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Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. (II Corinthians 5:20) |
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God loves people! He assuredly takes no pleasure in the wars, plagues, and natural catastrophes that cause such agony. |
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Why, then, if God has the power to prevent wars and sickness, does He permit little children to die of leukemia? |
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Sometimes people will not receive Christ because they "cannot believe in a God who would let children suffer." Their attitude is understandable but they are not in possession of the facts. |
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God created man in paradise on the earth. But man chose to disobey God. God's Nature being what it is, even a single infraction of His will must be dealt with in totality. The original sin has been dealt with in totality—six thousand years of the insane howls of the disenfranchised dust of the ground. |
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We are not to blame God for being perfectly righteous. The unchanging moral perfection of God is our only hope of an ultimately peaceful, joyous society. |
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The worst result of the sin of Adam and Eve was the loss of fellowship with God. It is this that God wishes to restore. It is to this end that He gave His Son to die on the cross for our sins. Mankind needs to be reconciled to God! |
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We must remain careful that the goal of reconciliation is kept in mind. Perhaps because of the influence of humanism (man-centeredness) it has become popular to speak of the need for Christians to go and relieve the sufferings of the world. |
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It is part of the package that Christians do what they can to feed the hungry and clothe the naked. A glance at history will disclose Christians at the source of many if not most of the great humanitarian efforts, from the care of lepers to the abolition of slavery. |
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Antichrist himself will encourage Christians to go forth and relieve the suffering of the world (not that he will care a fig about human suffering but in order to exalt himself.). |
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If we would avoid missing the mark, we must hold constantly before us that the goal is to reconcile people to God. Our job is not primarily to remove the mildew or the cancer. There is a place for this. Our task is to work with God so that the mildew or the cancer will turn people from sin to righteousness. |
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Sometimes people are better off spiritually if they are not delivered immediately. If we relieve the pain of people, we have done a limited, temporary good. If we turn people to God, encouraging them to keep His commandments, we have done a massive, eternal good. |
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People come to pastors wanting to be extricated from their problems. Often (not always) their problems are the direct result of not obeying the Lord faithfully. In this case the best we can do is get them back on track with God. |
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We have been charged to go into all the world and lift up Jesus Christ! We are to make men and women, boys and girls, His disciples—not just believers, but disciples! We are to charge them to keep the commandments issued by the Lord and His Apostles. In the process we are to cast out devils, heal the sick, and raise the dead. But these are not humanitarian efforts as such, they are signs pointing toward the highway of holiness. |
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As we work with the Lord, let us make sure we do not take the side of mankind against God. This is easy to do when we see human misery. Look past the skeleton child, the anguished mother, to the cross of Calvary. Present God's amazing love. Reconcile the mother and child to God if you can. |
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The child will go to the garden of God. The mother will see her child again in the Day of the Lord. |
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But one in a certain place testified, saying, What is man, that thou art mindful of him? or the son of man, that thou visitest him? (Hebrews 2:6) |
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It is necessary, if we are to attain the mark God has set before us, that we assign our adamic nature to the cross of Calvary, take up our personal cross, and follow the Lord Jesus into newness of life. |
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We know of Paul's testimony that he has been crucified with Christ and now Christ lives in him. |
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We understand this principle and we accept it. We have come to realize that the most troublesome creature in the universe is a believer who will not surrender his self-will, his or her first personality, to the cross. |
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Hideous occurrences proceed from the self-willed religious person. Think of Korah! Absalom! the chief priests and elders who crucified their own Messiah! |
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As we pondered the emphasis of God on our giving over to death our first personality we began to wonder why God did not make us the way He wanted us to be in the first place. Why this interim step in the creation of man in God's image? |
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These musings brought us to the very significant question, "What is man?" |
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To the doctor man is a patient. To the composer man is a listener. To the politician man is a voter. To the businessman man is a consumer. To the evangelist man is a lost person who must "make a decision for Christ." |
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We know from the Scriptures that man is destined to govern all the works of God's hands and judge all God's creatures. But this is what man does, not what man is. |
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We know there are a firstfruits of mankind who will serve as members of the Body of Christ, as part of the Wife of the Lamb, as the sons of God, as the brothers of Christ. All of these roles and responsibilities are of awesome importance. |
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But there is something beyond all of this, a common denominator concerning what man is. Because of man's supreme role, as well as his other responsibilities and relationships, God is making man in two stages: first, as an adamic creature—an intelligent animal; second, as a life-giving spirit. The life-giving spirit must be abiding in untroubled rest in the Father through Christ and also in the moral image of Christ. |
