Speak the Truth in Love...

(Ephesians 4:15) “But speaking the truth in love,”

Truth is when we understand all the facts about a particular subject and then we can make an informed decision. We will not be deceived, into doing something that we think may be the right decision, in other words truth corresponds to fact or reality and alleviates all deception. Truth cannot attempt to deceive by falsehood. The antonym of truth is dishonesty, and the father of lies is the devil. God is truth and He is perfect in truth, in other words He cannot lie, in fact it is impossible for Him to lie. “That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:” (Hebrews 6:18)

Can God do anything? The very first reaction we have when we answer that question is to say yes He can, but that would be inaccurate. Can God Lie? Absolutely not! The text tells us it is impossible for God to lie. He could never choose to lie, as He would then act outside of His character and this He cannot and will not do. If God worshiped another god beside Himself it would make Him an idolater as He is the only true God.

We need to understand the severity of this fact, God can never lie, and so when He said He will see us through unto the end, faith must believe that He will accomplish all He has set out to do. “But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.” (Hebrews 3:6)

As believers we better believe this with all our hearts as fact that can only ever be true.

The devil is the exact opposite in character; this is what the Lord Jesus had to say about Him in the gospel of John when addressing those who claimed the right to salvation because of a promise to Abraham their father, they were self-righteous but far from the truth, the Lord Jesus said: “You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” (John 8:44)

He is full of deception and “deceit” is his middle name. He will often use half truths to lure the weak, and he has often used men’s weaknesses to bring down the strong. I suppose one of his greatest tools must be pride. We know that God resists the proud but He gives grace to the humble. Men are full of pride; even saved men are often lured into this trap. Brothers use scripture against one another looking to be exalted and find favour as the victor in a particular point. Already I have hit a sore point I can actually sense the opposition. Let me then prove my point; Paul and Barnabas worked alongside preaching the gospel and many were converted and followed them.

“And after the meeting of the synagogue broke up, many Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who, as they spoke with them, urged them to continue in the grace of God.” (Act 13:43)

These two brothers in Christ worked side by side until one day a difference split them, it had such an effect on both brothers that they actually parted company.

“And after some days Paul said to Barnabas, "Let us return and visit the brothers in every city where we proclaimed the word of the Lord, and see how they are." Now Barnabas wanted to take with them John called Mark. But Paul thought best not to take with them one who had withdrawn from them in Pamphylia and had not gone with them to the work. And there arose a sharp disagreement, so that they separated from each other.” (Act 15:36-39)

I understand that this disagreement was not over doctrine, but we must all agree that these two wills opposed another, which resulted in a split in what was once a harmonious relationship of unity for the sake of the gospel. Pride had its part to play. The tragedy of it all was where this dispute left the babes in Christ; it affected God’s precious flock. How often I have seen this exact same thing happening amongst Christian organisations today. Do we take proving a truth to the extent of division amongst believers too far? I will leave you to answer that question, you decide. I do not speak about blatant false doctrine and all the roving wolves of today that pretend to be sheep, drinking the blood of God’s precious saints, I have no time for them! They will face the wrath of God on judgment day; they will receive their portion in the Lake of Fire. However, we all have a measure of pride, which must be chiselled out of the heart of every believer; God will always resist the proud but give grace to the humble. His word is clear on this fact; there is no wiggle room here my brothers.

The concern I have for us is seen clearly with the example Paul raises with the church at Corinth. “For when one says, "I follow Paul," and another, "I follow Apollos," are you not being merely human?” (1Corinthians 3:4)

I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. Neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. (1Corinthians 3:6-7)

It is clear to see what happens when people begin to side with preachers, there focus shifts from their first love, from God and onto man, this is not good and it will affect our walk with the Lord. We must always remember our first love, He alone must receive all our attention, He alone is worthy of all our consideration.

Let us not be ignorant of the devils devices! Even to my “Amil” (amillennialism) brothers if Satan is already bound you must conclude that pride still plays a serious role amongst believers; let us then arm ourselves against this evil.

May God give us strength to humble ourselves and find forgiveness in our hearts to forgive those who have trespassed against us, may He begin to stir all His true children with a sincere desire to lock hands with one another as we enter into the final stretch of this our race here on earth before the return of our great Saviour, even Jesus Christ our Lord.

Let us always speak the truth one to another but always in the bonds of love. If we are children of God, then we are in the same family and have the same Father, let us treat one another as our own, let us love with brotherly love.

Signing off

Tyrone

The Unity of God

(1John 4:14) “And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.”

