O wretched man that I am... Conclusion!

“But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.” (Galatians 5:18)

Let us pick up where we left off on Thursday, “O wretched man that I am”! It is not that I am now looking to thrash a dead horse, but there is still more to consider, we will, Lord willing, wrap it up this morning. This will be the last post on this subject for a while anyway.

We have concluded that there are two natures at war within every believer’s makeup. We are either lead by the Spirit and therefore not under the law or we wallow in self-pity as we are once again feel trapped in bondage to our old sinful natures. The same old sin keeps ensnaring us, whatever that may be. Nevertheless the Word of God is the final authority and we must so submit to its power. The Spirit of God has freed us from this mind-set; “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.” (Romans 8:13)

Therefore there is a pattern that the believer must learn to appropriate to their lives. But in order to do that we must understand the enemy. Our flesh is our enemy, let me explain. Although it knows both good and evil it can only ever cleave to that which it is drawn too and that is sin. But the Spirit will never sin as it is God's Spirit. Think of the flesh like a magnet; bring it close enough to a magnetic field and the inevitable will happen as it latches onto that object and the two become one. The Law clearly teaches us this truth. Hence the reason for the Lord Jesus Christ, the God-man, having to die on our behalf and pay the price for our sin. The law was and still is a teacher to prove to humankind that in us it is impossible to have a relationship with God because of our sin. Therefore the law is good, as it is the catalyst that helps us understand our need for a Saviour. Without understanding that we deserve God’s judgment because of our sin, we will never have the need for a Saviour: - “So that the law is become our tutor to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.” (Galatians 3:24) 

So, if we have truly been born again, if God has called us and we have His spirit living within us we are now justified by faith. Every single believer is now a saint and no longer a sinner; although we still sin we are not viewed by God as sinners. Why? Because Christ has paid the price for all our sins, past, present and future sins, we are now justified by faith and not our works through the flesh: - “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.” (Romans 8:13) 

“Let not our life be after the wills and motions of the flesh. Two motives he mentions here: - [1.] We are not debtors to the flesh, neither by relation, gratitude, nor any other bond or obligation. We owe no suit nor service to our carnal desires; we are indeed bound to clothe, and feed, and take care of the body, as a servant to the soul in the service of God, but no further. We are not debtors to it; the flesh never did us so much kindness as to oblige us to serve it. It is implied that we are debtors to Christ and to the Spirit: there we owe our all, all we have and all we can do, by a thousand bonds and obligations. Being delivered from so great a death by so great a ransom, we are deeply indebted to our deliverer.” (Matthew Henry)

How do we now appropriate this truth to our lives? Think of it like this, let’s say we spill a cup of coffee on a white shirt and it is now stained and dirty, we take it off and put on another shirt, don’t we? We must take it off but at the same time put something else on, or we will be left naked. It is now no different for the child of God we must learn to put off our old natures, the way we think, act and behave. But in order to have a positive result (life and peace) we must be led and walk in the Spirit. “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.” (Romans 8:14)

Where we make our mistake is when we try and patch up the flesh. We look for justification in and through our carnal natures. But we should have already understood that the law has proved to us that it is impossible by the flesh to walk holy before our righteous God and Father. It is for this exact reason that the Lord Jesus came and suffered such a cruel death.

We will never be rid of this dilemma if we do not learn to be led by the Spirit. We may at times think we are on the right track but before long we are once again shown the frailty of the flesh as we are once again trapped by it.

Do you remember the early days of salvation and how the Lord freed us from this mind-set, I do! This is why the Apostle Paul teachers us to be careful not to make any allowance for the flesh, for if we flirt with it, we will eventually fall by it, as it knows no other way; “For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh” (Philippians 3:3) 

The flesh is our enemy and we must view it as such!

  

I agree with Charles Spurgeon's understanding on this subject and leave you with these thoughts…

“The wretchedness of Paul, I think, lay in two things, which are enough to make any man wretched. Paul believed the doctrine of human responsibility, and yet he felt the doctrine of human inability. I have heard people say sometimes—"You tell the sinner that he cannot believe and repent without the help of the Holy Spirit, and yet you tell him that it is his duty to believe and repent. How are these two to be reconciled? We reply that they do not want any reconciliation; they are two truths of Holy Scripture, and we leave them to reconcile themselves, they are friends, and friends do not need any reconciliation. But what seems a difficulty as a matter of doctrine is clear as daylight as a matter of experience. I know it is my duty to be perfect, but I am conscious I cannot be. I know that every time I commit sin I am guilty, and yet I am quite certain that I must sin—that my nature is such that I cannot help it. I feel that I am unable to get rid of this body of sin and death, and yet I know I ought to get rid of it. These two things are enough to make any man miserable—to know that he is responsible for his sinful nature, and yet to know that he cannot get rid of it—to know that he ought to keep it down, and yet to feel he cannot—to know that it is his business to keep God's law perfectly, and walk in the commandments of the law blameless, and yet to know by sad experience that he is as unable to do so as he is to reverse the motion of the globe, or dash the sun from the center of the spheres. How will not these two things drive any man to desperation? The way in which some men avoid the dilemma, is by a denial of one of these truths. They say, "Well, it is true I am unable to cease from sin;" and then they deny their obligation to do so; they do not cry, "O wretched man that I am;" they live as they like, and say they cannot help it. On the other hand, there are some men who know they are responsible; but then they say, "Ay but I can cast off my sin," and these are tolerably happy. The Arminian and the hyper-Calvinist both of them get on very comfortably; but the man who believes these two doctrines, as taught in God's Word, that he is responsible for sin and yet that he is unable to get rid of it, I do not wonder that when he looks into himself he finds enough to make him sigh and cry, ever, to faintness and despair, "O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death. And now says one, "Ah, I would be a Christian, if that is the way in which he faints—it be is always to be fighting with himself; and even until he despairs of victory." Stop a moment. Let us complete the picture. This man is fainting; but he will be restored by-and-bye. Think not that he is hopelessly defeated, he falls to rise, he faints but to be revived afresh. I know a magic, which can awaken his sleeping hopes and shoot a thrill along the freezing current of his blood. Let us sound the promise in his ear, see how soon he revives. Let us put the cordial to his lips; see how he starts up and plays the man again. "I have been almost defeated" says he, "almost driven to despair. Rejoice not over me, O mine enemy; though I fall, yet shall I rise again." And he lets fly against him once more, shouting, "I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord." So on he goes again, more than a conqueror, through him that has loved him.” (Charles Surgeon) - Delivered on Sabbath Morning, January 23rd, 1859, by the REV. C. H. Spurgeon At the Music Hall, Royal Surrey Gardens.

