Salt & Light Blog

Romans 13 The Law and the Christian

5/18/2016

Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. Romans 13:10

Romans 13
There is more than one kind of law. There is the law of nature, God’s Law, Mosaic Law, and governmental law to name a few. The Christian has a unique relationship with each of these laws because of her unique relationship with The LORD God who made them all. For instance a Christian may not agree with the political view of her government but she knows God is Sovereign and so she respects the government and follows the laws put in place by them. She obeys the laws of her country, state, and city because obeying those laws reflects her submission to God and shows her humility to the world and gives them a chance to see God’s love at work. Paul told the Roman Christians who lived under a government who did not always have their best interest in heart to remember who put those in control in power. Verses 1-2 read,
Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.

All authority comes from God. So obeying the laws put in place by the country is obedience to God. When a policeman stops us for speeding, it does us no favor to be belligerent or even defensive. If we had not been breaking the speed limit, would he have stopped us? And if we were not speeding, if we were not breaking any laws then we have no reason for hostility, no reason to be defensive or fearful because we didn’t do anything wrong. Sure the policeman could still give us a citation, even if we think he’s is in the wrong. But will our antagonism stop him? Will our opposition show him the love of Jesus? Verses 3-7 read,
For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, 4 for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer.5 Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath but also for the sake of conscience. 6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing.7 Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.

The deference we show earthly authorities is a picture of our acquiescence to The Lord. It is an opportunity to love people in a way that most of the world cannot practice. The illustration of our relationship with God also extends to punishment and reward. If we are fulfilling governmental laws, we have nothing to fear from governmental authority. If we are fulfilling God’s law or know Jesus has fulfilled it for us) we have nothing to fear from God. When a policeman knocks at the door and we have done nothing illegal, we don’t have to worry. We are free to respect authority because we know that we have not earned the penalties of breaking the law.
I know that our governments are not perfect. There are people who are condemned even though they are innocent. There are people in prison for crimes they did not commit, even some who have been put to death. But we are still free to give authority the respect they are owed, because we trust God above them. We know that somehow even in a fallen and flawed world, God has us and He will use all of it for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).
We are not subject to Mosaic Law because Jesus, the Lamb of God fulfilled the Law by sacrificing Himself on the cross and defeating death and sin in the Resurrection. We are no longer slaves to sin. We are free as slaves to righteousness (Romans 6:18). That may sound confusing but what it means is this: At one time we lived to please ourselves and everything we did was sin because we were living outside God’s will, outside of a relationship with Him. We lived for pleasure, pride, and profligacy. But when we were set free from sin, we offered ourselves to Jesus and became free to love Him, free to love people, and free to express His love in righteousness. We offer our lives to the Lord as living examples of who He is and that means offering ourselves to loving people as Jesus loves them.
Jesus fulfilled Mosaic Law and we are no longer under a list of dos and don’ts. We are now under the Law of Love. Paul describes it in verses 8-10.
Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9 For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

Truly, love fulfills every aspect of the law. If we are expressing God’s love to someone would we commit adultery, murder, steal, or even be envious of them? No, there is not an iota of love in those acts. Love cannot sin. It’s time to stop concentrating on the Law of Moses and start focusing on loving people with the ferocity of God Almighty. Let’s love people, be just as concerned for their welfare, feelings, and future as our own. Let’s be slaves of righteousness who focus on what we can do to love as Jesus loves instead of slaves of sin who focus on how not to sin and what is sin and what is not.
Believer, you have been set free! Stop putting on those shackles of sin and instead live and walk in the freedom you’ve been given. You are free to live and walk in the Spirit of God who has indwelled you. Stop concentrating on laws and sins and put your eyes on Jesus. We are free from the Law, why continue to live under it? We cannot live in between law and Jesus. There is no middle road, no tension between law and antinomianism (that is complete disregard of any sort of authority including God). Both are ways that Satan keeps people enslaved and away from the true grace of Jesus Christ our Salvation. Both are slavery to law, sin, and death. 1 Corinthians 10:21-24 reads,
You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons. 22 Shall we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he?
23 “All things are lawful,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful,” but not all things build up. 24 Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor.

The only sin for the Christian is to know what good she ought to do and then not do it. James 4:17 tells us,
So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.

Instead of keeping our eyes on the list of what we should not do, lets follow Jesus, imitate Him, live out the expression of the Holy Spirit and do what we know is right. What do we know is right? It is to love one another as Jesus loved us. Time is short, people are dying without knowing Jesus. They need us to show them who He is, not tell them what they should not do. Lists of sin do not save, Jesus does. Verses 11-14 read,
Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. 12 The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13 Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.