I want to explore the depths of this statement. Here again we see an attribute to God’s individuality that boggles the mind but at the same time brings immense joy. My mind would want to accredit salvation solely on the shoulders of our Saviour, the Lord Jesus; I would be in error if I thought like this! I understand that the Lord came to the earth to live as a man and then without ever entering into sin He died on a cross for the sins of mankind. He suffered on the cross; He trusted His Father and whilst in heaven as Father, Son and God the Holy Spirit they discussed the plan of creation and they laid out their script which involved man and his fall, and after his separation from God how he would be reconciled back unto God. Their plan needed to be accomplished within their character, which will always be in a sphere of righteousness with justice prevailing. This meeting must have taken place somewhere in the past within the wheel of eternity, He (the Lord Jesus) said, “Send me”! On conclusion the Father then said I will send Him as God the Holy Spirit would of affirmed the decision. Here we see God in perfect unity, God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit all equally involved in the salvation plan of all those predestined to become son’s of God. There is absolutely no tension in their decision; they are unified in perfect harmony, not a cord out of tune. We are also encouraged to pursue unity amongst one other as believers, it shows maturity in understanding.

“Until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.” (Ephesians 4:13)

God is always unified in Himself; we on the other hand have to learn to find unity as believers in Christ. But never to the expense of sound doctrine, is it the love of doctrine when applied correctly in application and in the bonds of love that will bring unity. Possibly another thought for another day.

Now with God unified in their decision to save sinful mankind and as John and the other witnesses, “testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.”

I consider another thought that God processed, not only were they unified in their verdict but it pleased the Lord to bruise Him. “Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief:” (Isaiah 53:10)

It was a pleasure for God to send Christ to die on a cross for us, the saints of God. We are also taught that the Lord Jesus endured the cross for the joy that was set before Him. "Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God." (Hebrews 12:2)

He accomplished all of His Fathers will, He died, was buried and on the third day He rose again. He is now in heaven seated at the right hand of God the Father. How I now wrestle for God the spirit to now write these truths deep within the recesses of my heart, equipping me with a clearer understanding of what it meant for God to send His son to die in my place, in our place! To Imagine God our Saviour nailed to a tree and as a man who had total confidence in God His Father and yet He personally faced the wrath of God His Father. It was such an intense moment that our God insures that we understand his Son’s suffering and gets Matthew and Mark to pen this account for all to examine; in Matthew it reads, “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)

And then again in Mark it reads, “And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?" which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Mark 15:34)

Just in case we missed it the first time round. The God-Man Jesus deserted for the first and the last time by God the Father as He hung upon a cruel roman cross as the Father righteously pores out His wrath, as he judges His son for the sins of mankind. In judging His Son, He judges Himself as God for our sins. We must remember that God is and always will be totally unified as the Trinity, three in one. Do not ever think for one single minute that man has a whole lot of options in which to find favour with God; it is only through the Lord Jesus Christ that we can come and find favour with this awesome God. There is no other way! I cannot with any certainty speak of our Fathers emotional state but I can imagine it was heart rendering, however that may have played out in His righteousness, He nevertheless carried out their eternal plan, Isaiah tells us, "that it pleased God to bruise His Son." There is a day coming in the not to distant future where all those who will not bow to Jesus Christ as Lord, will be forced to bow as God then executes judgement on all those who would not repent and believe on His only begotten Son. All those who think they know better than God Himself, what a treacherous day that will be. Today is the day of Salvation, flee to the Rock and fall on Him, crying out in repentance to Him, for the sun will soon set and then the Rock will fall on you, with Hell your ultimate destination. I dare not chew over this notion as it is too horrible for words. Suffice to say that hell will be a place full of weeping and gnashing of teeth.

The Lord Jesus always works what the Father wills. In the wounds of the dying Saviour see the love of the great I AM. Let every thought of Jesus also be a thought connected with God, the Trinity, the three in one.

“We too frequently ascribe the honour of our salvation, or at least the depths of its benevolence, more to Jesus Christ than we do the Father. This is a very great mistake. What if Jesus came? Did not his Father send him? If he spake wondrously, did not his Father pour grace into his lips, that he might be an able to minister of the new covenant? He who knoweth the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost as he should know them, never setteth one before another in his love; he sees them at Bethlehem, at Gethsemane, and on Calvary, all equally engaged in the work of salvation.” C.H.Spurgeon

As God worked in the salvation plan for mankind, may we take comfort in the fact with the same assurance that God is for us and not against His Children. We are loved because of our Saviours obedience and let us never forget that He who has begun a good work in us will complete it. We will one day be able to fall to our knees in heaven and sing praises unto our God as we wash His feet with our tears. Until that day, let us press on in faith clinging to the promises of God in hope.

Signing off

Tyrone

Life and Peace...

(Romans 8:6) “For the mind of the flesh is death; but the mind of the Spirit is life and peace:”

This is why I love the simplicity of scripture, here we have a verse that says it like it is, and we can measure our walk with our Saviour simply and with accuracy if we apply this text to our lives. This morning with the sun yet to rise and the birds hushed in their nests and after a restless night of sleep, my mind races with many thoughts as confusion and death looks to have a piece of me. But now that I sit in front of this keyboard and pen my thoughts the balance of what is true becomes evident, understanding the mind of the spirit, life and peace now grips my soul as I look to my Saviour as God the Holy Spirit renews my mind and helps me feed off that which brings life, the Word of God.