Therefore: -

“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. “But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.” (Galatians 5:18)

Signing off

Tyrone

Is the Bible important!

We will get back to “O wretched man that I am” in the next day or so…

Another early start; 2:30 am and as I look outside into the stillness of the night, silence and then I hear the neighbour’s dog barking, with the distant roar of high speed motor vehicles filtering through the clear night sky. I wonder were the rats have gone or what has become of their fate as I no longer hear their fight for dominance in the ceiling above my bed, not so long ago they would often wake me with their high pitched squeaks. This Morning I was woken not by the rats, but by anticipation, I like times like these as I know some revelation awaits me. I look forward to hearing the voice of God in and through His Word, the Bible! Obviously, God the Holy Spirit leads the way, but He will always lead to the written Word of God.

We are to be anxious for nothing, but sometimes the worries of this life do play on our minds. Yesterday was one of those days. What then is my concern? It has to do with work, we are given different instruction concerning work, I would like to consider two directives; the first instruction goes back to the Garden of Eden and the sin of Adam. The second is the work of Christ on the cross of Calvary, and our dependency upon His finished work and not our ability to be justified by “man-will-be-will”. They must both be adhered too, as the Holy Scriptures, the voice of God so instructs.

Last night at our bible study, it dawned on me why the Jews missed the Lord Jesus as their true Saviour. Why they missed it, one may ask. They do not believe the Holy Scriptures. No wonder the Lord Jesus addresses their leaders as, “brood of vipers”, “Pharisees”, “hypocrites” and the like. Even John the Baptist asked then who “has warned you of the wrath to come”? Moreover, it is no different for all humanity. With a certainty, I realized that it would only be those who hold the Holy Scripture in high regard that will be save from the wrath, which is yet to come, God’s judgment!

Even for the apparent Christian if they do not seek out its truth and they begin to heap up teachers unto themselves having itchy ears, their fate will be tragic. May God equip us to be even the more diligent in obeying His voice in and through the Holy Scriptures, the Bible, as nothing outside of this will endure His test! The Bible is the inspired Word of God. He has spoken by it, but will we have ear to hear!

Why have the Jews missed such clear instruction about their Saviour? I suppose they would have liked it to play out differently, it did not correspond with what they were looking for, it was and it is about their own lusts and not the will of God. Why have so many gentile also missed God’s provision, the retort would be the same! The Catholics have the Apocrypha, hidden truths to God’s instruction, or so they say, they are wrong! The Muslims have Mohammed, who contradicts the rest of scripture, they too are wrong! It all goes back to a man-centered theology. Every other faith movement that does not hold the Holy Scripture as the final authority is also wrong and as I said, the result will be dismal!  

From as early as Genesis chapter 3, God through various men began to reveal His plan for humankind in and through his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. If you feel that the Bible is just a book written by good men with a message that teaches us good morals and that is all you take from the Holy Scripture, you also will be wrong. The Bible is the be all and end all for all; read it as such a book. Flee to it, search it out and you will find life in and through the Lord Jesus Christ, the light switched will be flipped and the scales will fall from your eyes. Ignore it at your own peril!

Now with that in mind what then is the instruction on work? The Apostle Paul has this to say; “For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat.” (2Thessolonians 3:10) – So then we must have an attitude to work for our daily bread. Work for me seems to have dried up, I am a little concerned. Not anxious to the point of hopelessness as I know that the child of God will not left to beg bread, God will look out for His own. But why then would Paul give such an instruction? It has to do with our mind-set, are we willing to work and not do we have work? Once again it is the Word of God that has shed light on the subject and I am once again at peace. The word of God is sharper than any other two-edged sword, how beautiful is its instruction. So long as I am willing to work I will be looked after.