Wasting our time focusing on sin and sins only leads toward temptation and giving in to sin. Let’s walk in the light of Christ, wearing the full armor of Christ, exuding the fruit of the Spirit. Let us focus on the living the Law of Love rather than following the laws like the Pharisees did.

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Romans 6 Is Freedom from Sin the Same as Freedom to Sin?

5/11/2016

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When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.” Revelation 1:17-18

Romans 6
You do not have to keep sinning. I know so many of us use the excuse that we can’t help it, can’t control ourselves, or are compelled to sin. But the truth is, if we are believers that is just a cop out. We do not have to keep sinning. Self-control is an ability the Holy Spirit gives us, it is a fruit, a result of having Him in us making us over (Galatians 5:22-23). Sin no longer holds the sway over us in any way at all. You were once a sinner, but now you are under God’s overflowing beautiful grace. Jesus gave you a new life. That new life is not about law, sin, and death; it is about grace, righteousness, and life.
To begin Romans chapter 6 in context we need to read the last verses of chapter 5. Romans 5:17-21 reads,
For if, because of one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.
18 Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. 19 For as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous. 20 Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, 21 so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

God, our Holy Righteous Lord forgives sin. There is no sin too big for Him, no sins too many for Him. Sin cannot overcome grace because God’s grace is boundless. So does grace give us free reign to sin? Since we do not follow the law, does that mean we can just do whatever we want and then proclaim God’s grace to the world as an excuse for our debauchery? Chapter 6 verses 1-4 say,
What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? 3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

Jesus didn’t go to the cross as a pretty little picture, He died quite horrifically and painfully in order to put sin to death. When we believed, we died too to our old lives, identities, and nature. Jesus resurrected to end death forever and give us a new life, identity, and nature. When we believed we raised up to a new life. We were re-born. To continue to walk, act, and be the sinful person we used to be just trashes what Jesus did for us on the cross. We are new! We are born again! We are alive! We have the promise of unity with God and the hope of eternal life. We have His Holy Spirit within us working out our sanctification, that is He is making us into Jesus’ image. Verses 5-11 read,
For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. 7 For one who has died has been set free from sin. 8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. 10 For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. 11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

To be saved, to call ourselves believers means we call Jesus our Lord. We give him dominion (rule, authority, and power) over us. He is in charge, the king, master, and owner of our lives and hearts. Jesus put sin to death, He even put death to death! (Revelation 20:14). In Revelation 1:17b-18 Jesus said,
“Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.”
Do you understand that when Jesus laid down His life and rose from the dead, He made it so we do not have to be under sin’s rule any longer? We don’t have to sin! Sin is a choice, not a compulsion. Verses 12-14 read,
Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. 13 Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. 14 For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.

We are not under the law now, sin does not have to rule over us. There are so many people who call themselves Christians and yet still live as citizens of the world. They give in to sin constantly, they are bitter, wrathful, and hateful. They revel in depravity, drunkenness, and decadence and claim freedom in Christ. But their lives don’t reveal freedom, their lives reveal the chains holding them to sin. Their lives do not show deliverance from sin by Jesus Christ, they show bondage to sin. Who would ever choose to follow such a weak god who cannot liberate a person from the mire of wrongs she lives in? Who would follow a god who makes his followers no different than anyone else on the earth? Just because we are not under the law, does not mean we should flaunt it by sinning and acting like the rest of the world. Verses 15-16 say it this way,
What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! 16 Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?
If we keep choosing to sin, we are proclaiming sin as our master. We cannot claim Christ as our Lord and yet obey the basal desires, gratify our every whim, and exalt our selfishness. We are not slaves to sin if we call Jesus Lord and mean it. We are free from the tyranny of self-seeking, self-gratifying, life-killing sin. Freedom in Christ is much more than liberation from the law; it is more profound than escape from wrath and Hell. If Jesus has ahold of your heart, will, desires, and soul, if His Spirit reigns in you, you are free to live in love, conform to His image (be like Him), and be who you are meant to be. You are free to do good, free to glorify (reflect and direct attention to) God, and free to enjoy the world on a level people without Christ cannot imagine. We are free to give our lives completely to God and let Him do with us as He chooses. Verses 17-19 read,
But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, 18 and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. 19 I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification.
If the idea of being sanctified does not flood you with joy, then perhaps you are still enslaved to sin. Being sanctified, conformed to Christ’s image is wonderful, it is being made into who you were made to be. The more you grow, the more you mature in Christ, the more wonder and joy you find in this life He has given you.
What good did sinning ever bring you? What good did it do you to satisfy your urges, fill your stomach, or vent every capricious thought? It did you no good, and it did no one else any good. Those nights of drunken partying may have been fun in the moment but the celebration of Jesus is so much better, eternal, and purposeful. The old party led to death, the new celebration brings life. Verses 20-23 read,
For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. 21 But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. 22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Believer, do not give into the excuses, the lies of sin. You are freed from sin, free to be the righteous child of God you were born to be! You are free to live this amazing life for God. Choose life.