The flesh is an enemy of God, it will never in itself ever find the will to align itself with God’s law, it was an enemy before salvation and it remains an enemy after salvation. The spirit on the other hand will always align itself with the will of God, even if your flesh tries to persuade you otherwise. The qualifying factor that will bring life to any believer is that they have the Spirit of God living with and in them. If a person does not have the Spirit of Christ, then it is simple, they are still dead in their trespasses and sins and they will not understand the mind of the Spirit, how could they? Could a man blind from birth explain a sunrise with accurate detail? Obviously not! It is the same for all who have not been born again and for all who do not have the Spirit of God. Death is their portion and their mind will constantly process death, have you ever wondered why insurance companies do so well. From a young age men and woman lay aside hard earn monies to take out death cover; it is a reality that grabs all and sundry. However, if we have the Spirit of God, to put it simply, if we have believed on the Lord Jesus and His sacrifice for sin on our behalf and we believe in our hearts that God raised Jesus Christ (God in the flesh) from the dead and we confess Him as Lord with our mouths, Paul assures us we will be saved.

Now, because we have the Spirit of God that indwells us, the same Spirit must drive us to seek out God’s will for our lives. Paul explains it like this; “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.” (Romans 8:14)

So when I wake-up with turmoil in my heart after a restless night with my mind trying to convince me of death, the Spirit persuades me that I am a child of God and equips me to feed from the Word of God enabling me to cry Abba Father. Once again the Spirit feeds my mind with life and peace. How I love this great God of ours, He is forever wise and His ways past finding out; yet when He reveals just a glimpse of His character to us, His children; it is sweet to the palate.

I will leave you with this thought; will your day be full of death or life and peace?

“So then, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh:” (Romans 8:12)

The flesh with all of its intellectual reasoning will result in death but the spirit will give life, it will work life and peace into the believer’s heart.

“For if ye live after the flesh, ye must die; but if by the Spirit ye put to death the deeds of the body, ye shall live.” (Romans 8:13)

Father God, I pray you will give us eyes to see and ears to hear what the Word teaches us, your children.

Signing off

Tyrone

Are we Debtors?

(Romans 8:12) “So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh.”

The concept of being in debt is not foreign to any of us. Although debt is something I am familiar with, we are taught in principle to live outside the realm of debt, yet we are indebted to love our brothers as ourselves. “And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.” (Luke 11:4)

In Matthew it is; forgive us our debts, as we forgive: here it is, forgive us our sins; this implies that our sins are our debts. For we forgive; not that our forgiving those that have offended us can merit pardon from God, or be an incentive to Him to forgive us (God forgives for His own name's sake and His Son's sake); but this is a very necessary qualification for forgiveness, and, if God have wrought it in us, we may plead that work of His grace for the enforcing of our petitions for the pardon of our sins: “Lord, forgive us, for you have taught and require from us to forgive others.”

“We plead not only in general, we forgive our debtors, but in particular, “We profess to forgive every one that is indebted to us, without exception. We so forgive our debtors as not to bear malice or ill-will to any, but true love to all, without any exception whatsoever.” (M Henry)

This is very liberating, if and when we find the resolve deep within to call out and find grace to forgive those who have harmed us through life. It is a requirement from our heavenly Father, it is not a request alone but a prerequisite for every child of God, we must forgive all those who have trespassed against us. If God sent His Son to die for us while we were yet sinners and enemies of God, has He not proved His love to us in person by sending His Son our beloved Saviour the Lord Jesus to die in our stead? Did the Lord not cry out, “Father forgive them for they know not what they do!” - “Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.” (Luke 23:34)

We know that is exactly what He cried out on the cross before He breathed His last. The point here is the Lord Jesus calls on His father to forgive all who now crucified Him, you and me! But He also stipulates that we were oblivious to the fact that we crucified God himself and because we didn’t understand what we were doing, as sin had blinded us, and yet in the prayer, “Our Father” the Lord Himself teaches that we must “forgive as we have been forgiven”. No longer can we claim ignorance, being blinded by sin; we are now able to see, God has given life to all His children, we have received the spirit whereby we can cry Abba Father, we can see into heaven, even if our vision is marred at times. And because of all favourable truths that we now understand, we are commanded to forgive those who trespass against us. The instruction is concise and it has no wiggle room for us to manipulate and skew the truth, finding an excuse why we should not forgive our brother. So with that said, if I now choose to ignore God’s instruction it will be to my own peril. I will walk in disobedience and stagnate as I walk in circles like the children of Israel in the wilderness. The manna that was once sweet to my taste will become a stench in my nostrils as I will walk in disobedience not finding the peace of God in my life.