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Man is the chariot of God.The supreme role of man is to be the eternal dwelling place of God, the chariot of God. |
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To be the chariot of God, man must be in the image of Christ, having the face of a man, of an ox, of a lion, and of an eagle. |
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The face of a man is the ability to make moral judgments, to walk in righteousness, holiness, and obedience to God, and especially to be in union with God. |
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The face of an ox is the capacity and willingness of man to bear burdens in a sacrificial manner just as man's heavenly Father does. |
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The face of a lion is the majesty and fierceness that each son of God must have if he is to conquer the forces that would resist God's will. |
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The face of an eagle is that which soars with God in the heavenlies, living in prayer, always remaining above the striving of God's creatures. |
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God is all these things and so His chariot must have the same characteristics. |
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In order to build the character God desires in His chariots we had to start out imprisoned in a sinful, animal nature. It is as we overcome our handicaps through Christ that a proven new humanity is formed, a life-giving spirit in the moral image of Christ and totally obedient to the Father. |
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Have patience with God. He is making you in His image so you may be His chariot. Your few tribulations are not to be compared with such incomprehensible glory! (from The Chariots of God) |
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Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy. (Revelation 3:4) |
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The Christian church in Sardis had a name that it was alive but it was dead. From the standpoint of Christian people the church was alive. The services were exciting. The music was uplifting. The doctrine was scriptural. |
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It was the "fastest growing church in Asia." |
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From the standpoint of the Lord Jesus the church in Sardis was dead. |
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What was wrong? |
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The growth, excitement, inspiration, and doctrine were all being conducted in the flesh. People were brought in by attractive programs. The services were exciting because something new and interesting was always being presented. The orchestra and choir were of professional quality and chose music that was current and upbeat. |
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What was missing? |
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Prayer, holiness, stern obedience to the Father, the awe of God. |
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When the awe of God is missing from a service, no amount of activity will be considered "life" by the Lord Jesus. The awe of God will be present only when some of the congregation are praying consistently, living a holy life, and obeying the Father diligently. |
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Most of the congregation had defiled garments. They were not walking in open repentance before the Lord. They were not confessing their sins and turning away from them. They were confusing the life of the soul with the life of the Spirit of God. |
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When the Lord Jesus returns they will not walk in white with Him. They are not members of the royal priesthood. They have not been found worthy of the Lord! |
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There was a small remnant of believers in the church in Sardis who were true servants of God. They loved the Lord and were still doing their first works of prayer, praise, and service. They had kept their robes clean. When the Lord returns they will be handed another vastly superior robe, the robe given each member of the royal priesthood. |
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The Lord knows they will take care of their new robe because they have been faithful with the old. They are worthy to walk with the Lord. |
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How can we be found worthy to walk in white with the Lord as a member of the royal priesthood? |
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By praying without ceasing, by living a holy, righteous life, by obeying the Father sternly in every matter, by serving God, by thinking, speaking, and acting like a Christian. |
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"But you are saying we are saved by works." |
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Brother James would answer, "Show me your faith without your works and I will show you my faith by my works. I have a living faith. What happened to yours?" |
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It appears that some Christians are trying to see how close they can walk to the Lake of Fire without falling in. Is this wise? |
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Several verses of the New Testament indicate we must be proven worthy to be always with the Lord Jesus. |
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I would like to be a member of the royal priesthood. How about you? We both can if we will start serving the Lord with a whole heart instead of fooling around and wasting time! |
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Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in Heaven. (Matthew 5:16) |
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Our good works are the behavior described by the Lord Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount. They have to do with our pure love for God, particularly as our love is revealed in showing compassion and justice toward other people. |
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The miraculous change in the sinner who becomes a disciple of Jesus, his godly, sincere, upright, and holy behavior, is the Light, the expression of the Life of Christ. It is Christ in him revealing the Person, will, and way of God to the peoples of the earth. |
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Of all the means by which the saints light the world, the most important may be their godly character and behavior. Righteous and holy behavior that proceeds from the Divine Nature of Christ being created in us and working out through us is the law, the testimony of God, to the nations of the earth. |