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Deuteronomy 15 The Sabbath, Forgiveness, and Generosity

3/9/2016

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Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. As it is written, “He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.” 2 Corinthians 9:7-9

Deuteronomy 15
The Sabbath is more than the seventh day of the week. It is a profound celebration of the profound concept of deliverance to life. The Lord did not only proclaim a Sabbath day once a week, He proclaimed a Sabbath year every seventh year. In this chapter of Deuteronomy, Moses reiterates the laws of the Sabbath year. Verses 1-3 read,
“At the end of every seven years you shall grant a release. 2 And this is the manner of the release: every creditor shall release what he has lent to his neighbor. He shall not exact it of his neighbor, his brother, because the Lord's release has been proclaimed. 3 Of a foreigner you may exact it, but whatever of yours is with your brother your hand shall release.”
In the Sabbatical Year, whatever debts were owed within and between Israelites were forgiven. Every person who owed a debt was released from that debt. The Lord demonstrated the concept of forgiveness to His people by having them understand what it meant to forgive something as tangible as wages and money. Foreigners were not forgiven of their debts. This too demonstrates salvation, it is by God’s will, His chosen are forgiven. Foreigners did not worship The Lord and were not covered by the blood of sacrifices, their debts were not released.
And The Lord told Israel that they would be prosperous if they would diligently obey the Law. Verses 4-6 say,
“But there will be no poor among you; for the Lord will bless you in the land that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance to possess— 5 if only you will strictly obey the voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do all this commandment that I command you today. 6 For the Lord your God will bless you, as he promised you, and you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow, and you shall rule over many nations, but they shall not rule over you.”
Within the church, there are no poor because we have an inheritance from God and that is eternal life. We have a wealth of treasure in Heaven if we obey the law to love as Jesus loves. Jesus loved by laying His life down for us and forgiving us a debt we could not pay. We are to love one another that way. The church should show the grace of the Lord to the world, freely and joyfully giving to them and demonstrating God’s perfect love to them, freely forgiving people because Jesus forgave us. We should not be be inflicting the wounds that require forgiveness.
Forgiveness whether it is of emotional or physical wounds is hard. Forgiveness of financial debt is equally difficult. It is a sacrifice to forgive. When I loan someone money and time passes without them paying me back, I forgive the debt and I feel it, but I do not let it stress me because I know who my Lord is, He provides. In my act of faith, He blesses me.
Forgiving emotional and physical hurts is also a sacrifice. It is not easy to let those wounds go. I can’t imagine how difficult it must have been for Jesus to be whipped and ridiculed and never answer back. He was completely innocent and He was slapped, stripped, beaten and murdered yet He said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). I know how hard it is to forgive terrible abuses. I know how hard it is to forgive spiteful actions against us, but how can we manifest Jesus to the world if we don’t? We must be as generous as God in every aspect. Jesus told us to, “love one another as I have loved you” (John 15:12). That is real, concrete, and visible love within the church and beyond her. It is not only in forgiving but in giving we show abundant love. Verses 7-11 read,
“If among you, one of your brothers should become poor, in any of your towns within your land that the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart or shut your hand against your poor brother,8 but you shall open your hand to him and lend him sufficient for his need, whatever it may be. 9 Take care lest there be an unworthy thought in your heart and you say, ‘The seventh year, the year of release is near,’ and your eye look grudgingly on your poor brother, and you give him nothing, and he cry to the Lord against you, and you be guilty of sin. 10 You shall give to him freely, and your heart shall not be grudging when you give to him, because for this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in all that you undertake. 11 For there will never cease to be poor in the land. Therefore I command you, ‘You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land.’”
For many of us money is something challenging to let go of. That is why we are commanded to give cheerfully and generously and to forgive the debts owed to us. But money is not the issue for everyone, for some it is pride, mercy, or kindness. We are to be generous in all these areas. We aren’t supposed to be offended by someone’s actions or words. How can they hurt us, we are shielded by The Holy Spirit. We are supposed to forgive others as we ourselves were forgiven (Colossians 3:13). The tangible nature of generosity with money teaches us we can forgive the intangible wounds of the heart and let go our pride which keeps us from fully becoming the image of Christ. This same generosity of money shows the world a clearer picture of Jesus and leads to deliverance. If we give grudgingly to one another, the world sees that and decides that God is hard-hearted and stingy.
