “life everlasting,”
“an eternal weight of glory” (2 Cor. 4:17),
an exemption from all sufferings for ever,
a deliverance from all evils (2 Cor. 5:1, 2) and
from the society of the wicked (2 Tim.
4:18),
bliss without termination, the “fulness
of joy” for ever
(Luke 20:36; 2 Cor. 4:16, 18; 1 Pet. 1:4;
5:10; 1 John 3:2).
The believer’s heaven is not only a state
of everlasting blessedness, but also a “place”, a place “prepared” for
them (John 14:2).
Paradise:
A Persian word (pardes), properly meaning
a “pleasure-ground” or “park” or “king’s garden.” It came in course of
time to be used as a name for the world of happiness and rest hereafter
(Luke 23:43; 2 Cor. 12:4; Rev. 2:7).
The Heavens and Earth will be transformed
into the Glory of God the Creator.
(Material gleaned from Easton’s Bible
Dictionary).
It is foolishness to base all our hopes of happiness and joy on this fallen earth. Some would say about believers, “they are too heavenly minded to be any earthly good.” But my own experience with Christians is rather the opposite. They are far too much concerned with this earth than they are with heaven. Our destiny is so high and stupendous that we must walk worthy of our high calling. (Ephesians 4:1). What about Heaven and home? Leighton once said, “Here a few drops of joy enter into us, there we enter into joy as vessels put into a sea of happiness.”
We will not only behold the glory of Jesus
Christ and the Heavenly Father, we will also reflect that glory of the
Divine. Down here on earth it is not obvious to the unsaved that we are
any different than they are. In eternity, when Christ is manifested in
glory, we will be too!
“When Christ, who is our life, shall appear
(or be manifested), then shall ye also appear with him in glory.” (Colossians
3:4).
What is this “manifestation?”
The Greek word is “Phaneros.” To make open
to sight, “visible” or “manifest.” The root of the word indicates a “shining.”
We are hidden now, with Christ Jesus in God, but the time will come when
we reflect and shine with His glory, and all creation shall know it. The
meager sufferings of this time are not worthy to be mentioned when we consider
the glory ahead of us. Suffering actually works towards a more exceeding
weight of glory:
“For our light affliction, which is but
for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of
glory; “ (II Corinthians 4:17).
When we contemplate the glory that God
has bestowed upon the Eternal Son of God, our hearts are filled with awe.
But do we realise that that glory of the Son will be ours as well? Who
can not fall before God in wonder and amazement at this?
“Whereunto he called you by our gospel
to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
( II Thessalonians 2:14).
“And the glory which thou gavest me I
have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: “ (John 17:22).
These days the separation of the called
out, hidden ones of God is considered to be “intolerant” self-righteous
lack of love. The Bible of our God clearly calls us to be apart from the
world and its religious hypocrisy. Let us then examine ourselves before
the mirror of God’s Word. Does your face shine in the mirror, or do you
have compromiser written across your countenance? There are many things
from which God instructs us to separate, not just from apostate churches.
All this may sound legalistic and harsh, but nothing could be further from
the truth. God wants us to be separate because we are precious to Him,
because He does not want darkness to overcome us and make us wretched.
He does not want us to become like the world, and thus miss out on our
rewards when Jesus comes for us. We are precious, we are the Bride of Christ.
God is preparing us for the coming of the Bridegroom.
“Wherefore come out from among them, and
be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I
will receive you.
And will be a Father unto you, and ye
shall be my sons and daughters saith the Lord Almighty.”
(II Corinthians 6:17,18).
God is telling us in the passage of II
Cor. 6:14-18 that we believers have no communion or fellowship with spiritual
darkness. We have no “concord” with the works of spiritual blackness, such
as in the company of an unbeliever or idol worshipper or with those who
deny the Word of God. What is “concord?” It is the Greek word “sumphonesis”
which means “sounding together” as in an orchestra playing a symphony.
We have no “symphony” with these people. We now have the Holy Spirit dwelling
within us, we are the actual Temple of the living God. He dwells in us,
and so the spiritual darkness in those who are apostates or unsaved is
repelled by us. We may wonder why we are abhorrent to some occult or heretical
person, it is because we are the Temple of the Living God. God walks in
us. Every “note” we play in our symphony is a discord to the one who is
outside of Christ - unless of course the Holy Spirit is drawing them to
salvation in Him.
Some saved people can be so carnal that they establish inground habits of sin! They are of all people on earth the most wretched, for the Holy Spirit deals with them in a terrible way inside, no matter what their faces are presenting. Once it was essential for Christian fellowships to discipline such people, and if they would not repent, keep them separated from the sincere, faithful flock. Now it has reached a stage where sincere believers themselves have had to separate from whole denominations because of carnal behaviour, this is even taught from the pulpit as doctrine. Sexual sin, homosexuality, greed for material gain, covetousness and so on are often condoned from the pulpits of our land, and those who oppose this are named “unloving” self-righteous bigots.
“I wrote unto you not to company with fornicators.
Yet not altogether with the fornicators
of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolators;
for then must ye needs go out of the world,
But now I have written unto you not to
keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous,
or an idolator, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such
a one, no, not to eat.
For what have I to do to judge them also
that are without? do not ye judge them that are within?
But them that are without God judgeth.
Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.” (I
Cor. 5:9-13).
Well, this is a disturbing passage!
No room here for sentimental leniency. Where do you measure up yourself?
There is no question that the persons referred to have been in fellowship
with Christians; they are not mere worldlings; they are called a brother
(or sister); and are within, not “without” in the the sense of being unsaved.