The second point is this; we are not to work as the Galatian church worked by trying to add something to the finished work of Calvary. They thought that if they were circumcised that they would be more righteous and therefore be more accepted by God, they were wrong! It is easy for us to make similar mistakes. Paul then teaches us this truth; “And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness.” (Romans 4:5) 

“The Holy Scripture demands belief, yet its authority does not depend on the testimony of any person or church, but entirely on God its author, who is truth itself. Therefore it is to be received as it is the Word of God.” (The Baptist Confession of Faith of 1689)

Signing off

Tyrone

O wretched man that I am... part 3!

"O wretched man that I am I who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God, through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 7:24-25)

I am convinced that in me, I speak as a man, as one under the law of the conscience, who has now received eyes in which to see, and one who understand God’s involvement in my life. God’s law (the Ten Commandments) was passed down from God to Moses and then from Moses to the children of Israel in the wilderness. The law was initially intended for the seed of Abraham and not the gentiles, as we were already condemned because of Adam’s sin. It was only when the Lord Jesus paid the ultimate sacrifice were we given a life line: - “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16) 

Although I grew up with catholic heritage as my grandmother was an avid catholic from Tuscany, Italy. I never understood God’s rules, their purpose and the reasons for their specific instruction. Nevertheless when I told my first lie or stole my very first sweet, I was left feeling condemned. My conscience was at work. I was never taught to feel like this, this happens to all by default. Why? When Adam ate from the tree of the “Knowledge of Good and Evil”, this is exactly what was passed down, the knowledge of good and evil. We did not only become aware of that which was evil but also that which was good. In principle, even our conscience teaches us wrong from right and it effects both the believer an unbeliever alike or at least to some extent.

The reason why we do not all hold to the same values on every topic depends on how effected we are through the trials of life. In other words, the more I lie through life, the easier it becomes for me to lie as my conscience gets seared. The Apostle Paul teaches us about the conscience; “through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared.” (1Timothy 4:2) – It is lie after lie that desensitizes the conscience and the same can be said for every other sin. And obviously, the sovereignty of God plays its part where and when He chooses. He hardened pharaoh's heart to act in a certain manner.

“If I chose to occupy your time with controversial matter, I might prove to a demonstration that the apostle Paul is here describing his own experience as a Christian. Some have affirmed that he is merely declaring what he was before conversion, and not what he was when he became the recipient of the grace of God. But such persons are evidently mistaken, and I believe wilfully mistaken; for any ample-hearted, candid mind, reading through this chapter, could not fall into such an error. It is Paul the apostle, who was not less than the very greatest of the apostles—it is Paul, the mighty servant of God, a very prince in Israel, one of the King's mighty men—it is Paul, the saint and the apostle, who here exclaims, "O wretched man that I am!"
Now, humble Christians are often the dupes of a very foolish error.”  (Charles Spurgeon) - Delivered on Sabbath Morning, January 23rd, 1859, by the REV. C. H. Spurgeon at the Music Hall, Royal Surrey Gardens

“The more mature (a) believer is, the more likely a believer is to open his mouth in any expression of worship and come out, first of all, with a confession of his own unworthiness. It was Isaiah, you know, who was the best man in his nation, he was the prophet of God, he was the noblest of all who in Isaiah 6 said, “I am a man of unclean lips and I come from a people of unclean lips.” And he pronounced a curse on himself for his own wretched sinfulness. It was the Apostle Paul in Romans chapter 7 who said, “O wretched man that I am, who will deliver me from the body of this death?” He was the best, he was the best of us, maybe the noblest Christian that ever lived and he was really distraught and overwhelmed by his own wretched sinfulness.” (John Macarthur) – The Believers confession of Sin, October 18^th 2009

Although I was not brought up like Paul, one who knew and studied the law of God, I nevertheless also still have this daily struggle with “O wretched man that I am”. It is obvious that this struggle will remain with us until we fall asleep (we die). It is the Christians struggle!

It is almost as if we have two natures, two men living in one body and they are at constant war with one another. Maybe Galatians best describes it; “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.” (Galatians 5:16-18)

There is a lot more to consider, so until tomorrow then…

Signing off

Tyrone  

O wretched man that I am... part 2!

As we continue to ponder on “O wretched man that I am” we must understand our dilemma is not without hope. Yes we have a desperately wicked heart if left to our own devises, I needed be told; I know what I am callable of, as time and my journey through life has proved it to me. “O wretched man that I am I who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God, through Jesus Christ our Lord”. And I speak as a man after salvation, after new birth experience! My journey as a Christian and my life filled with such hypocrisy at times that I feel I should stop striking this key-board. But, I cannot, for if I did I would yield to the old wretched man and not embrace the new spiritual man.

This now must be the mind-set of every believer, regardless of our past; “Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:12-14)

Let us never lose sight of our deliverance in and through the Lord Jesus Christ along the way. For if we do, our days will be full of worldly sorrow, and the woe is me syndrome, will fill our lives. We will find ourselves never looking to do good as we end up feeding this “wretched man” and this is not the call for the Christian as we are to put off the old and put on the new. Old things have passed away and behold all things are now new, or are they? We need to examine our lives and daily at that.

I have purposefully put these thoughts out as I want us to think hard on this topic, there seems to be so many contradicting verses on this subject, but we know that there can never be any contradiction with God nor His Word as He is perfect. The bible teachers us to put off evil thoughts, why then without much thought do they find us? Our eyes wander even when we have resolved for them not to wonder, why?