Being generous shows the world we have faith. The more generous we are the more God is able to bless us and demonstrate His provision and blessings to us. There will always be poor among us. Hording away money will not change it, even generous giving won’t change it. But generously caring for the poor will show the world who Jesus is. When Mary (the sister of Martha) anointed Jesus with expensive perfume, Judas was outraged that Jesus would allow such a waste. He said, “Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” He didn’t care about the poor, he had no plans to give the money to the poor; he wanted the money for himself. Jesus answered, “Leave her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of my burial. For the poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me” (John 12:1-8). Mary was generous with her precious perfume and she used it to glorify The Lord. Her generosity revealed Jesus as Messiah. Our generosity can do the same. Our love manifested as generosity can lead to people being released from slavery to sin to become slaves of righteousness. Verses 12-18 read,
“If your brother, a Hebrew man or a Hebrew woman, is sold to you, he shall serve you six years, and in the seventh year you shall let him go free from you. 13 And when you let him go free from you, you shall not let him go empty-handed. 14 You shall furnish him liberally out of your flock, out of your threshing floor, and out of your winepress. As the Lord your God has blessed you, you shall give to him. 15 You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God redeemed you; therefore I command you this today. 16 But if he says to you, ‘I will not go out from you,’ because he loves you and your household, since he is well-off with you, 17 then you shall take an awl, and put it through his ear into the door, and he shall be your slave forever. And to your female slave you shall do the same. 18 It shall not seem hard to you when you let him go free from you, for at half the cost of a hired worker he has served you six years. So the Lord your God will bless you in all that you do.”
One Israelite could only be a bondservant to another for six years, after that regardless of the debt, the slave was freed and given generous provision for beginning life as a free person. Forgiveness shows the forgiven God’s immense riches and love. As the Israelites were once slaves in Egypt, we too were once slaves. We were redeemed, forgiven of our debts and so we forgive too. When we are plentiful with our love the person receiving it might love the Lord in return and choose to devote herself to God. In Israel when that happened the person was sealed by the piercing of her ear and bonded forever to her master. She was forever in her master’s household. When someone devotes themselves to The Lord and chooses to serve Him, she is likewise sealed for eternity into the household of God, she becomes a slave of righteousness, compelled to love as Jesus loves. The wonderful thing about becoming a member of The Lord’s household is that we are no longer servants but friends, no longer slaves but free, no longer children of wrath but sons and daughters of the King of kings. John 15:7-17 reads,
“If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. 9 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. 10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. 11 These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.
12 “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command you. 15 No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. 17 These things I command you, so that you will love one another.”
We are not only supposed to be generous toward others, but generous toward The Lord who is so very generous with us. Verses 19-23 read,
“All the firstborn males that are born of your herd and flock you shall dedicate to the Lord your God. You shall do no work with the firstborn of your herd, nor shear the firstborn of your flock. 20 You shall eat it, you and your household, before the Lord your God year by year at the place that the Lord will choose. 21 But if it has any blemish, if it is lame or blind or has any serious blemish whatever, you shall not sacrifice it to the Lord your God. 22 You shall eat it within your towns. The unclean and the clean alike may eat it, as though it were a gazelle or a deer. 23 Only you shall not eat its blood; you shall pour it out on the ground like water.”
We give Him the first and the best. We give others the best as well. Giving what we don’t want is not generosity, it is a miserly and empty act. How does your second-hand dirty or unwanted donation show the abundant riches of God, the awesome love of Jesus, or the immense faith of The Spirit? The next time someone is collecting canned foods for the hungry, don’t pull out the can of lima beans that you’ve had in your pantry for six years, pull out the can of chicken or asparagus you were planning on cooking tonight. Pull out the ravioli you love to eat for lunch, give the best of what you have and see how God will bless you.
Practice the Sabbath, not only in dedicating your days to the Lord, but in demonstrating the forgiveness and generosity of The Lord in delivering you from slavery to freedom.