We had better look and see what God commands, for we are to separate from
these carnal people. See I Cor. 5:9-13;
“Fornicator” - Greek word “porneia.” Illicit
sexual intercourse. This could mean a number of things in the 1999s. Homosexual
“Christians”; those who are “shacked up” outside of marriage; the promiscuous;
those who drift in and out of marriages. Now, we must remember that God
is forgiving, and that Christ Jesus cleanses in the Blood! If a person
(or persons) is repentant, and have been cleansed, then we must surely
recognise that the Blood has removed their sin as far as the East is from
the West. Divorce and remarriage is NOT the unforgivable sin. If some are
remarried after divorce, and repent before God, they can hardly leave the
new spouses and depart to find the old etc (especially if there are children
involved). They are forgiven in the Lord, if they have repented before
Him. Not so the unrepentant homosexual, or those who continue to co-habitate
with no repentance. Be Ye Separate! But not smugly self-righteous.
“Covetous” persons. The Greek word is “epithumeo”
- to fix the desire intensively upon. To long for and lust after money
and goods, greediness for gain, envy and lust after material possessions.
Now the modern Charismatic and Pentecostal churches are sadly running riot
with covetousness! They have been fed doctrines of outrageous covetousness.
Material greed, envy and lust for money can spoil any believer’s or fellowship’s
testimony and peace. Remember the Bible’s simply instruction:
“Perverse disputings of men of corrupt
minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from
such withdraw thyself. But godliness with contentment is great gain.
For we brought nothing into [this] world, [and it is] certain we can carry
nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.”
(I Timothy 6:5-8).
Be Ye Separate!
But filled with prayer and compassion
for the sinner.
“Idolator” the Greek word is “eidololatriai.”
The warning is that believers should not allow themselves to be drawn in
with those who worship idols. Cremer says this of idol worshippers: “openly
or secretly, consciously or unconsciously.” The idols in the Roman Catholic
Church are obvious; the idols in a Buddhist Temple are obvious; the idol
worshippers who worship men like Benny Hinn and Kenneth Copeland are not
so obvious; and the idol worship of those who turn away from God to venerate
a whole denomination is not so open to the eyes of humans. We must seek
here to avoid harshness, but keep ourselves from ever allowing any person
or thing to take the place that God should hold in our hearts.
Be Ye Separate!
But he that thinks he stands be careful
- he could fall into the same trap.
“Railer” the Greek word is blasphemeo.
A blasphemer who reviles. Someone who speaks evil. Those who speak contemptuously
of God and sacred things. Could a saved person become so carnal as to sink
this low? Certainly there are those who are saved who slander others who
truly love the Lord, and thus they are railing against the Holy Spirit
who lives within the sincere and Godly believer. This can be done out of
envy, jealousy, enjoyment of disruption and desire to squabble and fight.
Such people we must separate from, or there will be no peace for anyone.
Unless of course there is repentance and a whole change of heart.
Be Ye Separate!
But not a railer yourself in your own
attitude against them.
“Drunkard” the Greek word is methuo. This
is obvious, for it simply means we must not fellowship with an unrepentant,
habitually drunk, abuser of themselves with strong drink or drugs. That
does not mean we cannot help them, or pray for them or care about them.
Be Ye Separate!
An extortioner” the Greek word is prasso. The noun is harpage. It is one who plunders, steals, takes advantage of someone. Covetousness with a desire to spoil another of his/her goods. To seize by force. Isn’t this what the greedy and grasping merchants who peddle the prosperity doctrines are like? Those who preach give “god” one dollar and He will give you back $100? Who demand Old Testament tithes, and spend the spoils taken from the gullible on their own overseas trips and cars? Be ye separate. Do not follow their greedy ways and thievery.
The Bible goes on that we should:
“...with such a one, no, not to eat.”
For what have I to do to judge them also
that are without? do not ye judge them that are within?
But them that are without God judgeth.
Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.” (I Corinthians
5:12,13).
The terrible condition of the churches
has made those who insist on Biblically sound doctrine stand out like sore
toes! Yet, God commands us to separate from those who will not follow sound
doctrine. If sound Biblical doctrine is mentioned or insisted upon, the
cry always goes up “you have your own interpretation, I have mine. Surely
you don’t think your own interpretation is the only correct one?” Then
often the rattled Christian will back down, made to feel as though they
are dogmatic and proud in their foolish notions of superiority! Or
the cry could be, “that is your opinion, I have mine.
Aren’t I entitled to my own opinion?”
What is the answer to this?
The thing is the Bible is very clear on
most subjects which are controversy, those which are vital to Christian
salvation and living. This is not a matter of “your opinion” against
someone else’s opinion. It is GOD’S opinion that matters, and His alone
must be defended. Most of the issues which draw out from heretics the scream,
“you think you have the only interpretation, “ have nothing whatsoever
to do with interpretation per se. There may be different interpretations
about what the scorpions will be in Revelation 9, but there are NO interpretations
about whether Christians should separate from apostate churches and adherents,
as an example of many issues we could cite here. The Bible tells us clearly
what we are to do. For another example, there is NO interpretation
about whether we are under Grace or O.T. Law. The Bible clearly states
what is correct. (Book of Galatians and Romans chapter et al). So
let us not fall for the “your interpretation” scam. In God’s Word there
seems to be a difference in separation from an individual who is muddled
about doctrine, and a teacher who deliberately deceives. We cannot treat
both the same. The false, covetous, immoral pastor or teacher is a “cursed
child.” (II Peter 2:14). The confused and disobedient individual is still
a “brother.”
See sample verses shown below:
“And if any man obey not our word by this
epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed.
Yet count him not as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.” (II Thess.
3:14,15).
“ But there were false prophets also among
the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily
shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them,
and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow
their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil
spoken of. “
(II Peter 2:1,2).
“And be ye not conformed to this world:
but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what
is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God.” (Romans 12:2).
“Now I beseech you, brethren, mark those
which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have
learned, and avoid them.