It is only our understanding that confuses us. Therefore we need to understand in order to find freedom in order to walk circumspectly before this Holy God, our Father! He loves to bless His children in and through His Son, and how we love to be the recipients of that blessing. I know I do! Let us therefore pause for a breath of fresh air and let our brother Charles Spurgeon breath His daily devotion into our minds reasoning…

“Christ, who is our life.”

- Col_3:4

Paul’s marvellously rich expression indicates, that Christ is the source of our life. “You hath he quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins.” That same voice which brought Lazarus out of the tomb raised us to newness of life. He is now the substance of our spiritual life. It is by his life that we live; he is in us, the hope of glory, the spring of our actions, the central thought which moves every other thought. Christ is the sustenance of our life. What can the Christian feed upon but Jesus’ flesh and blood? “This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die.” O wayworn pilgrims in this wilderness of sin, you never get a morsel to satisfy the hunger of your spirits, except ye find it in him! Christ is the solace of our life. All our true joys come from him; and in times of trouble, his presence is our consolation. There is nothing worth living for but him; and his lovingkindness is better than life! Christ is the object of our life. As speeds the ship towards the port, so hastes the believer towards the haven of his Saviour’s bosom. As flies the arrow to its goal, so flies the Christian towards the perfecting of his fellowship with Christ Jesus. As the soldier fights for his captain, and is crowned in his captain’s victory, so the believer contends for Christ, and gets his triumph out of the triumphs of his Master. “For him to live is Christ.” Christ is the exemplar of our life. Where there is the same life within, there will, there must be, to a great extent, the same developments without; and if we live in near fellowship with the Lord Jesus we shall grow like him. We shall set him before us as our Divine copy, and we shall seek to tread in his footsteps, until he shall become the crown of our life in glory. Oh! how safe, how honoured, how happy is the Christian, since Christ is our life! (Charles Spurgeon)

Since Christ is our Life! This is where I want our minds to spring from when we consider “O wretched man that I am!”

Until tomorrow then,

Signing off

Tyrone

O wretched man that I am!

(Romans 7:24-25)  “O wretched man that I am I who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God, through Jesus Christ our Lord”

In yesterday’s post I encouraged us to move off our negativity as we considered our standing in Christ; I encouraged us to put off the mindset of “O wretched man that I am!” But the truth be told, it is no long before we find ourselves echoing these words once again, “O wretched man that I am!”

The aftermath of sin has left a wake of destruction and although it has been defeated once and for all by our great King, the Lord Jesus Christ, it still looks to devour all and sundry? The unbeliever is blind to their sin and therefore is taken at will by it. Whilst the believer has this on-going battle that seems to never end. It will eventually end but for as long as we breathe here on earth it will be our daily cup of contention. We are not simple creatures and have many facets to our character. The one I least admire is volatility, how awestruck it leaves me at times, not with a feeling of admiration but rather hopelessness. How often have I resolved, made a calculated decision about a certain commitment, i.e. I will never do that again as I know it is sin, or we change the way we word it slightly hoping to get a different result and say “Lord willing I will never do that again”! Obviously the second mindset is a lot better for the Christian, but how often have I use that phrase, but it was just a play on words for conscience sake, once the layers are peeled back, it is all about my ability, as I believe in myself to overcome or attain a certain objective? Far too often I must confess! The old man will never free itself from this dilemma.  

This is a very complex subject and I would like to spend time over the next week or so exploring the word of God and drawing truths from it on the subject. The Word of God is the final authority and we will kick-off with that mindset. It is important to understand the truth behind anything in life to be free of its power… “O wretched man that I am I who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God, through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 7:24, 25)

It is therefore obvious that the only hope we have is in and through the Lord Jesus Christ. No one or nothing else will be able to deliver me from this body of death. No other religion, neither philosophy, physic nor any other created thing seen or unseen will be of help anyone looking to escape this body of death and all they are, are traps to lure us into walking in disobedience/unbelief. It is Christ alone who has the power and all because of His finished work on Calvary.

But now that we have been saved why is it that we still struggle with this body of death? In other words why do we still at times fall into the traps of sin? This is what I wish to explore! And because this is such an intense subject, I will not only rely on what I am shown from scripture as I look to it, searching out answers, but I will also rely on other trusted men to help us arrive at a conclusion.

There has been much debate around Romans chapter 7. We find ourselves in one of two camps; we either believe that it is the old man Paul now addresses prior to salvation or we believe he speaks to the new man and his on-going struggle. Some suggest that he speaks to the Jews, those who knew the law, because he starts the chapter like this; “Or do you not know, brothers--for I am speaking to those who know the law--that the law is binding on a person only as long as he lives?” (Romans 7:1) – I believe that all the views can teach us certain truths from this text if we pay careful attention to it. 

Let us take a step backwards and ask ourselves the question; what is the purpose of scripture? Is it not there to prepare us for battle, amen it is! This was Paul’s instruction to his prodigy Timothy; “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.” (2Timothy 3:16-17) – Therefore we must conclude that scripture comes from God and it will be helpful for the believe and at times it must have these effects on our lives, it is there to convict us, it must alter and remove error from our lives, and if we have veered off course it will trim our sails as it ultimately equips us for the work God has intended us to get on with, His will and not our own worldly objectives. Having said that, we must understand that the Word of God is for us and not against us, consequently let us learn to use it as a help and not a hard task master.