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Deuteronomy 11 Choose the Blessings of The Promised Land or the Curses of Egypt

3/4/2016

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But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Galatians 5:22-24

Deuteronomy 11
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. (Galatians 5:22-24).
In Christ, we have been taught to exercise self-control. It is a trait of The Lord and it is one we should practice. Love is the pinnacle of who God is. God is Love (1 John 4:8). Joy, peace, patience, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control are how the love of God is expressed. Self-control is how we choose to demonstrate love. The mature Christian should be in control of her thoughts, tongue, and deeds. The less mature Christian should be striving toward that discipline.
We choose to obey the commandment of the Lord or we choose to turn to the left or right and fulfill the desires of the flesh. The Lord had been conforming you, Believer. He has been disciplining you through the trials and the wilderness you have experienced. Verses 1-7 read,
“You shall therefore love the Lord your God and keep his charge, his statutes, his rules, and his commandments always. 2 And consider today (since I am not speaking to your children who have not known or seen it), consider the discipline of the Lord your God, his greatness, his mighty hand and his outstretched arm, 3 his signs and his deeds that he did in Egypt to Pharaoh the king of Egypt and to all his land, 4 and what he did to the army of Egypt, to their horses and to their chariots, how he made the water of the Red Sea flow over them as they pursued after you, and how the Lord has destroyed them to this day, 5 and what he did to you in the wilderness, until you came to this place, 6 and what he did to Dathan and Abiram the sons of Eliab, son of Reuben, how the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, with their households, their tents, and every living thing that followed them, in the midst of all Israel. 7 For your eyes have seen all the great work of the Lord that he did.”
To love the Lord with your entirety you must know Him. To know who God is you must spend time with Him. To be discipled, one must experience discipline. Moses said, to consider the discipline we have experienced, to think about and remember who God is and has been to us. What trials have you experienced? What sins brought those consequences? Who did you become as a result of the discipline you underwent? What did the Lord do in the midst of the wilderness? The Lord made you able! He has changed and grown you. You were once a slave to the prince of the world like Israel were slaves to Pharaoh. Now Believer, you are free, a warrior, a king, and a trusted confidant to the King of kings. Verses 8-12 read,
“You shall therefore keep the whole commandment that I command you today, that you may be strong, and go in and take possession of the land that you are going over to possess, 9 and that you may live long in the land that the Lord swore to your fathers to give to them and to their offspring, a land flowing with milk and honey. 10 For the land that you are entering to take possession of it is not like the land of Egypt, from which you have come, where you sowed your seed and irrigated it, like a garden of vegetables. 11 But the land that you are going over to possess is a land of hills and valleys, which drinks water by the rain from heaven, 12 a land that the Lord your God cares for. The eyes of the Lord your God are always upon it, from the beginning of the year to the end of the year.”
Before you knew Jesus as your Lord and were freed from sin, you had to work hard for your provision. You had to plant the seeds and water them. You had to go to the river with buckets, fill them, carry the heavy burden back to your garden, and repeat the trip until the entire garden was watered. But now in the Promised Land, God takes care of the land and He is your provider. He sends the rains to water your fields. He sends the sun to feed the crops. He takes care of The Promised Land for you. He knows everything that will happen and we only have to trust Him, to love Him completely and know that He is sovereign. He is. We have a choice. We can choose self-control and obey the great commandment or we can let worries and fears creep in and turn our focus from The Lord to ourselves. Verses 13-17 say,
“And if you will indeed obey my commandments that I command you today, to love the Lord your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul, 14 he will give the rain for your land in its season, the early rain and the later rain, that you may gather in your grain and your wine and your oil. 15 And he will give grass in your fields for your livestock, and you shall eat and be full. 16 Take care lest your heart be deceived, and you turn aside and serve other gods and worship them; 17 then the anger of the Lord will be kindled against you, and he will shut up the heavens, so that there will be no rain, and the land will yield no fruit, and you will perish quickly off the good land that the Lord is giving you.”