“Be vigilant, be sober, the devil walks around like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour.” Wake up! The war is on. But we know that, let us not be ignorant of the devils devises!

Life is real and challenging at times, we often lose heart, but we (God’s chosen, His Children) understands the system, or at least we should, if you have tasted that the Lord is Gracious. Paul encourages us with these words; “Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him. An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. ” (2Timothy 2:3-5)

We must die with Him in order to live with Him, if we endure with our Saviour we will also reign with Him. Mistake after mistake, I have made, but God who is rich in mercy now affords me an opportunity to once again shake the dust off my knees and press towards the mark of the high calling which is to be found in our Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. If we struggle, we thrash about because we are dull of hearing, not because our God is far from us. He has a great love for us! Yet as the great Father He is, He will teach all His children to obey, and this is hurtful to the saint when they are dull of hearing, nevertheless extremely necessary. Let not our life pursue the wills and emotions of the flesh.

We are debtors to God which we can never pay. But I am a debtor to God’s grace and forgiving mercy; I am no debtor to His justice, for He will never accuse me of a debt already paid. Christ said, “It is finished!” But as far as forgiving my brother who trespasses against me, it is required that I pay the debt, which is to forgive my brother.

Give us strength Father as your children I pray that we would be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, so that your name may be praised and exalted far above any other.

Signing off

Tyrone

Is the Roaring Lion Chained or Free?

(1Peter 5:8) “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”

It is one thing to understand grace by faith as that is a free gift of God; all those called and predestined to be conformed into the image of God’s own Son would understand the free gift of salvation, all would have eyes in which they are now able to see heaven. It may still be rather obscured as if one looked through glass, but nevertheless heaven is visible to all of God’s children. Their spiritual journey has begun; they have all been born again! All who now name Jesus Christ as Lord must flea idolatry? Our understanding and perceptions to life and our drives must begin to take on a different shape. We must no longer store up treasures on earth where moth and rust will destroy, but we must now look to store up perpetual treasures that will last throughout eternity. We need, I need to be constantly reminded about this truth, we do have an enemy that goes around like a roaring lion seeking whoever he may to devour. He is not bound as some suggest; he is very much alive and active and will continue to trip up believers where and when the opportunity presents itself. I agree that far too often we want to blame the devil for our own lusts and weaknesses, when we are drawn away by our own desires. However, he is still very active; yes he was defeated on Calvary, but he still receives permission from God the Father and in fact, it was never to the exclusion of consent that he was afforded the privilege of doing what he wanted whenever he wanted. Even prior to Christ coming to earth and dying on that cruel Roman cross and defeating Satan and all the bulls of Bashan, he still needed permission to inflict God’s chosen. “Then Satan answered the LORD and said, "Does Job fear God for no reason? “Have you not put a hedge around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face." And the LORD said to Satan, "Behold, all that he has is in your hand. Only against him do not stretch out your hand." So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD.”

(Job 1:9-12)

It is very clear that Satan needed permission to come against Job. It is also very clear that Satan needs permission to come against all of God’s children. He does not have free reign, he never did have! But the Apostle Paul gives us endless warnings about this life and the warfare we are and should be involved with. “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.” (Ephesians 6:12)

I would love to know how something that is chained is able to wrestle with us (God’s children). There are some astute scholars that believe that Satan is already chained. I do not for one minute believe this to be true. Like I said he has been restricted to God’s ruling authority, but is very much alive and moving up and down the earth like Peter also teaches; “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” (1Peter 5:8) This is written in the present tense and it was penned after the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, in other words after Christ’s victory on Calvary.

Why do I emphasis this point so strongly, I see so many of us and even many of my dear friends and brothers in Christ who are being hindered in their growth inexplicitly because of this ongoing struggle, “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.” It is as if we have taken a stance against an enemy in battle that is armed to the hilt with modern weaponry and we naively pretend that they do not exist.

To suggest that Satan is already bound, I cannot concur! “Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be released for a little while.”(Revelation 20:1-3)

Nation = “ethnos” the Greek word means gentile, heathen nation or people. This does speak of the victory of Christ over Satan on the cross. Neither the strength of the dragon, nor the subtlety of the serpent, was sufficient to rescue him out of the hands of Christ. Yet Satan still broke out of his prison, by permission so that when we as Christians have victory in our lives, through the testing of the devil, and come through on the other side as victors, then God is Glorified. Job lost all, but in the end God was glorified and Satan proved once again to be a liar before all the angels in heaven. This was Satan’s objective, “stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face." He never did! This was Job’s response, “Then his wife said to him, "Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die. But he said to her, "You speak as one of the foolish women would speak. Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?” “In all this Job did not sin with his lips.” (Job 2:9-10)

Let us not be fooled, this warfare is real; we need the whole armour of God, why would amour be needed if we (children of God) weren’t dodging flaming arrows? Greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world. “Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” (1John 4:4)

So where is Satan, chained in the bottomless pit or in the world? You decided!