For they that are such serve not our Lord
Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by good words and fair speeches
deceive the hearts of the simple.
For your obedience is come abroad unto
all men. I am glad therefore on your behalf: but yet I would have you wise
unto that which is good and simple concerning evil.
And the God of peace shall bruise Satan
under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
Amen.” (Rom. 16:17-20).
“Wherein they think it strange that ye
run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you:Who
shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead.”
(I Peter 4:4). (”Riot” here is the Greek asotia. Wasteful, excessive,
luxurious revelling).
God wants us to be separate because He
loves us. We separate from certain things and people in order to be joined
closer to the Lord and His purposes. He is wanting us to have “Beauty for
Ashes” not have all the beauty of holiness and Christ-likeness tarnished
by shoddy associations and bad company.
“But ye are come unto mount Sion, and
unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable
company of angels, To the general assembly and church of the firstborn,
which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits
of just men made perfect, “ (Hebrews 12:22).
In the new millennium, if we are still
on this earth, the whole world will be buzzing with the “new” spirituality
and plans for a “new” earth. The deluded of this planet have built for
themselves a veritable Tower of Babel, the United World system. Christians
who serve the Living God must not cooperate in any way with this “new”
earth system. The whole scheme, supported by religions, political parties,
nations and giant economic, banking structures, is extremely seductive
and subtle in its presentation of evil. Everywhere we are now seeing initiatives
put in place by these “New” Age people. It is not just a matter of separation
from the obvious plans and beliefs of the unified globalists. It is a matter
of knowing what we are facing and rejecting even the shadow of collaboration
with God’s enemies, those who are in rebellion against His rule and Sovereignty.
Perhaps we can look at some of the clever declarations which are being
presented by the Millennium Institute, one of the most powerful of the
organisations which are bringing in the “new” state of the world.
In “Threshold 2000” a book Imagesly presented
by Gerald O. Barney, founder and executive director of Millennium
Institute, we find these seemingly benign and righteous statements on p.p.
124-125:
“Visions of the world as it might be have
found expression in the world’s religious and spiritual traditions - traditions
that embody human aspirations for meaning and purpose in life; respect
and mutuality between diverse peoples, cultures, and religions; the pursuit
of justice and peace; alleviation of suffering, and harmony with the Earth....
While the world’s great religious and
spiritual traditions differ profoundly with respect to beliefs and practices,
they nevertheless acknowledge certain ancient ethical principles. One formulation
of this ethical ground is found in the document, Towards a Global Ethic:
An Initial Declaration, issued on the occasion of the 1993 Parliament of
the World’s Religions.
The document identifies four universal
directives that offer a basis for a ‘global ethic.’
The four directives are:
Do not kill.
Do not steal.
Do not lie.
Do not commit sexual immorality.
These directives are then described and
understood
in the following affirmations:
Have respect for life.
Deal honestly and fairly.
Speak and act truthfully.
Respect and love one another.”
(End of quote).
What could be wrong with agreeing with
the above?
Isn’t that what our Bible teaches anyway?
Notice immediately, as you would have done I’m sure, that the first and greatest commandment in God’s Word is NOT THERE!
“Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence,
Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him
only shalt thou serve.”
(Matthew 4:10).
“Then one of them, [which was] a lawyer,
asked [him a question], tempting him, and saying, Master, which [is]
the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love
the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all
thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And
the second [is] like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”
(Matthew 22: 35-40).
No set of “ethics” from a global amalgamation can be agreed upon by those who love the Lord God Almighty! ALL righteousness begins with a relationship with God as Sovereign Lord. No global ethics set out by rebels against the Almighty can be agreed upon, in any way. ALL laws, rules and ethics hang upon the relationship one has with the Lord God through His Son, Jesus Christ. This global ethic business is vastly different to obedience to civil laws in a national sense. This global rule from the internationalists is based firmly on a NEW RELIGIOUS BASE. We must reImages separated unto the Lord God, our Creator. We will examine this base now.
Although Christian investigators have shown clearly that the New Age New World is occultic and neo-pagan through and through, the outward expression has been white-washed to deceive the gullible. Multitudes of churchgoers in the denominations of Christendom are now accepting the propaganda of the New World globalism. I personally saw this at the Jubilee 2000 conference held in Brisbane, “Hearts on Fire,” July, 1999. (Jubilee 2000, by the way, is listed in the Millennium Institute’s Key International Events, p. 101, “Threshold 2000”).
P.5 of “Threshold 2000” states:
“Questions for Our Spiritual Leaders [the
various religious leaders of the world].
What are the traditional teachings - and
the range of other opinions - within your faith on how to meet the legitimate
needs of the growing human community without destroying the ability of
Earth to support the community of life?” (End of quote).
Here we see that the Images religious belief of the New World is to “save” the environment, and to solve the earth’s problems. They do not believe God’s Word, the Bible, when it teaches us about the environment and the Fall and coming restoration. We Christians believe God’s Word. We know we, ourselves, cannot save the environment, and that the earth’s problems are caused by sin and the Fall. The human community is in the state it is because they are living in separation from their Creator. Nothing can be lastingly achieved globally until Jesus Christ comes back to put down evil and establish His Millennial Reign.
p.6 of “Threshold 2000” states:
“What are the traditional teachings -
and the range of other opinions - within your faith on the meaning of ‘progress’
and how it is achieved?
* What does you faith tradition teach
about the human destiny? Is the human destiny separated from that of Earth?”
(end of quote).
Here we see the concept that it is a denial of earth and “her” value to human beings as their planet home to “cop out” and imagine heaven as our ultimate destination. This is not acceptable to the New World. But we Christians know that Heaven is our ultimate destination, and God will renew this present earth as well.
p. 6 continues
“ What is your destiny, the destiny of
the followers of your faith tradition? What does your tradition teach concerning
the destiny of followers of other traditions?”