But for this to happen we must first understand, “O wretched man that I am I who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God, through Jesus Christ our Lord”. As a double minded man is unstable in all his ways.

Let us therefore think on this subject and Lord willing we will be more equipped to put off this body of death and serve our God and faithful King with more due benevolence. Our prayer Father is that you teach us the truths behind Paul’s instruction to the Roman church. We ask for wisdom and we know that if we ask we shall receive.

So then until tomorrow,

Signing off

Tyrone

God our Father!

(1Corinthians 13:11)  “When I was a child…”

When I was a child I spoke as a child, but there was an amazing amount of loyalty attached to my childlike mind. I can clearly remember how I use to blow my father’s trumpet and I was not alone. Amongst many of the boys at school there seem to be an on-going competition of who had the greatest father. Whenever we were in a corner, just a recollection or the mention of our dads would save the day, comments like my dad is stronger than your dad, or he can run faster than your dad etc. Comments made without any factual backing whatsoever and yet we believed it with all our hearts. A trust of such magnitude that the facts played a secondary role to what we actually perceived.

As my mind wonders down memory lane I am reminded that some of the dads were far more committed to their children then others. But that never seem to faze the resilient child, not on the surface anyway. As I looked around at the other fathers as glee shone across their faces, as they watched their sons play cricket and although my father’s face was absent, that didn’t matter, he was still my hero and I couldn’t wait to tell him how well we had done.

When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. (1Corinthians 13:11) 

We see this rebuke from Paul to the Corinthian church as a time to move on in our understanding and become men, but let us slow down as we unpack this. How many apparent men have still not learnt to boast about their Father? The only true living God, the final authority of the God head, God the Father, the One who sent His only begotten Son to pay the price for our sins, Him who knew no sin became sin for us so that we may now live; now adopted into His family, and with the privilege to cry “Abba Father”. Wow, what an honour!

Just maybe it’s time for us to take a step backwards and to think on our childish manner and learn once again to boast in our standing as children of God. Not that the boast is in us but rather it is about our magnificent heavenly Father, Praise His wonderful name and again I say praise it all you children of the earth! Have we forgotten who we are in Him? We are children of the living God! Why then do we always start our prayers like, “O wretched man that I am”? We once where vile and full of sin, and although sin looks to rob us of our victory in Him, we are no longer justified in own standing, in fact we never where, I don’t know why we even give place to this thought, no doubt the lure of the devil. But we have been washed by the blood of the Lamb, praise His name! We are the children of God. He is my Father, He is our Father! Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. (Romans 8:33) – What a great God we serve! Or have we forgotten from where we were saved? O my great Father help your children shout from the rooftops and proclaim your great love. Thank you Lord Jesus for the work of Calvary, we do indeed love you!   

When I was a child no evidence was needed for me to praise my earthly father’s, how much more so we should now glorify our heavenly Fathers name, not only is He the ruler supreme of the entire universe as a unfounded thought, but it true, He is RULER SUPREME and we are His children. Why then do we approach His throne as cowering children as if to think our Holy Heavenly Father stand with a rod in hand looking to thrash us for our disobedience! If this was the case we would need constant thrashing for doubting our standing in Him. NO! He so loves us that while we were yet sinners He sent his Son to die for us, how much more then, will we be saved by His life. This truth must begin to sink in as it captivates our entire being. We must find the confidence to approach Him with boldness. WE ARE THE CHILDREN OF THE LIVING GOD!

Let us be reminded of who has ushered this work into our lives. Was it not God who chose us before the foundation of this world? “He predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.” (Ephesians 1:5-6)  - Let us therefore begin to believe and walk in our Saviour’s finished work. We know we have an enemy who goes around like a roaring lion looking to trip us up, do not believe his lies, believe only in the finished work of Calvary.

“Since the first hour in which goodness came into conflict with evil, it has never ceased to be true in spiritual experience, that Satan hinders us. From all points of the compass, all along the line of battle, in the vanguard and in the rear, at the dawn of day and in the midnight hour, Satan hinders us. If we toil in the field, he seeks to break the ploughshare; if we build the wall, he labours to cast down the stones; if we would serve God in suffering or in conflict-everywhere Satan hinders us. He hinders us when we are first coming to Jesus Christ. Fierce conflicts we had with Satan when we first looked to the cross and lived. Now that we are saved, he endeavours to hinder the completeness of our personal character. You may be congratulating yourself, “I have hitherto walked consistently; no man can challenge my integrity.” Beware of boasting, for your virtue will yet be tried; Satan will direct his engines against that very virtue for which you are the most famous. If you have been hitherto a firm believer, your faith will ere long be attacked; if you have been meek as Moses, expect to be tempted to speak unadvisedly with your lips. The birds will peck at your ripest fruit, and the wild boar will dash his tusks at your choicest vines. Satan is sure to hinder us when we are earnest in prayer. He checks our importunity, and weakens our faith in order that, if possible, we may miss the blessing. Nor is Satan less vigilant in obstructing Christian effort. There was never a revival of religion without a revival of his opposition. As soon as Ezra and Nehemiah begin to labour, Sanballat and Tobiah are stirred up to hinder them. What then? We are not alarmed because Satan hindereth us, for it is a proof that we are on the Lord’s side, and are doing the Lord’s work, and in his strength we shall win the victory, and triumph over our adversary.” (C.H.Spurgeon)

For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 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!" The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 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. (Romans 8:14-17)

Come what may, remember that we are the Children of God and God help us to honour Him as our Father, Amen!