Signing off

Tyrone

Considering Paul's Instruction!

Considering Paul’s encouragement and yesterday’s blog, I believe it would be fitting to mention some guidelines we as believers should consider when following a minister of Christ.

“Paul not only preached such doctrine as they ought to believe, but led such a life as they ought to imitate. “Be ye followers of me,” that is, “Be imitators of me; live as you see me live.” He encourages neither implicit faith nor obedience. He would be followed himself no further than he followed Christ.” M.Henry

We must look out for one another, the sheep will hear their Master’s voice; I therefore have this burden upon my heart and it presses home hard at times. “But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction.” (2Peter 2:1)

The bible tells us that in the last days, perilous times will come; people will heap up teachers unto themselves having itching ears, and they will serve God out of a selfish want rather that honouring God as God. The more of self one sees in a man’s ministry the further we must take note of that man and examine what he preaches.

False teaching is not a strange phenomena that should catch us off guard; we have been warned in scripture that this will happen. Let us be wise and diligent in studying scripture and heed the words of Paul, "Imitate Him as much as he imitated Christ", no more or no less.

Here are some guidelines that our late brother C.H.Spurgeon instructs us to look out for when doing a simple check to see if what is being said is the truth or from the mouth of a false teacher;

“it is a remarkable fact that all the heresies which have arisen in the Christian Church have had a decided tendency to dishonor God and to flatter man. They have always had for their covert, if not for their open aim, the exaltation of human nature, and the casting down of the sovereignty of divine grace.”

Robbing God of the glory which is due unto his name, these false prophets would shed a counterfeit lustre upon the head of the rebellious and depraved creature. On the other hand, the doctrines of the gospel, commonly known as the doctrines of grace, are distinguished for this peculiarity above every other, namely, that they sink the creature very low, and present the Lord Jehovah before us as sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up.

So true is this, that the most uneducated Christian may, even if he is incapable of refuting an erroneous discourse, always be able to discover its untruthfulness, if it glorifies man at the expense of God. The merest babe in grace may carry this test with him: in the midst of the diversities of opinion with which he is surrounded, he may always judge, and judge infallibly too, of the truth or falsehood of a doctrine by testing it thus—Does it glorify God?" If it be so it is true.

"Does it exalt man?" Then it must be false.

On the other hand, does it lay man very low, and speak of him in terms which tend to make him feel his degradation? Then doubtless it is full of truth. And does it put the crown upon the head of God, and not upon the head of man's free-will, or free-agency, or good works? Then assuredly it is a doctrine according to godliness for it is the very truth of the Lord our God.

C.H.Spurgeon

The following excerpt is from "Self-Sufficiency Slain," a sermon preached on Sunday morning, 11 November 1860 at Exeter Hall.

This resourced from Pyromaniacs blog site... http://teampyro.blogspot.com/2011/01/simple-test-for-distinguishing-heresy.html

Signing off

Tyrone

Imitators!

(1Corinthians 11:1) “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.”

Possibly the reason Paul starts this chapter with the instruction to imitate him as to the extent in which he imitates Christ was to alleviate any further excuse (lie) which the believers at Corinth may have looked for in finding justification to continue in sin so that grace may abound. In other words, they ignored their conscience and nagging weakness of the flesh and submitted to its will where and when the need arose. When their need for love feasts presented itself, they obliged instead of finding grace to withstand the urge. I believe they had understood that they had been saved by grace through faith, which was a gift of God, so they had understood salvation was a free gift and they could do nothing to earn it. This is true! They like many other Christians (me included) had to be taught the truth behind the lesson of self denial in finding daily sanctification by putting the flesh to death on a daily basis. We all have been sanctified at salvation by the blood of the Lamb, if I belong to the Lord Jesus and I have received the spirit of adoption whereby I am privileged to call out Abba Father, then I am sanctified by the Lord Jesus, nothing I do will justify me in the sight of God outside of His Son, that is the beginning and the end of the story. When God the Father looks upon me and I call out in prayer to Him, He obviously recognises me for who I am but He only acknowledges my prayer request on the merit of His Son my Saviour. I am sanctified by the Lord Jesus, passed, present and future. Where this thought becomes difficult to process correctly, especially as a new believer struggling with the sin in their own life. A believer is told that he is righteous (and he is) because of the merits of the Lord’s work and not his own. This then causes doubt to raise its head and then when this lie gets its claws into the believers understanding, it results in a licence which runs riots in their minds, excusing the sin in their life as expectable. The conflict between the law of God (which is good) and their sinful nature in opposition to one another, with this constant conflict eating them up inside they erred on the side of sin. Instead of putting their body under, so that through suffering they may learn obedience. The church at Corinth were no doubt living like this, were they saved, absolutely! But was what they were doing acceptable? Absolutely not! I believe they had understood salvation and that the law was there to teach then that they could not keep it and that they were sinners and needed a Saviour. They had embraced this truth but they had not understood what the church at Rome had understood. “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?” (Romans 6:1-2)

They now needed to resist temptation when it presented itself and the purpose for us having to resist temptation is so that we can learn obedience. How will I learn obedience if I resist temptation? I learn obedience through suffering; “Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin,” (1Peter 4:1)

In other words through sufferings I will learn to deny my fleshly wants and I will stop sinning. This will be an ongoing process in every believer’s life until he gives up the ghost. I am not suggesting that we will eventually be perfect without any sin in our lives here on earth, but we must resolve our minds to achieve this goal.