Obedience to God comes with promises of blessings and disobedience comes with promise of curses. The curses are for our own good; they are meant to bring us back to remembering who God is. Isn’t it better for you to remember your past discipline rather than suffer it again? We have self-control; we can choose to exercise it. There were several instances in the wilderness when Israel whined about how good they had it back in Egypt under the tyranny of Pharaoh and the oppression of slavery. They whined whenever they took their focus of the Lord and worried about how they would eat or drink. They didn’t have a good time in Egypt. They were oppressed, their children murdered, and their backs broken and whipped. They chose to forget their suffering and focus on their needs. God promised if we focus on Him by loving Him with all our hearts, souls, and strength He would bless us with an abundance. But how many of us hold back part of who we are and choose to worry about how we will provide for ourselves, how we will take care of the problems, or how we will do what has to be done? That is not worshipping and trusting the Lord; that is worshipping and trusting ourselves. But have no fear, God will let you live in Egypt if you choose to and go back to watering your garden instead of letting him rain on your fields.
How do we ensure we are keeping the great commandment? How do we keep The Lord our focus? We choose to meditate on His Word, we choose to know the Lord through His word. We study and pursue Him and we choose to keep the great commandment. Verses 18-25 read,
“You shall therefore lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 19 You shall teach them to your children, talking of them when you are sitting in your house, and when you are walking by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.20 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, 21 that your days and the days of your children may be multiplied in the land that the Lord swore to your fathers to give them, as long as the heavens are above the earth. 22 For if you will be careful to do all this commandment that I command you to do, loving the Lord your God, walking in all his ways, and holding fast to him, 23 then the Lord will drive out all these nations before you, and you will dispossess nations greater and mightier than you. 24 Every place on which the sole of your foot treads shall be yours. Your territory shall be from the wilderness to the Lebanon and from the River, the river Euphrates, to the western sea. 25 No one shall be able to stand against you. The Lord your God will lay the fear of you and the dread of you on all the land that you shall tread, as he promised you.”
Put God’s words on your heart, set them before your eyes, bind them to your deeds, teach them, and make them the heart of our speech from waking to sitting, to walking and to sleeping. What is the whole commandment? Moses reaffirms it in verse 22; it is “loving the Lord your God, walking in all his ways, and holding fast to him.” And The Lord reiterates that keeping the whole commandment comes with a promise. He does not promise to barely care for us, He promises that all the enemy’s strongholds will be banished, that everywhere we choose to walk in Him, will be ours. Whatever part of our lives we give to Him, every part of ourselves we want changed from old to new, every fleshly desire we hand to Him will be given back to us new. No part of who we are has to remain a slave to sin. We can be the righteousness of God. Why did Christ die and resurrect? Did He do that so we could become a flickering candle or a shining lampstand? Did He lay down His life and take on all our sin so we could hold onto our sins ourselves? NO! 2 Corinthians 5:17-21 says,
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
You are not a slave to Pharaoh. The Father called you out of Egypt to The Promised Land. Jesus delivered you. His Holy Spirit has made you new. Love the Lord, your God with all your heart, soul, strength and mind. Pursue the Kingdom of God wholeheartedly and let Him shower you with abundant blessings and provision. Matthew 6:25-34 reminds us,
“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”
Believer, you can choose to obey or you can choose to disobey. It is up to you, you have self-control and must choose to exercise it. It is a fallacy to say you cannot control yourself. It is a lie from the accuser who longs to enslave you to say you can’t choose obedience. And it helps to remember who God is, He is The LORD. He chooses to send the rain and the sun. He chooses to bless and He chooses not to bless. Verses 26-32 read,
“See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse: 27 the blessing, if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you today, 28 and the curse, if you do not obey the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside from the way that I am commanding you today, to go after other gods that you have not known. 29 And when the Lord your God brings you into the land that you are entering to take possession of it, you shall set the blessing on Mount Gerizim and the curse on Mount Ebal. 30 Are they not beyond the Jordan, west of the road, toward the going down of the sun, in the land of the Canaanites who live in the Arabah, opposite Gilgal, beside the oak of Moreh? 31 For you are to cross over the Jordan to go in to take possession of the land that the Lord your God is giving you. And when you possess it and live in it, 32 you shall be careful to do all the statutes and the rules that I am setting before you today.”
The promises of God are waiting for you. It is time to choose self-control, obey The Lord and be blessed. Worrying is not loving the Lord, worrying means you have put yourself in God’s throne. If you choose to sit there, He’ll let you. But He has also promised to let you experience the curse of Egypt so that you will choose to take possession of the Promised Land.