Here we see that the global community
does not want religions preaching that other religious peoples will have
a destiny in hell, unless they repent. But we Christians recognise that
Christ Jesus is the only way to the Father, and all other religious ways
do indeed lead to hell!
On p.6 still:
“Much hatred and violence is carried out
in the name of religion. What teachings of your faith tradition have been
used - correctly or not - in an attempt to justify such practices?”
The globalist of the New World Order see
any suggestion that other religions haven’t got the Truth as being potentially
dangerous, violent or even murderous teachings. They especially view “fundamental”
Christians (or Moslems) as being more dangerous than others.
P. 6 continues:
“How does your faith tradition characterise
the teachings and followers of other faiths? Do some adherents of your
tradition hold that the teachings and followers of other faiths are evil,
dangerous, misguided? Is there any possibility that your tradition can
derive wisdom, truth, or insight from the teaching of another faith?”
The aim of “Dialogue” with other religions
is that we all “enrich” each other, and come to consensus. One Mind One
World. When we Christian believers will not yield to this dialogue, or
say that faiths like shamanistic voodoo, or the aboriginal Dreamtime, or
the cult worship of Mary etc is wrong, or that evil spirits are involved
in deceptions, or that God forbids these “evil” practices, we are seen
as being against the peace of the New World Order. Something has to be
done with us, or we will spoil the atmosphere of the New Age of reason
and tolerant understanding.
P.7 brings us to the crunch-line:
“What are the traditional teachings -
and the range of other opinions - within your faith on the possibility
of criticism, correction, reinterpretation, and even rejection of ancient
traditional assumptions and ‘truth’ in light of new understandings or revelations?
Does your faith tradition envision new revelations, new understanding,
new interpretation, new wisdom,and new truth concerning
human activity affecting the future of Earth?”
The separation from all that is of the
New Age New World will not be accomplished easily! If any are not willing
to be reprogrammed and have their thinking “corrected” they will deemed
to be enemies of the global state under the global federation. There is
NO possibility for the Bible-based Christian to be involved with the “new”
teachings and doctrines, of course. God alone, with the miracle of His
Grace and provision, will keep us separate from these global religious
teachings, which have science (so-called) as “god.” We must not yield in
any way to pressure as time goes by, that is if we are still on this earth.
This “new “ religion and new ethical system of the New Age is based on
every abomination of ancient Babylon. It is pantheistic, idolatrous, evolutionary,
polytheistic, astrological, spiritistic, animistic, humanistic and super-humanistic.
It operates on greed and covetousness. The New World Order controls the
entire economic banking structures of the globe. Be ye separate from the
NEW WORLD of the Aquarian Age.
“And the woman was arrayed in purple and
scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having
a golden cup in her hand full of abomination and filthiness of her fornication.
And upon her forehead was a name written,
MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE
EARTH.” (Revelation 17:4,5).
“The word “abomination“ (Greek bdelugma)
is specifically associated with idol worship. It is the same word used
by Christ when He prophesied of the blasphemous image which would be set
up in the temple by the Beast, calling it “the abomination of desolation”
(Matthew 24:15)....
What is modern evolutionary humanism but
flagrant idolatry, deifying man and his corporate
self-worship?
It is very significant also that the Bible
identifies covetousness with idolatry (as in Ephesians 5:5; Colossians
3:5). As the first two commandments forbid idolatry, so the last forbids
covetousness. The underlying motive of the covetous person is that of rejection
of God and His will, discontent with what God has supplied, and a desire
for things instead of God. Giving anything priority over the true God and
His perfect will is idolatry in God’s sight. Jesus said: “Ye cannot serve
God and mammon” (Luke 16:13). The Pharisees to whom this particular exhortation
was directed derided Him because they “were covetous.” To them Jesus
said: “Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth
your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is adomination
in the sight of God”
(Luke 16:14,15).
“Here is the same word again, and Jesus
this identified these hypocritical religionists as spiritual descendents
of the mother of abominations. Even though they piously decried idolatry
in the form of image-worship, they used their religion as a cloak for covetousness
and thus were more culpable in their idolatry than the Gentiles they despised.”
( “The Revelation Record”, Henry M.Morris,
p.331. Pub. Tyndal House).
The Puritan of the seventeenth century,
John Owen, had much to write about living in holiness in an unholy world.
Never before in history has unholiness reached such a level of depravity,
wickedness and rebelliousness against Almighty God as we see at the beginning
of AD 2000! This is not a rash statement, for mankind has become unbelievably,
brilliantly clever in that wickedness. Humanity can achieve feats which
would have been considered impossible in other centuries. Humanity sees
itself as the NEW MAN, at the level of Divinity, able to “create” live
babies in the test tube, send space ships to the planets, kill millions
at the press of a button, able to control the entire universe in due time,
and they see themselves as able to evolve into beings which will never
die! We are GOD, they cry! This rebellion can only end at Armageddon,
with mankind challenging God to a battle to end it all. We know who wins.
(Revelation 19:11-21):
“...and great Babylon came in remembrance
before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his
wrath.” (Rev. 16:19).
John Owen wrote:
“Holiness is the chief way by which we
honour and glorify Christ in this world. Holiness is the chief way by which
we show the world what Christ is truly like (I Cor. 6;19; II Cor. 5;15;
Rom. 14:7-9; Titus 2:14).
There are, in the end, only two things
God requires of us in this world. He requires that we honour and glorify
Him by living holy lives, and that we honour and glorify Him by suffering
patiently for Him.
Christ calls all His true disciples to
bear witness to the holiness of His life, the wisdom and purity of His
doctrine and the sufficiency and effectiveness of His death for their sins.