“Singing off”

Tyrone

Understand this!

(2Timothy 3:1) “But understand this …”

Understand What? But before we get there let us reason together. Today I would like to draw reference from two verses and then try and incorporate an understanding when viewed along side one another. What will be their instruction? Although it can be very dangerous when we do not exposit scripture correctly, systematically! Take a verse out of context as we build a doctrine from it and place the wrong emphasis on it. Very hazardous indeed and the money preachers love to exposit like this and we know why they do it, does not scripture itself teach us? It Does! “For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things.” (Philippians 3:18-19)

Let us simply tread carefully and you examine what will now be penned…

What is the first consideration a wise man would have when building a house? I suppose there would be many considerations but firstly he would count the cost, does he have enough money to complete his objective. Then he would no doubt consider the foundation and look for solid rock to build upon. It would not be wise to build on sand for the storms may eventually come. No rather, must come and the wise will make provision for them. In fact as we look around at the houses in South Africa most have electric fences or at least some protective barrier as the crime rate is at an all-time high. Even common sense seems to play its part.

What then does this wise man teach us? Make sure we have sufficient funds to complete the task and then ensure that our foundation is built on solid ground. With this understanding let us now launch forward and draw principles (an important underlying law or assumption required in a system of thought) from his wisdom in conjunction to these two verses.

They are: - “But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty.” (2Timothy 3:1); and—“John answered, "A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven.” (John 3:27)

Salvation is a gift of God and not all receive it, it is only the elect who truly believe that receive this unmerited favour! Salvation must be classified as receiving something from God as it can never be earned. We sometimes like to reason as the Arminian  (as I once did) and say we chose God but this is not what the scriptures teach. It obviously is a gift from God and here is a verse to prove it; “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)   

Therefore everything the believer sees and begins to understand in scripture, as it begins to fashion him must spring from this foundation. If not we will build unwisely! We will be no different to the five foolish virgins. Now with that understood, what then will be the cost? Times will begin to get harder for the believer, as the storm is on the horizon. We need to understand this, so when it arrives we are not asking the question, why? We have been warned! This is what I love about the Holy Scriptures they are a lamp to our feet in this dark and perverse generation. But we must learn to pay attention! It is now time to buy oil for our lamps. It is now time to let go and let God. We cannot serve both God and mammon, they cannot co-exist, we will love one and hate the other and because we spring from the root of sin we must pay careful attention to Christ’s warning on the matter. We must pay careful attention to verses like these; “Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. "Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”” (Matthew 6:31-34) 

   

However let us never forget that if God equips us to embrace this truth while others look to ignore the warnings of scripture that, "A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven.” Let us always remember to praise God our heavenly Father for all good gifts that come from Him as we earnestly pray for our family, friends and all who oppose His wisdom and hopefully God will graciously act as He also gives them sight to see.

Jehovah God, please give us a heart for the lost, as we too remember that there was a time when we were blind, but now we see. Praise your glorious name and all honour belongs to our glorious King, for He alone opened the way for all who believe and confess Him as Lord. We thank you; I thank you, for the gracious gift of salvation.

Signing off

Tyrone

The good soldier!

(2Timothy 2:3)  “Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.”

Life has its surprises and it if filled with so many different emotions. Suffering has its part to play in our lives, just as much as happiness or love. God by means of nature teachers us that there is a time and a season for all things. This is God’s design! How do we know this? Not only do we see the changes through spring into summer into autumn and then finally winter sets in. But we also have one of the wisest men to have ever lived, teaching us this lesson; - “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace. What gain has the worker from his toil? (Ecclesiastes 3:1-9)   

If we are ever in doubt about where we find ourselves or whether we are in God will, all we need do is examine our lives and the trials we face in reflection to the life of the Lord Jesus. When we see clearly, no matter what the trial, we realize that it lives with one intention, to teach us obedience. Knowing that eventually we will reap our reward, heaven our destiny and we will receive a glorified body where there will be no more death for the true believer

Let us consider a planting of a harvest; we know that certain seed must be planted in spring if we are to reap their fruit, plant that seed in winter and the crops will fail. We must obey God’s order to reap His fruit. Now take this principle into our lives and we too will be the beneficiaries of His grace. Obey the Word of God and what it teaches and it will be well with our souls.

How often do we suffer for wrong-doing? I can only speak for myself, far too often is the retort! It needn’t be this way; God has so loved us that He sent His Son to die in our stead. That does not mean I needn’t suffer, suffer I must! But the apostle Peter teachers us that we should never suffer as evil-doers; “But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler.” (1Peter 4:15) – I suppose in today’s day and age we are all guilty of such charges, I know I am! But it needn’t be like this as we have the mind of Christ. Let no one deceive you into thinking that as Christians we should only ever have season of pure bliss and no famine in our lives.