What the church at Corinth had not understood, even as I battled to understand, if I was sanctified by the blood of the lamb and I was saved on the Lord Jesus’ merit, then regardless of what I did would change that truth. That is correct no matter what you do, it will never change what Christ achieved on that hill in Golgotha. It may hinder our testimony before others but it will never take away from Christ’s victory, it cannot!

But Paul gives them a yardstick in which to measure their own example here on earth as obedient children and therefore he suggest, “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.” He enforcers the cautions against the abuse of liberty, by his own example: The important point Paul drives home is not that of a cultish mentality, he does not say follow me because I say so and I am your leader, he purposefully says copy me as much as I duplicate Christ’s example. Follow me as much as I follow Christ, and yet he could confidently give this instruction as his example in following his Saviour was a good illustration. We must never follow any leader further than he follows Christ.

What I find very refreshing, and maybe because I was also exposed to this form of discipline in my life. Correcting must come when we are in error; even discipline at times is the only liberating truth that will when it has run its course bring forth fruit in a believer’s life. If we have erred in this area of our understanding as a believer, if we once believed and may still believe that we can continue in sin that grace may abound, we are mistaken, we must understand that there is also an ongoing sanctification that needs to happen in our lives on a daily basis. We must look for grace to put aside the lust that drives us in disobedience against the will of God, our Father. Everything in our lives, both good and bad is to teach us to learn to obey God and to serve Him with a godly fear, in reverence.

My prayer is that we would learn to imitate Paul as he imitated Christ in every area of our lives, may we lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily distracts us from finding obedience to the glory of God our Father, in and through our Saviour, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Signing off

Tyrone

Remembering Him!

(1Corinthians 11:24) “And when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, "This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me."

There must come a time in a believers life when we must conclude that it is now the time to get rid of a particular evil habit, while we cry out to God the Spirit for help in our time of need.

As Spurgeon once put it: “Spread your sail; but remember what you sometimes sing-

“I can only spread the sail;

Thou! Thou! must breathe the auspicious gale.””

But in faith believing that God will act in grace and be full of mercy. We will know when it is time, as the rustling of the trees seem a lot crisper to the ear. We will sense the presence of the Almighty as He breathes upon our infirmity. We will know that God will finally deliver us from the “clutches of habit” and after so many enslaving years in a particular area, we will be set free. The gale of deliverance is at hand but we must make sure we do not miss the passing wind. Our sail must not miss the gust for want of preparation for it. Today is a day like that, we have communion today, how thankful I am for the privilege of examining myself to see if I be in the faith.

“But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged.” (1Corinthians 11:31)

My thoughts are driven to the Lord’s Prayer and the reminder of what the Lord Jesus said to us about prayer; “forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.”

Have I been walking circumspectly before my heavenly Father? If my answer is no, then I am afforded the opportunity to judge myself. The reason I must judge myself, is to free me and liberate me en route for my responsibility I have toward God, so that I will not be judged with the world or by God as I have already honestly judged myself! It is in God the Fathers goodness that He affords all His children this opportunity. But I urge us all; let us not miss this prospect, as it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of an angry God. I must acknowledge my fault, my evil habit or any unkindness to a brother; wherever I lack confession asking God for forgiveness, I pray that my mind would burn with conviction exposing my heart, which in turn will then aid me in finding deliverance. However, I must in the same breathe remember what it cost the Lord to die on that cruel Roman cross for me. I must remember His Death! How do I do that? I must remember to break bread and drink from the cup of the vine; “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.” (1Corinthians 11:26)

I must not forget to seek help from God, to be found more earnest in duty when made stronger in faith; we must all be more constant in prayer when we have more liberty at the throne; When God’s forgiveness passes over us, may we understand its magnitude and delivering power, may our sail that now flaps in the gentle breeze embrace the gust of wing of God as it passes by with healing in its hand. What would be the purpose of this embrace? Its purpose would be to enable us to live holier in our conversation whilst we live more closely with Christ, Glorifying our heavenly Father.

I remember the mirror today and as I look into it, many blemishes are visible to the naked eye. Yet in faith I recall that I am not justified by my own works but by the work that Christ accomplished on Calvary.