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A godly, upright life, having been created so by the Virtue of God, is the clearest revelation of all to men and angels of the truth concerning God Almighty. If our goal is to lead people to God and keep them moving forward with God, there is no substitute for the example of a human being who is portraying in himself the pure and holy character that has been created by eternal Life working in him. |
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The effect of the other means of bearing witness to the Light is greatly weakened and sometimes destroyed altogether when unclean behavior is practiced by the believers in Christ. This is why a minister of the Gospel, although he may be gifted with an extraordinary ability to present the Word of God, will eventually prove to be a liability rather than an asset to the Kingdom of God if he is walking in self-centeredness and sin. People eventually see through a sinning ministry and they become cynical, as has happened today. |
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Although the Holy Spirit may use an ungodly minister to present the Word of the Gospel to multitudes of sinners, he will not be received of Christ in the Day of the Lord. |
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In order for the sinning Christian to continue with his testimony, for his "lampstand to be restored to its place," he must repent sincerely and renew his untarnished consecration to God's holy will. |
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The saint bears witness of Christ by teaching and living the standards of behavior presented in the Scriptures. To live according to the principles of the Scriptures is to conduct oneself in a godly manner, for this is what both the Old Testament and the New Testament command. |
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As we keep the words of Christ, practicing them as He gives us the ability, a transformation takes place in us. Christ is formed in us and dwells in us. Now we begin to act like Christ because we are becoming an inseparable part of Him. |
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First we keep the Word. Our godly behavior reminds mankind that there is a God in Heaven and that He is holy. |
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Then the Word begins to keep us. God becomes our salvation. We act righteously by nature—the Nature of Christ Jesus in us. |
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The nations are waiting to see the Nature of Christ in you and me. Let us not disappoint them. (from Behold My Servant!) |
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He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God? (Micah 6:8) |
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A recent series on the NBC Nightly News was titled The Fixing of America. Perhaps most Americans would agree that America needs to be fixed, that change must take place if we are to prosper as a nation. |
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Several of the people interviewed gave their opinion of what needs to be changed and how it should be changed. We Christians have more than just our opinion of what needs to be changed and how it should be changed. We have God's opinion! |
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God has told us clearly what He expects of people. God has shown us what is good. He wants us to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with God. |
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The American people want the leaders of their government to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with God. But we know it is the Christian churches that are the moral light of the world. Until the government leaders see justice, mercy, and humility being practiced by the Christians they will suppose everyone is wicked and conclude, "why not make the best of it!" |
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Most of us have seen the symbol of Judaism, the seven-branched lampstand. The lampstand represents Christ, the Light of the world, and all who are part of Christ. The lampstand was prepared during the day and then lighted the Tabernacle at night. |
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One of the main responsibilities of the priest of Israel was to trim the wicks and to pour in the oil. The Lord Jesus, our great High Priest, is moving among the lampstands today. He is trimming the wicks and pouring in the oil. |
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The lampstand was solid gold, representing the Deity of Christ. The pure olive oil symbolizes the Holy Spirit. Not too much is said about the wicks. Whom do you think the wicks represent? |
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The Lord Jesus is coming to you today. Maybe you already have experienced the wonderful sensation of having your charred edges cut away and then being pulled up or pushed down so you would give a clear light without a lot of smoke. |
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If this is happening to you be sure the Lord is getting ready to pour in the oil. |
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God is giving the gifts of the Spirit in order to increase the light of good works in the Christians. When the people of the world see justice, mercy, and humility coming forth in the believers, and the marvelous hope the believers have, they are going to ask a reason for that hope. |
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We are entering a period of immorality, and it may get worse if God doesn't move. Many people, both unsaved and saved, deplore the immorality, greed, and violence. The change to moral purity, generosity, and love must begin in the churches. All of God's power in Christ stands ready to help each of us as he or she seeks the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. |
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We are not to fret about the moral darkness of our day. The darkness will serve only to make the Light of Christ shine ever brighter. All things are still working together for good. |
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Let us accept any needed change in our personality. Let us be as the wick so the only true Light may shine brightly. Then all the peoples of the nations will run to that light and be saved. |
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My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: (I John 2:1) |
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The true Christian life is one of victory over sin. As we walk in the Spirit of God, we gain the wisdom and strength to put to death the deeds of our body. |
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But gaining victory over the world, our flesh, and our self-will is no easy task. We have enemies in the natural as well as in the spiritual who insist day and night that we must not live in righteousness, holiness, and obedience before the Lord. |
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It seems that in our day the pressure to sin is greater than ever before. |