He calls His disciples to bear testimony to the peace they have with God
through faith in Him. Christ calls His disciples to bear testimony to the
power of His whole work of mediation to renew the image of God in them,
to restore them to God’s favour and to bring them to the enjoyment of God.
And the way they are to do it is by a life of holy obedience to God. By
doing all this, believers glorify God in this world....
But how can we bear testimony to the holiness
of Christ’s life against the blasphemies of the world and the unbelief
of most who are not interested? We do so by holiness of heart and life,
by being conformed to Christ in our souls and living to God in fruitful
obedience.”
( “The Holy Spirit” by John Owen, p.207).
Although we must separate from false doctrine,
unholy practices, worldliness and compromise we do not separate in our
superiority, filled with self-congratulations and self satisfaction. We
must separate unto the Lord Jesus Christ and all that HE stands for.
We are to aim for the simplicity of Christ, and an unadulterated clear
message of salvation and holiness. We are NOT aiming to create new sects
with adherents who despise and look down upon other groups in Christendom.
There is never any justification for spiritual pride, hating apostates,
treating other human beings as “stupid” because they are confused or deceived.
“Hate the sin but love the sinner” could be paraphrased to:
“Hate the compromise and heresy,
but love the compromiser and the heretic.”
“But I fear, lest by any means, as the
serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted
from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he that cometh preacheth
another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or [if] ye receive another spirit,
which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted,
ye might well bear with [him]. “ (II Corinthians 11:3,4).
A lovely old poem came to us on Internet recently. I believe it has something for us all to ponder on, about the other side of the coin. Remembering of course that this can apply only to those who are truly saved by the Blood of the Lamb.
( I have removed some stanzas...
NOTE: the Quaker is of the old kind, not
the new occult style Quaker).:
NO SECTS IN HEAVEN
Talking of sects quite late one eve,
What one and another of saints believe,
That night I stood in a troubled dream
By the side of a darkly flowing stream.
And a “churchman” down to the river came,
When I heard a strange voice call his
name,
“Good Father, stop; when you cross this
tide
You must leave your robes on the other
side.”
But the aged father did not mind,
And his long gown floated out behind
As down to the stream his way he took,
His hands firm hold of a gilt-edged book.
“I’m bound for heaven, and when I’m there
I shall want my book of common prayer;
And though I put on a starry crown,
I should feel quite lost without my gown”
Then he fixed his eye on the shiny track,
But his gown was heavy and held him back,
And the poor old father tried in vain,
A single step in the flood to gain.
I saw him again on the other side,
But his silk gown floated on the tide,
And no one asked in that blissful spot
If he belonged to “the church” or not.
Then down to the river a Quaker strayed;
His dress of a sober hue was made;
“My hat and coat must be all of gray,
I cannot go any other way.”
Then he buttoned his coat straight up to
his chin,
And staidly, solemnly, waded in,
And his broad-brimmed hat he pulled down
tight
Over his forehead, so cold and white.
But a strong wind carried away his hat,
And he sighed a few moments over that;
And then, as he gazed to the farther shore,
The coat slipped off and was seen no more.
Poor, dying Quaker, thy suit of gray
Is quietly sailing..away..away;
But thou’lt go to heaven, as straight
as an arrow,
Whether thy brim be broad or narrow.
Next came Dr. Watts with a bundle of psalms
Tied nicely up in his aged arms,
And hymns as many, a very wise thing,
That the people in heaven, “all round,”
might sing
But I thought that he heaved an anxious
sigh
As he saw that the river ran broad and
high,
And looked rather surprised, as one by
one;
The psalms and hymns in the wave went
down.
And after him with his MSS,
Came Wesley, the pattern of godliness.
But he cried, “Dear me, what shall I do?
The water has soaked them through and
through.”
And there, on the river, far and wide,
Away they went on the swollen tide;
And the saint, astonished, passed through
alone,
Without his manuscripts, up to the throne.
Then gravely walking, two saints by name,
Down to the stream together came;
But, as they stopped at the river’s brink,
I saw one saint from the other shrink.
“Sprinkled or plunged.may I ask you friend,
How you attained to life’s great end?”
“Thus, with a few drops on my brow”;
“But I have been dipped, as you’ll see
me now.
“And I really think it will hardly do,
As I’m ‘close communion,’ to walk with
you:
You’re bound, I know to the realms of
bliss,
But you must go that way, and I’ll go
this.”
And straightaway plunging with all his
might,
Away to the left.his friend to the right,
Apart they went from this world of sin;
But how did the brethren “enter in”?
And now where the river was rolling on,
A Presbyterian Church went down;
Of women, there seemed an innumerable
throng,
But the men I could count as they passed
along.
...
But the brethren only seemed to speak;
Modest the sisters walked, and meek;
And if ever one of them chanced to say
What troubles she met with on the way,
How she longed to pass to the other side,
Nor feared to cross over the swelling
tide,
A voice arose from the brethren then,.
“Let no one speak but the ‘holy men,’
For have ye not heard the words of Paul?
‘Oh let the women keep silence all.’”
I watched them long in my curious dream,
Till they stood by the border of the stream;
Then, just as I thought, the two ways
met,
But all the brethren were talking yet,
And would talk on, till the heaving tide
Carried them over side by side;
Side by side, for the way was one,
The toilsome journey of life was done,
...
Came out alike on the other side;
No forms or crosses or books had they,
No gowns of silk or suits of gray,
No creeds to guide them, or MSS.,
For all had put on “Christ’s righteousness.”