Our paths have been carefully plotted out by an all knowing and ever wise God, even the Lord Jesus had to walk the path His father had so ordained. And as a man there times when He even looked to avoid the inevitable: - “And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, "My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will."” (Matthew 26:39) – And what of the time when he was at His weakest as he hung upon that cruel Roman cross; “And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?" that is, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"” (Matthew 27:46)

Both these trying time served a purpose in God’s sovereign will and so do all the trials in our lives serve their purpose!  

How often have you heard people ask, why? How often have I asked the very same question? The short answer is for us to learn obedience and to trust our God with our lives. We spend so much time evaluating our situation without understanding the importance of the Holy Scriptures on the very topic.

Suffering is an integral part of a believers life, God has so ordain it! We needn’t always understand it at the time, but we must learn to walk by faith. When God tells us that all things work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose, we must then believe it! As it will reap its fruit in due season!

What then is God’s will for the believer? “For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.” (1Peter 2:19-24)   

We will only ever find the fullness of life when we learn to appropriate the Holy Scriptures and what they teach us as the be-all and end-all of our daily living. May God cause His gracious light to shine into our lives so that we may be the salt of the earth! May our lives grow from strength to strength as we learn to walk obediently before our great King! Hear our cry, we earnestly pray, dear beloved heavenly Father.

Signing off

Tyrone

What is man?

Jeremiah 6:1 “Flee for safety…”

We will only ever be safe if we heed the full council of God! Whatever that may entail at any given time in our lives.

What is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? (Psalms 8:4) - I must start with this thought this morning and just maybe it’s because I have been so dull of hearing for such a long time. Or could it be that we (mankind) have a tendency to get lost in our own causes and lose sight of more pressing issues. I think both are as real as each other and no-one is exempt from its trap. The lure of conceit is a real danger for all, especially when one feels they stand upon the truth.

We must stand upon God’s Word at all costs, and yes, even at the cost of conceit playing its part in our lives, not that we will ever be justified in our pride, we will soon be cut down to size if God so deems it. But as I look firstly at the spec in my eye I and then I gaze around I realize that what God has taken on with this sinful human race, is a mammoth task.

Just imagine the heavenly host as they witness our daily lives in the light of God’s holiness and his righteousness, no wonder David pens words like this; “What is man that you are mindful of him”? In fact although we are the beneficiaries of God’s grace, all those who believe and confess Jesus Christ as Lord, it never had anything to do with us but all to do with His Son, without His perfect sacrifice, us as gentiles (of or pertaining to any people not Jewish), those who were never part of God’s promise to Abraham were the futurist from salvation in that sense. Do you realize that if the Jews would have accepted the work of Calvary we as gentiles may well have been in big trouble? HELL our final destiny! But GOD! And we better not miss this, I speak to all and sundry; But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ--by grace you have been saved-- and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. (Ephesians 2:4-9)

Satan at times is often having his way as he gets the Christians to turn on themselves; he gets them to do his work for him. A travesty! Now if we rebuke a wise man and if he is indeed wise, he will receive the rebuke and be wiser still, but rebuke a fool and he will despise you. What then is the lesson? I think the Apostle Paul understood this best as he instructs Timothy on how he should address the gainsayer (those who deny the truth), what then is truth? The Holy Scriptures! This is how it should and must be done; “Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels. And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.” (2Timothy 2:23-26) 

But before I run away with myself let us get someone else’s perspective on this instruction. Someone with possibly the greatest teaching gift, or at least who I have come across in my limited research, but it was C.H.Spurgeon who pointed me in his direction. His name is Matthew Henry…

“Paul cautions Timothy against contention, and, to prevent this (2Ti_2:23), cautions him against foolish and unlearned questions, that tend to no benefit, strifes of words. Those who advanced them, and doted upon them, thought themselves wise and learned; but Paul calls them foolish and unlearned. The mischief of these is that they gender strifes, that they breed debates and quarrels among Christians and ministers. It is very remarkable how often, and with what seriousness, the apostle cautions Timothy against disputes in religion, which surely was not without some such design as this, to show that religion consists more in believing and practising what God requires than in subtle disputes. - The servant of the Lord must not strive, 2Ti_2:24. Nothing worse becomes the servant of the Lord Jesus, who himself did not strive nor cry (Mat_12:19), but was a pattern of meekness, and mildness, and gentleness to all, than strife and contention. The servant of the Lord must be gentle to all men, and thereby show that he is himself subject to the commanding power of that holy religion which he is employed in preaching and propagating. - Apt to teach. Those are unapt to teach who are apt to strive, and are fierce and froward. Ministers must be patient, bearing with evil, and in meekness instructing (2Ti_2:25) not only those who subject themselves, but those who oppose themselves. Observe, 1. Those who oppose themselves to the truth are to be instructed; for instruction is the scripture-method of dealing with the erroneous, which is more likely to convince them of their errors than fire and faggot: he does not bid us kill their bodies, under pretence of saving their souls. 2. Such as oppose themselves are to be instructed in meekness, for our Lord is meek and lowly (Mat_11:29), and this agrees well with the character of the servant of the Lord (2Ti_2:24): He must not strive, but be gentle to all men, apt to teach, patient. This is the way to convey truth in its light and power, and to overcome evil with good, Rom_12:21. 3. That which ministers must have in their eyes, in instructing those who oppose themselves, must be their recovery: If God, peradventure, will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth. Observe, (1.) Repentance is God's gift. (2.) It is a gift with a peradventure in the case of those who oppose themselves; and therefore, though we are not to despair of the grace of God, yet we must take heed of presuming upon it. To the acknowledging of the truth. (3.) The same God who gives us the discovery of the truth does by his grace bring us to the acknowledging of it, otherwise our hearts would continue in rebellion against it, for we are to confess with our mouths as well as to believe with our hearts, Rom_10:9, Rom_10:10. And thus sinners recover themselves out of the snare of the devil; see here, [1.] The misery of sinners: they are in the snare of the devil, and are led captive by him at his will, 2Ti_2:26. They are slaves to the worst of task-masters; he is the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience, Eph_2:2. They are taken in a snare, and in the worst snare, because it is the devil's; they are as fishes that are taken in an evil net, and as the birds that are caught in the snare. Further, They are under Ham's curse (a servant of servants shall he be, Gen_9:25), they are slaves to him who is but a slave and vassal. [2.] The happiness of those who repent: they recover themselves out of this snare, as a bird out of the snare of the fowler; the snare is broken and they have escaped; and the greater the danger the greater the deliverance. When sinners repent, those who before were led captive by the devil at his will come to be led into the glorious liberty of the children of God, and have their wills melted into the will of the Lord Jesus. The good Lord recover us all out of the snare.” (Matthew Henry)