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There is no sacrifice in the Old Testament or the New for willful sin, that is, premeditated, arrogant, presumptuous sin. |
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One day a young lady said to me, "Tonight I am going out on a date, and I am going to sit in the back seat of a car with a boy and do things I shouldn't. But tomorrow I am going to ask the Lord Jesus to forgive me." |
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I was not in a position at that time to rebuke her. But we all need to understand there is no sacrifice for premeditated sin, only for sin that we commit when we are deceived, when it sneaks up on us and we are deceived—as in the case of King David. |
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If David had sinned willfully, arrogantly, presumptuously, then when Nathan came to him David would have put him to death. |
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Let's say you have been living for the Lord and then were deceived into fornication, stealing, violence, covetousness, or some other sin. You believed you were accepted of the Lord. Then you became aware that you may be in deception in this matter. |
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Ask the Lord to show you clearly if you are in deception. |
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Confess your actions with your mouth. It often helps to have another mature Christian with you of the same gender as yourself, hearing your confession and praying with you. Your husband or wife is acceptable and often a big help. Name the sin clearly before the Lord. Do not do this in front of the whole church except in rare instances, and then only under the advice and supervision of the elders. |
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Resolve that you will never practice this behavior again. Flee from the flames of Hell. Cease kissing the demons on the mouth. |
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Now God will, according to His unchanging Word, forgive your sins and cleanse you from all unrighteousness in this area of behavior. |
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Draw near to God for restored fellowship. Do not let Satan beat you with accusations. God will forgive you. |
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Make restitution only as the Lord leads. Take other physical actions if necessary such as moving, changing jobs, or whatever else is needed to avoid temptation. |
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In the future resist Satan, calling on the Lord for strength. Satan will flee from you in disarray. |
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Why should you spend eternity in the Lake of Fire? Call on the Lord now to baptize you with fire so that the chaff will be burned away. Then you will be fireproof. |
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It is your Father's good pleasure to give you the Kingdom. |
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And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. (Matthew 17:20) |
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Life beats the sense of wonder out of us. Jesus often marveled at our unbelief. We would consider commanding a mountain to be an unbelievably great act of faith. Evidently nature is supposed to obey us. Somewhere along the line our normal inheritance of simple, joyous optimism has been crushed. |
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One time a United States congressman said that when he entered politics he had in mind to save the world. Before he left office he was attempting to save the sand dunes in his home state as a national park. Life had compressed his vision. |
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The Lord does not want unbelief, torpor, or dread in His palace. He commanded us to not be troubled in spirit. We are to refuse to allow fear to enter our personality. But just try to keep this commandment! |
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Part of our problem is a deadening spirit of inevitability. |
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The spirit of inevitability binds us along two lines: a belief that somehow everything will come out in the wash; also a feeling we are destined to be what we are and it will never change. |
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Let's think about the first problem—everything will come out in the wash. |
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The Lord Jesus advised us that if we would be His disciple, that is, a Christian, we must lay down our life, take up our cross, and follow Him. If you are a Christian, estimate how many of your fellow Christians are actually turning aside from the world, taking up their cross of self-denial, and following the Master intently. |
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Assuredly there are some disciples in most Christian churches. But what about the rest of the flock? |
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But we just can't bring ourselves to believe that only those who are bearing their cross are the only true Christians. |
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Most of us are not historians. Without realizing it we assume that all believers of all time lived as do present-day American churchgoers. |
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We have never seen the bloody footprints in the snow. |
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So we have this sense that even though we are not doing what Jesus said, it will come out all right in the end. |
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From the little we know of the Lord we seriously doubt that such is the case. |
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The other side of the coin is the idea we are doomed to be what we are and it will never change. Listen! The barns of Heaven are filled with tons of blessings, miracles, opportunities of all kinds just waiting for someone to take God at His Word. |
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About three decades ago we asked the Lord for the opportunity to preach the Gospel of the Kingdom everywhere that people breathe the air. We were teaching the fifth grade at the time. |
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At the present time our books and tapes are touching many nations. This morning we learned some Christians from Papua, New Guinea are studying the tapes we put out. We asked for everywhere that people breathe the air and that is just what is going to happen, from Lapland to Tierra del Fuego! |
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A dramatic prayer has gained some dramatic answers. |
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Away with this spirit of inevitability! |
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Why don't you ask largely? All things are possible to him or her who believes! |
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