Elizabeth H. Jocelyn Cleaveland
As we consider how God gives to us “Beauty for Ashes,” we should think carefully about sanctification as a whole in God’s Plan. What does this mean? Our small booklets have dealt so far with sanctification by Grace as God’s Way of recreating us in newness of Life for our walk on earth. Making us holy in Him; changing us moment by moment into the image of Christ. This is “progressive” sanctification. Separation from all that is not of God must be a part of progressive sanctification. “Positional” sanctification is also ALL of Christ Jesus, but our only cooperation with God in the matter was to repent and receive Christ as Saviour initially. We were then “positionally’ sanctified by Christ alone, through faith. “Ultimate” sanctification is the resurrection body when the whole sanctification process is completed.
The three forms of sanctification then
are:
Positional, when we were saved and united
in Christ’s Life.
Progressive, the Christian walk in life,
as Christ lives through us.
Ultimate, the resurrection body and spirit
united in Christ our Life forever.
Firstly, what does sanctification actually
mean, embracing all these three forms?
The Greek word haziazo , to sanctify,
is to be set aside for holy purposes only. Such as the gold adorning the
Temple, or the gift laid upon the altar, Matthew 23:17, 19. The setting
aside of the believer for God:“ And now, brethren, I commend you to God,
and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give
you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified.” (Acts 20:32).
The Holy Spirit is the Agent in sanctification.
This sanctification is wholly to do with the choice or election of God
Almighty. It is a Divine act which comes before our actual acceptance of
the Gospel message!
“...but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified,
but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of
our God. “(I Cor. 6:11).
Progressive sanctification is never our
ground of salvation! That is, our Christian walk is not our security in
Christ Jesus. Those who present a Gospel which insists that we can lose
salvation because of carnality or disobedience to God simply do not understand
Positional Sanctification sufficiently. Here I will draw upon the fine
studies of Perth Christian Bible Ministries, The Bible Topic Book, Vol.
One. Positional Sanctification should make the heart of the reader
thrill with the realisation of the magnitude of the Love of God towards
we lost and guilty sinners.
Positional Sanctification means that we
are identified with CHRIST’S death for us, it is retroactive (Romans 6).
We are also identified with CHRIST’S new
life, thus Positional Sanctification is current (Colossians 3:1).
Positional Sanctification qualifies the
believer to live with God forever, because they now share three things
which alone can allow them to live with God eternally:
1. The believer shares God’s life - eternal
life.
2. The believer shares God’s own righteousness
-
absolute righteousness.
3. The believer shares God’s sinlessness
- total holiness.
Positional Sanctification protects Perfectly
the born-again one from Divine judgment:“There is no condemnation to them
which are in Christ Jesus...” (Romans 8:1).
Positional Sanctification guarantees eternal
security for every believer who has accepted Christ as their Saviour:“For
I am persuaded, that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor principalities,
nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come. Nor height, nor depth,
nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God,
which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38,39).
Positional Sanctification explains both
predestination and election:
“Blessed [be] the God and Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in
heavenly [places] in Christ: According as he hath chosen us in him
before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without
blame before him in love.
Having predestined us unto the adoption
of children by Christ Jesus to himself, according to the good pleasure
of his will. To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made
us acceptable in the beloved.” (Ephesians 1:3-6).
1. Eternal Life (I John 5:11,12).
2. Righteousness (Romans 4:6).
3. Election (Ephesians 1:4).
4. Destiny (Ephesians 1:5).
5. Sonship (II Timothy 2:1).
6. Heirship (Romans 8:16,17).
7. Sanctification (I Corinthians
1:2).
8. Kingdom (II Peter 1:11)...................Royal
Priesthood.
9. Priesthood (Hebrews 10:10-14)......Royal
Priesthood.
(a) It is never anything to do with emotion
or human experience.
We are not sanctified in God’s sight because
of what happens inside ourselves. Some will say that a person is saved
when they receive the Holy Spirit within, or speak in tongues or have some
experience of some sort. But it is not so! We are sanctified positionally
because of CHRIST, Who HE is, what HE did on the Cross et al.
(b) Positionally Sanctification is not progressive. It cannot indeed be improved upon in any way. Not in all eternity will it be improved upon, for “it is finished” the Great Transaction has been completed.
(c) It is not related in any way to human
merit or good works.
No one can add to Christ’s positional
sanctification in Himself of the believer.
(d) If it can never be added to, it also cannot be removed or altered by God, angels or men. Nothing can change the position of that which has been sanctified wholly by the Lord God Almighty.
(e) The only way any one can know of this glorious provision of the true Gospel of Grace, which presents positional sanctification, is by the miracle of the Word of God. Nowhere else can the message of the provision be found.
(f) Positional Sanctification is obtained
IN TOTAL at the moment of time when we are saved, when we pass from death
into Life in Christ.
Positional sanctification applies to both
the carnal and spiritual Christians! Because it has to do only with the
merits of Christ Jesus Himself, and cannot be changed, then our carnality
or spiritual obedience have nothing whatsoever to do with positional sanctification
at all. This is why we cannot lose our salvation in God’s Son. Two key
passages will help our understanding here. I Cor. 1:2 and I Cor. 1:29-31:
“Unto the church of God which is at Corinth,
to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called [to be] saints, with
all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both
theirs and ours:” (1:2).
“That no flesh should glory in his presence.
But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and
righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: That, according as it
is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. “ (I Cor. 1:29-31).
Election or predestination does not mean
that God callously decides on some people to redeem, and others to leave
unsaved. There is an unlimited atonement in Christ Jesus, so there is potentially
an unlimited election for all the human race. They all have free will,
and can take up God’s election at any time:
“The Lord is not slack concerning his
promise, as some men count slackness; but is long suffering to us-ward,
not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”
(II Peter 3:9).
Every believer in Christ shares in what
is Christ Jesus’ own election through Positional Sanctification:
“According as he hath chosen us in him
before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without
blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption
of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure
of his will, “ (Eph. 1:4,5).