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1 Timothy 4 the Gospel is so Simple, People find it Difficult to Believe

11/4/2015

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1 Timothy 4
There is a lot of wacky Christian-like, sorta Christian, and close to Christian teaching out there. People have such a hard time with the simplicity of the Gospel. They think there must be more to it, than “because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9). They add lists of rules and rituals that have to be followed in order to earn God’s favor and salvation. It is our responsibility as Christians, as ambassadors for Christ to guard the Gospel, share the truth, and keep the liars out of the church. Verses 1-3 describe some of the twisted teaching people spread.
“Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, 2 through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared, 3 who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.”
These people can easier believe lies from demons than the truth of Jesus because they cannot give up their guilt and choose punishment and condemnation over freedom in the truth. God doesn’t forbid marriage. It is a gift for us and brings joy. (Deuteronomy 24:5). It is a mirror of our relationship with Him, and teaches us about His love. (Ephesians 5:22-33). God doesn’t tell us not to eat the foods He created for us. This earth and everything on it, belong to God and was created by God, so it is good. (Psalm 24:1). Verses 4-5 read,
“For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, 5 for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer.”
God doesn’t withhold His good gifts from us. (Psalm 84:11). He loves us. This relationship is a relationship of love, friendship, and sonship, not servitude, fear, and condemnation. (John 15:14-15, Galatians 4:7). Those people who follow laws in order to gain salvation, can’t please God. Romans 8:1-8 says,
“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. 3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. 6 For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 7 For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. 8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.”
In fact those who teach these lies lead people away from Salvation, away from God and straight to Hell. God does not take kindly to that. Matthew 18:5-7 reads,
“Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, 6 but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.
7 “Woe to the world for temptations to sin! For it is necessary that temptations come, but woe to the one by whom the temptation comes!”
We must take responsibility, safeguard the Gospel, and teach it. Verses 6-10 say,
“If you put these things before the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, being trained in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine that you have followed. 7 Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; 8 for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.9 The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance. 10 For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.”
Paul puts it this way, taking care of your body, exercising, and strengthening is good. It will allow you to live well on earth. But learning the truth of Jesus Christ, developing spiritually and deepening in knowledge of Christ is better. Spiritual development allows us to live a good life on earth and in eternity. We have to remember, this life is not about this life, it is about eternity. It is about the Kingdom of Heaven. Our bodies just like everything else we can see on this earth, is short-term. But our faith is in Eternal God and the promise of eternal life with Him. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 says,
“So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. 17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, 18 as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.”
It is popular to follow these quasi-Christian beliefs. They seem right to people. It is easier to believe the road is hard, the burden is heavy and salvation must be earned than it is to accept that Jesus is the only way to the Father and Salvation is a gift for the asking. (John 14:6, Ephesians 2:8). Preachers , teachers, all of us can be tempted to look like the world wants us to look and not feel the ridicule of the monikers ascribed to us as Christians. We are called conservative, evangelical, and even extreme if we stick to the truth of the Word of God. We are called fools. Timothy was the pastor of the church at Ephesus, he was young and it is likely that some of the older church goers disrespected him and thought he ought to follow some of the other teachers out there. Like Timothy there are things about each of us which the world disrespects and chooses to criticize us about. We can’t give in. We have to remember who we are in Christ and we have to remember the Spirit of God Himself is within us. We can stand up and proclaim and teach the truth. Verses 11-14 say,
“Command and teach these things. 12 Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. 13 Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching.”
Do you think you do not have the responsibility that the pastor has? Do you think you cannot defend the Gospel? You can! You must! You have the ability. You were given at least one Spiritual gift in order to uphold and edify the church. (1 Corinthians 12:4-11). Verses 14-16 read,
“Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you. 15 Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress. 16 Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.”
We ignore the naysayers. We stop the false teachers. We live bold godly lives using our gifts to edify the church and bring people to Jesus. We are commended to immerse ourselves in these things, to make our lives completely about Christ. Our continued maturity will be evident to everyone, the church, our friends, our family, the naysayers, and the lost. They will see the testimony of our lives and they will respect us enough to listen because they’ll see the fruit of the Spirit in us.
People will come to Christ because of the way you live your life or they will reject Him. People will grow closer to Him because of you or they will decide Christianity is a fallacy and faith does no good. Which testimony is your life giving about Jesus?

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What Does "Jesus is my Lord" Mean?

11/3/2015

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When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. John 19:30

Jesus, the Risen Christ is the Lord of my life. What does that mean? It is not just a title I give Him, it is a way of living. For Jesus to be my Lord means I am free to obey Him, I am free to belong to Him completely. My life is not my own. How can belonging to someone else possibly be freeing? Isn’t that more like indenturement than freedom? No, you see before I let Jesus be my Master, I was a slave to fear, pleasing people, and my natural tendencies toward self-preservation and pride.
John 8:31-38 reads,
“So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” 33 They answered him, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?”
34 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. 35 The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. 37 I know that you are offspring of Abraham; yet you seek to kill me because my word finds no place in you. 38 I speak of what I have seen with my Father, and you do what you have heard from your father.”
The truth is Jesus, my God, bought me with His death and saved me with His resurrection. He rose from the dead and obliterated every sin I have ever or will ever commit. I belong to Him. He paid the price for me and it was not cheap. The price was His life. The price was costly, that makes me precious. And it frees me up to be able to live freely for Him. I can easily give up anything in this earthly life, because my life belongs to Jesus and it is eternal with Him in the Kingdom of Heaven. (Acts 20:24, John 3:16). I can give up honor, possessions, money, and accomplishments with no fear. They are not mine. They are God’s, and whatever I give up, He replaces with better and more. (Luke 6:38, Malachi 3:10-11). Romans 3:21-26 describes what it means that Jesus paid for and bought me,
“But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— 22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. 26 It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”
Propitiation means appeasement, or recompense (payment) of a debt as an act of goodwill from one for another. Because I belong to God, I understand and want to obey Him. His ownership of me in such a loving and gentle manner, His friendship with me, and His generous sacrifice for me causes me to want to please Him. In my pleasing Him, I no longer concern myself with pleasing people. As I please God it becomes natural for me to do good things for people. He loves them so much, He loves us so much that I know it makes Him happy when I do good things for anyone. That takes away my fears. If someone thinks I am strange for wanting to pray with her, it doesn’t hurt me and it could not only help her, it could change her life. I am no longer a slave to fear, I’m free to be this amazing new person God made me when He became my Lord and adopted me as His daughter. Romans 8:12-17 says it this way,
“So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.”
Believer, is Jesus really the Lord of your life? Do you grasp the freedom of obedience to Him? Do you obey Him or do you obey yourself? Do you follow God’s will or your own? Who is your God and Lord, you or Jesus?
If Jesus is not your Lord and you want to know more, contact me and I would love to answer your questions and help you understand more about Jesus. You can also find out what it means to be saved by reading here.