I must look for forgiveness through repentance, drinking from the cup of the vine and eating the bread which symbolises the death of the Lord Jesus, and we must do it as often as we would remember Him. That should be every minute of every day, but that is not how this ordinance plays out, however today is a day where we will as a congregation remember Him, and I too will remember Him! Praise the name of Jesus for He alone has accomplished His entire Fathers will. To Him alone will we bow our knees, Amen!

Signing off

Tyrone

Hope!

(Romans 8:25) “But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.”

It is the eye of faith that ignites our hope, we press toward the mark of this high calling of God found in and through our Saviour, Jesus Christ the Lord, and yet we are driven by that which is unseen. We will always look forward as we should in hope, because without hope the people will perish. “Hope that is seen is not hope, for who hopes for what is seen.” In other words once you have attained something it can no longer be hoped for, the objective has been achieved. “Done and Dusted”!

We might hope for a holiday in Cancun Mexico, we have heard good reports and have seen it advertised on TV. We have seen this destination with our eyes via the media and it has ignited a hope in us to save enough money in order to fulfil a dream, a holiday in Mexico! That hope will have a passion strong enough to drive and urge us on to achieve an objective.

Paul makes a suggestion that I want to explore, he says, “But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.” (Romans 8:25)

He suggests that we will pursue this hope more aggressively as we have never seen it as some did, as they were literally transported into heaven. That has never been our experience; a cameraman has not shown us footage of heaven, we read and see it with the eyes of faith.

The harder we struggle and work for something the more we will appreciate it. Common sense tells me that if I have surplus cash in the bank and it has come to me through inheritance and I now decide to go to Cancun for a holiday with the money I inherited will I enjoy my holiday? The answer must be yes! I had a desire to visit Mexico and have now achieved my objective even if it came to me easily and without much toil, but when I consider a man who has saved a portion of his hard earned cash over a period of ten years, so that he may have the same holiday experience that I would have. I must conclude he will appreciate his holiday more than I would. This is the point Paul makes in relation to the turmoil we face on earth as we wait for our inheritance. It may well be a free gift, and it is impossible to buy or earn salvation, that is very true, nevertheless our present state, our happiness is not in present possession: We are saved by hope. In this, as in other things, God hath made our present state a state of trial and probation - that our reward is out of sight. Those that will deal with God must deal upon trust. “So now faith, hope, and love abide...” (1Corinthians 13:13)

Our Faith feeds our hope and our hope fuels our love, they all work in conjunction with each other, and they are not independent entities that work to the exclusion of one another. The hope that one day our bodies will be changed from that which is perishing into a body that will never perish and then also to be like our Saviour's eternal body, and then to imagine that we will be sons of God, doing His will without the potential of failure, what a wonderful thought. Hope for the Christian is one of the principal graces. Faith is the evidence and then hope is the expectation of things not seen. Without faith there can be no hope! Faith is like the mother of hope and she must bear fruit which will result in hope, her fruit is hope! So our faith in God and his promises must ignite hope in our hearts and when trails and temptations seem too hard for us to bear, we will then be able to feed off our hope because our faith has fed our anticipation. Faith of what is unseen but yet hoped for. Although heaven and all its glory is unseen with the naked eye, our spirit bears witness with God's spirit and we have an unexplainable groaning that drives us toward heaven, our awareness as children of God to this reality is as real as the clothes I wear; “And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.” (Roman 8:23)

Who is it then that will make it to heaven? The rest of the text tells us, and I am encouraged by it, regardless of the voices of distraction that lie and endeavourer to deceive...

“For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:29-31)

Hope will drive us to believe that if God is for us who can be against us!

This is why we need to remember the broken body and the shed blood of our Saviour, and we must do this as often as we will remember Him and what it meant for Him to pay the price for us as a church but also as individuals to feed off hope. We must also remember that when the Lord died on the cross we were enemies, how much more now will we be saved by His life as children of God. Grab and squeeze tight for these are the promises to all of God’s children. Faith will fuel our hope which in turn will produce endurance. Let us all trust and believe God’s promises, His name forever be praised, Amen.

Signing off

Tyrone

Beseech!

(Romans 12:1) “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.”

What is the difference between a command and an appeal?