God chose or elected Christ His Son in
eternity past, He elected Him to be the Saviour.
We see this in Isaiah 42:1 and I Peter
2:4-6:
“ Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine
elect, [in whom] my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he
shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. “ (Isaiah 42;1).
“To whom coming, [as unto] a living stone,
disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, [and] precious, Ye also,
as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to
offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.
Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion
a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall
not be confounded.” (I Pet. 2:4-6).
The election of Christ Jesus happened under
the Divine Eternal Plans of the Almighty Creator. This election we share
with Christ under the Divine Plans:
John 15:15; Ephesians 1: 4; II Timothy
2:13; I Peter 1:2.
“ Elect according to the foreknowledge
of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience
and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace,
be multiplied.“(I Pet. 1:2).
Election is a present and future possession
of every believer. It is the foundation of the universal church:
John 15:16; Colossians 3:12; I Thessalonians
1:4:
“Knowing, brethren beloved, your election
of God.” (I Thess. 1:4).
I heard this little story at a funeral
recently. It has a play on words about a “sting” which is vivid in its
application:
Once a boy and his father were driving
along the road in the family car, when a bee flew in the window. The boy
got very upset when he saw the bee buzzing around his head, and he began
throwing his arms around madly, almost causing an accident. Maybe you think
he was a coward, but that boy was a special case. You see he was allergic
to bee stings! The doctors had told him that if he ever got stung by a
bee again he would die of the sting! So naturally enough the boy was very
frightened of the bee. The father tried to brush it out of the car window,
but couldn’t make it go out. So he quickly grabbed the bee! But it
escaped, and buzzed around the boy’s head again making him scream with
terror this time.
Well, the bee was still in the car,
but the father pulled over to the edge of the road and said to the boy,
“it is OK, you are all right.” Then he opened his hand, and there sticking
into his palm the boy could see the bee sting! His father had allowed
the bee to sting himself! He had taken the sting out of the danger.
There was no danger about the bee any more.
The pastor told that story to show
us all that Jesus Christ has taken the “sting” out of death itself. He
let death “sting” Him instead of ourselves, so we could live forever and
never die. How wonderful. The Bible tells us about that “sting” being taken
out of death by Jesus Christ:
“ Death is swallowed up in victory.
O death, where [is] thy sting? O grave, where [is] thy victory? The
sting of death [is] sin; and the strength of sin [is] the law. But
thanks [be] to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus
Christ.” (I Corinthians 15:55-57).
The sting of death is sin - and the strength of sin is the law. Sin makes us unable to face a Holy God after we die. We cannot keep God’s Law. But Jesus Christ has fixed that for us, He has given believers the “victory” or made us winners over death. Praise God, we will never really die when we trust in Jesus as our Saviour and Lord.
There is a tombstone which marks the grave of four young children in St. Andrew’s churchyard in Scotland. It has a well-known epitaph, one that has inspired people with faith for many years:
“Bold infidelity, turn pale and die.
Beneath this stone four sleeping infants
lie:
Say, are they lost or saved?
If death’s by sin, they sinned, for they
are here.
If heaven’s by works, in heaven they can’t
appear,
Reason, ah, how depraved!
Turn to the Bible’s sacred page, the knot’s
untied:
They died, for Adam sinned; they live,
for Jesus died.”
Believers in Christ Jesus will be forever secure in Him, but they will still have to face the Judgment Seat of Christ. The Rapture is the “lift-off” which will take us to be judged by Christ Jesus, while the Tribulation is taking place on earth. At the same time that we are being judged, the world will be judged in the period of the Wrath of God against the evil, rebellious peoples of this planet. The Rapture is both a blessed hope, and a journey to the “fruit inspection” by the Master of the Vine, and the True Vine (John 15: 1-17). I for one do not want to face that Bema Seat, the Judgment Seat of Christ, as a branch that did not bear fruit for God. There are three kinds of Judgment for the Church Age believers: we would do well to get these judgments clearly defined in our minds.
1. Judgment of Sin. This was
borne by Jesus Christ Himself, on the Cross. There is now no judgment for
Sin for those who are saved, in Christ Jesus. The penalty for sin is death,
but Christ was our Sacrifice who was the Substitute, He died a Substitute’s
death.
See the wonderful details in II Corinthians
5:19-21 and Galatians 3:13.
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that
heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life,
and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.
Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the
dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.”
(John 5:24,25).
2. Judgment of ourselves. Here is a most
important judgment which we must attend to every day. If we do not do so,
we will have to come under the discipline of our Father God, as His children
- right here and now! God has told us that if we judge ourselves we will
not be judged by Him as His children. Read carefully God’s revealed
Word on the subject:
I Corinthians 5:1-5; 11;31, 32; II Corinthians
2:5-7; I John 1:9.
“Ye have not yet resisted unto blood,
striving against sin. And ye have forgotten the exhortation which
speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening
of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord
loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. “ (Hebrews
12:4-6).
3. Judgment Seat of Christ. This is the
“fruit inspection” of the Lord Jesus Christ, Who will evaluate the product
of the life lived on earth by each believer. This is not for the judgment
of Sin, this has all been accomplished by Jesus Christ Himself on the Cross
of Calvary. Now this judgment has everything to do with Progressive Sanctification
by God Himself, the gift of righteousness in Jesus Christ (I Corinthians
1:30). There are two divisions here, as shown in I Corinthians 3:11-15.
Two ways of living which the believer could have adopted:
a) Living by the Life of Christ alone,
which has produced good fruit,
Divine Righteousness.
This is “Gold, Silver, Precious
Stones.
b) Or living by self-produced “goodness”,
no fruit on the branch.
This is “Wood, Hay and Stubble.”