Therefore is we wish to “bleed biblean” (have the bible flowing from our veins) as John Bunyan did we must receive the whole council of God.  

Signing off

Tyrone

A Warning!

(Jeremiah 6:17)  “I set watchmen over you, saying, 'Pay attention to the sound of the trumpet!”

Without now being suckered into a debate on what equation would read better from yesterday’s blog there seems to be a more pressing issue that is now as big as an air balloon in my mind. It has to do with the seed that is now being sown amongst believers. My concern is for the household of God and not the enemy per say! Let us now rather examine possibly the greatest of all lures as it even now unfolds. It has started amongst the household of God. Needless to say it is nevertheless by permission; God in His sovereign will has allowed it to develop. But has also sent watchmen out from amongst His people to be on the lookout in protecting His flock. I am not for one minute claiming to be amongst that number but I am sharing what I now see and I pray it will be received.

So then what is it I now see?

Let us use the human body to illustrate the warning. The Immune system, the liver and the kidney all have their functions as per God’s design to help the body cope through life. But what if a particular virus was able to trick these watchmen and particularly the immune system into believing it was one of the good guys? Now, this is exactly what is happening amongst Christian circles, there seems to be mayhem amongst true and apparent believers across the board.

Let me use a sketch to illustrate my position on this warning; the “HIV Virus” is cunning and in its early inception went unnoticed for many years, how many? God alone knows! What then should we notice? Here are some facts…

“AIDS (Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome) is one of the worst pandemics the world has ever known. HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus), the virus that causes AIDS, was first discovered in 1981 in a remote area of central Africa. It has since swept across the globe, infecting millions in a relatively short period of time. AIDS has killed more than 28 million people that we know of, with up to 3.6 million people dying in 2005 alone .While many cases go unreported, the prevalence of the disease is increasing. By comparison:

The flu pandemic of 1918 killed approximately 20 million people worldwide.

World War II killed approximately 40 million people.

Clearly the AIDS pandemic has had, and will continue to have, a significant and global impact.”

What I find very intriguing is the point I look to hit home, I pray that God may give us eyes to see!

“Viruses lie around our environment all of the time just waiting for a host cell to come along. They can enter us through the nose, mouth or breaks in the skin. Once inside, they find a host cell to infect. For example, cold and flu viruses will attack cells that line the respiratory or digestive tracts. The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which causes AIDS, attacks the T-cells of the immune system. The immune system is designed to defend you against millions of bacteria, microbes, viruses (HIV), toxins and parasites that would love to invade your body.” What are the T-cells? Look at it as the soldiers of the body that fight of the enemy. But the HIV Virus disguises itself as one of the good soldiers and goes unnoticed, only then once it has penetrated the host T-cells of the immune system does it then high-jack the cell and multiply, in other words the virus reproduces itself using the host cell's chemical machinery. Once it has reproduce more of the virus within the cell, then only does it kills off that cell as it then sends out its own soldiers (virus) looking to impregnate more of the healthy T-cells, until it total depletes the immune system leaving it defenceless. Ultimately death is on the cards, unless the enemy is stopped in its tracks.

Let us look as some parallels; firstly let us recognise the enemy as the enemy (wolves in sheep’s clothing), once that has been established let us be careful not to be lured into fruitless debates if so be they indeed be fruitless. You decide! I am convinced of this one thing, that the trickery of the devil will even deceive the very elect if it were possible. “For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand.” (Matthew 24:24-25)

There seem much to do about signs and wonders and it seems to be the debate of the day, be warned as the anti-christ will come with power and many will be lured into his trap.

My concern is that we will not be lured into his trap and drop our guard. If we start fighting the battle in our own strength we may forget to put on the amour of God: “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints.” (Ephesians 6:11-18)   

     

Signing off

Tyrone

Most of the factual information on AIDS was taken from the website http://science.howstuffworks.com