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John 13:1-20 Jesus, The King of Kings, Removed His Outer Garments and Washed the Disciples Feet.

12/16/2014

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John Chapter 13 Verses 1-20

The disciples were gathered for the Passover Seder. Passover is a very special and significant feast. It is a celebration of life as the blood of a sacrificed lamb covered the people of Israel so that they would not suffer the curse of death that overcame Egypt and allowed them to escape slavery to the Promised Land.

Verse 1 reads,

“Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.”

Jesus was hours away from His arrest and death. One of his closest friends was about to betray Him. And Jesus was the only person in the room who knew that the betrayal would lead to a horrific death. But Jesus’ life wasn’t taken from Him. He freely laid it down. He came into the world for that very reason and He chose to give His life. He kept that purpose in mind and was able to face His looming death with joy and love. But instead of wallowing in what was about to take place, He loved people actively. The passage we read today is about an act of love in the midst of angst. Verses 2-5 say,

“During supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him,3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, 4 rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. 5 Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him.”

What Jesus did was groundbreaking. During these early centuries people walked the dirty, muddy, or dusty roads in sandals and their feet got filthy. When they would enter a home, if the home had slaves the lowest slaves would wash the dirt and muck from their feet. If there was no slave in the home, the guest would wash his own feet. Never did a person with a higher social standing wash the feet of someone lower than himself. The task was one the most menial of jobs.

The disciples must have been shocked that their Lord and teacher was doing this job that only the bottommost servants ever did. But Peter was the one to voice his amazement. Verses 6-7 describes the exchange.

“He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, do you wash my feet?” 7 Jesus answered him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand.”

Peter loved Jesus intensely and He respected Him deeply. He couldn’t fathom his Lord doing this task removing the most disgusting of dirt from His feet. His feet had walked the dirty streets. His feet were caked with mud made up of dirt, animal waste, and who knows what. His feet were the dirtiest part of him and Jesus was kneeled at them with a towel around his waist like the meekest and lowliest servant to wash him. Verses 8-9 read,

“Peter said to him, “You shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.” 9 Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!”

I just love Peter’s fervor. If washing his feet meant sharing with Jesus, then he wanted in completely. But Jesus told his friend that he was already clean and only needed his feet washed. After Jesus had washed all their feet, He got redressed and took His place at the table. Verses 12-16 read,

“When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, “Do you understand what I have done to you? 13 You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. 14 If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. 15 For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. 16 Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.”

Jesus never asked someone to do something He wasn’t willing to do Himself. He set an example of fundamental service for one another. We are to love one another as Jesus loved us. He loved us in humility and service. His love was active and apparent. It wasn’t a gushy feeling, it was manifest. Jesus continued in verse 17.

“If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.”

You know you are to follow Jesus example. You know you are supposed to love others just the way Jesus loves you. He promises you are blessed if you do that. Not everyone who looks like a follower of Jesus is. Even among the disciples, one of them was not truly a believer. Judas was about to go betray Jesus. Judas who had been a part of every miracle and experience, Judas who had just had his feet washed in a beautiful act of love was about to commit an act of treachery. Jesus told the disciples it was about to happen as well and they probably didn’t understand that one of them could ever do something so traitorous. But Jesus told them so they would know that He was Christ and so they would understand that He willingly gave up His life. It wasn’t Judas who killed Him. It wasn’t the Romans, Pilate, Herod, the Pharisees, the Sanhedrin, or anyone else that took His life. He gave it. He chose to do that act of love just as He chose to love the disciples by washing their feet.

Verse 20 reads,

“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever receives the one I send receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.”

Jesus had spoken about His unity with the Father many times. In this verse He adds us to the unity. When we love and serve people, we give them the chance to receive the love of Jesus. When they accept us and our acts of love, they are feeling the love of Jesus and so they are experiencing the love of God. You are Jesus representative. You are God’s will put into action. Jesus said in verse 15, “For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you.” So be a follower of Jesus and do what He has done.

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Romans 13 The Law and the Christian

Romans 6 Is Freedom from Sin the Same as Freedom to Sin?

Deuteronomy 15 The Sabbath, Forgiveness, and Generosity

Deuteronomy 11 Choose the Blessings of The Promised Land or the Curses of Egypt

1 Timothy 4 the Gospel is so Simple, People find it Difficult to Believe

What Does "Jesus is my Lord" Mean?

John 13:1-20 Jesus, The King of Kings, Removed His Outer Garments and Washed the Disciples Feet.

Donna Campbell

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