Christ’s Life lived out through us has
rewards which will be eternal:
“Every man’s work shall be made manifest:
for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and
the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. If any man’s
work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.
If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself
shall be saved; yet so as by fire. Know ye not that ye are the temple of
God, and [that] the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? “ (I Cor. 3:14-16).
Human goodness will be burnt away, like
wood, hay and stubble are burnt up in a fire. Human goodness is classed
as “filthy rags” in God’s sight. Work for Christ done in the power of the
Sinful Nature will NOT be accepted by the Lord of Heaven:
“But we are all as an unclean [thing],
and all our righteousnesses [are] as filthy rags... “ (Isaiah 64:6a).
Why should this be?
Surely if Christians work hard in fellowships
or churches, study their Bibles and try hard to be what God wants them
to be, then they will receive their rewards?
The trouble is that human goodness is
essentially selfish, self-seeking and self-centred. We, in ourselves, cannot
do anything else but seek SELF honour and gratification. God, who looks
on the heart, knows all. There is no Divine goodness in a believer who
acts in legalism, under a mistaken idea that God is pleased with him/her.
Putting on the outside a nice coat of paint will not make the inside of
the vessel clean and pure. A nicely painted jar on the outside will not
pour out creamy fresh milk, if it is filled with dirty black water. Everywhere
we see legalism and self-righteousness we see SELF! All is tainted by SELF,
no matter what the outside might be tizzied up to look like.
Works which are of human goodness have
these characteristics:
The Christian seeks praise, honour from
man, position for self, to be granted the best seats in the church. Human
goodness is, in reality, in the business of doing everything from the motive
of getting something for ME! Human “goodness” is never satisfied with taking
the place of a servant. It is never content to be unnoticed by men.
It is not really aiming to please God, it is aiming to please men for self’s
sake. There is no such thing as mixed motives, we cannot have a motive
to please God and man at the same time. God looks on the heart, if you
are getting what you want and aimed for all along, i.e. honour for self,
then you have your reward and will get no more rewards from God. Your human
“goodness” works will be burned up! Yet, you will be saved if you have
been born-again.
Human “goodness” will never do something
just for God and for love of others. It is not in our human natures to
act that unselfishly.
We might
*teach Sunday School
( we like to do that, it shows the Pastor
what talents “I” have);
*preach ( we like to do that, “I” am such
a good speaker);
*run a youth group ( we like to do that,
“I” am gifted, talented with young people. “I” fit in because “I” am so
“with it”).
Our motives, our human “goodness,’” are obvious to a Holy God. All this sounds judgmental, but God is looking at our hearts, not at our works which are blatantly done for self.
Human “goodness” always likes a nice monetary
reward somewhere along the line.
“I” will be a pastor, if I get a
decent house and a proper wage.
“I” will be a women’s leader, if
“I” get trips abroad, am honoured,
get five-star
accommodation when
“I” come to your area with my renowned
women’s ministry group.
“I” preach a prosperity doctrine,
and deserve good
results in “my” ministry for “me.”
And so it goes.
Many will get no reward from the Lord
at the Bema Seat, they already have
their rewards!
“ And when thou prayest, thou shalt not
be as the hypocrites [are]: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues
and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily
I say unto you, They have their reward.” (Matthew 6:5).
The only way to please God is to be filled
with the Holy Spirit of the Lord! Allowing God to make us into the image
of Christ in His own way and through His own purposes.
Confessing our sins daily, and being cleansed
in the Blood (I Jo. 1:9).
Walking in the light, as He is the light.
This means trust, ...
yielding to discipline,
suffering patiently,
seeing all things working together for
good in God’s purpose for you and me.
Allowing the Holy Spirit to show me myself
as I really am, often a mess:
“For I reckon that the sufferings of this
present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be
revealed in us.....
And we know that all things work together
for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to
his purpose.” (Rom. 8:18,28).
If a bride was only interested in herself, how she looks, what her dress is like, what presents she is going to get, she would not please her husband to be! He longs to see her face shining for him alone. So too the Lord Jesus Christ is preparing the Church as His Bride, for Himself alone. Not for herself, not for the rewards, but for LOVE in Himself. The bride in a natural sense would not please the husband to be if she was committing fornication. So too we cannot be prepared by the Lord as His Bride if we spiritually fornicate, compromising ourselves with every religious movement and heresy that comes our way in these terrible Latter days. Even true believers, redeemed people, are succumbing to the world with its heresies and doctrines of devils in our day! Let us not be one of these spiritual fornicators. Let us be separated unto our Bridegroom, content to please only Him.
Perhaps sooner than we know we will be
at the Wedding Supper of the Lamb. (Revelation 19:7-9).
There will be others there, who will be
at that Supper?
1. The Bride Groom, our Lord Jesus Himself.
2. The Friends of the Groom -
these will be the Old
Testament saints (John 3:29).
3. The Bride - all those who are the redeemed
in the Church Age.
4. The Friends of the Bride - these will
be the Tribulation believers, those who have known the Bride or the Church,
but have not become believers until after the Rapture. (Matthew 25:1-13).
“Husbands, love your wives,
even as Christ also loved the church,
and gave himself for it;
That
he might sanctify and cleanse it
with the washing of water by the word.
That he might present it to himself a glorious
church,
not having spot or wrinkle,
or any such thing;
but that it should be holy and without
blemish....
We are members of his body,
of his flesh, and of his bones.
This is a great mystery:
but I speak concerning Christ and the
church.”
(Ephesians 5:25-27 & 30, 32).
“Awake thou that sleepeth,
and arise from the dead,
and Christ shall give thee light.
See then that ye walk circumspectly,
not as fools, but as wise,
Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
Wherefore be ye not unwise,
but understanding what the will of the
Lord is.”
Ephesians 5:14-17).
despatch@mail.cth.com.au