Appeal or as the “KJV” presents it as “beseech”, that is to persuade someone so that they may find comfort in the request, and in this case, the plea is that we present our bodies as a living sacrifice. The word “beseech” is also used as “besought” from it Greek translation (parakaleo). But Paul actually qualifies his request on the basis that we will be able to accomplish this, only because of the mercies of God. “Besought” is a past tense to beseech. Although Paul appeals to all God’s children and his request is in love he nevertheless instructs us to present our bodies to God on the basis of what God through the Lord Jesus Christ has accomplish on our behalf. Because of the Lord’s resurrection, and as we are risen with Him we should now begin to live this loving appeal Paul makes. Yet the word beseech (besought), gives us a clue to the mind of Paul; although there is a call to act in a certain manner, there is also a confidence in Paul’s tone that we will learn to act in a manner that is pleasing to God and he tells us why, because of the mercies of God. The appeal is for us now to hear God’s voice and yet he is confident that we will act on his instruction, hence the word also used in the past tense, as if to say it has already happened. This is what must happen; we must surrender ourselves to God, and so we will lay a good foundation. We must first give all of ourselves unto the Lord; it is our duty to find obedience in Him and to Him. Man consists of body and soul, the body must be presented to Him, the body is for the Lord, and the Lord for the body, I beseech you, brethren. Though Paul as an Apostle might have with authority commanded, yet for love's sake he rather beseeches, that it might come with the more pleasant power. If one is showed kindness then they will probably react in kindness, people are more easily led than driven. That is the heart of Paul’s instruction to us as believers. That is the theory, it is practise we must implement, and we must not only be hearers but doers!

Having said that, my whole life has opposed that instruction, I have never been an exemplary scholar in the field of obedience, but now it is required from me, the war rages on! I must learn to make good choices, and yet I still make so many bad ones. Nevertheless the point we must take from this verse is we must all learn to apply it in our lives, we must realise that this instruction will be to our advantage and it will bring our God glory. We are not instructed to present our souls as a living sacrifice although it is obvious that we must walk in the spirit as we have received life in and through the Spirit of God, we have been born again. We have been instructed to present our bodies as a living sacrifice, why do I struggle so? You would think after so many years of being disciplined, it would now come easily. I am sorry to say that is not the case. A reflection over the last twenty-two years; a broken jaw, a shattered femur, HIV, Sequestration and two divorces and I have not yet given up the ghost.

I am nevertheless comforted that I still confess Jesus Christ as Lord. Will the mercy and grace of God ever be measured? Their vastness is beyond finding out! However we may feel we must nevertheless remember what the Lord accomplished on Calvary. We stand or fall before Him; He alone has earned the right to judge both the living and the dead. We must fall to our knees and call upon Him, He will see us through to the other side, and we must not lose heart. He will accomplish all that He has set out to do.

Maybe it is time to slow down, quieten our hearts and then to listen out for the voice of the Lord. He speaks in so many ways, but He will always instruct through the written Word. Let us not look for signs outside of what has already been penned.

(Hebrews 1:1-2) “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son,...”

Now we must expect no new revelation, but only more of the Spirit of Christ so that we can better understand what has already been written.

Do you not feel in your own soul that perfection is not in you? Does not every day teach you that? Every tear which trickles from your eye, weeps “imperfection”; every harsh word which proceeds from your lip, mutters “imperfection.” You have too frequently had a view of your own heart to dream for a moment of any perfection in yourself. But amidst this sad consciousness of imperfection, here is comfort for you-you are “perfect in Christ Jesus.” In God’s sight, you are “complete in him;” even now you are “accepted in the Beloved.” But there is a second perfection, yet to be realized, which is sure to all the seed. Is it not delightful to look forward to the time when every stain of sin shall be removed from the believer, and he shall be presented faultless before the throne, without spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing? C.H.Spurgeon

Every day we are left with many choices that need to be made, I pray that we will, I will learn to present my body a living sacrifice. The cares of this life look to destroy, but be of good cheer our Saviour has overcome the world and all of its trials.

Signing off

Tyrone

Think!

(Ephesians 3:20) “Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us,”

We are often told in scripture to “think”; this word has a number of meanings, we could find ourselves using it to plot against or manipulate a position so that we "think" we will find favour from God. In other words we walk in the flesh by justifying ourselves by what we have achieved as opposed to what our Saviour achieved on our behalf, we “think more highly than we ort to think”, thinking in a boastful manner, assessing we are better than our brother as we have more understanding than he does, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned, etc. So unless we understand what we should do when the Lord Jesus instructs us to “think”, we might skew the instruction. I may think that because I am seen by my brother in my persistent commitment to an application, then I will justify acceptance because of it, and yet there are areas in my life where I still walk as a slave. God can and will never be fooled, he sees the heart of His children, He knows our inner most secrets, He knows all things, and He also knows the begining from the end.

These are the things I need to think on; I need to ponder His magnificence, and I need to walk with respectful fear, with it constantly making inroads into my life. I must be changed from the inside out not from the outside in. It must be a work of the Spirit. Nevertheless, I must wrestle against the strongman in the areas of my life that he still controls. There are many areas that need changing in my life, my commitment, my attitude, my thankfulness and the list could go on and on. But I must also guard against depression, which is another great ally of Satan; he uses it skilfully to cast down all weak and struggling pilgrims. I need to be sober about all those points mentioned above, but before I am swallowed up by them, I must THINK on Christ and His achievements. My eyes must shift off self and onto to My Saviour, especially when I am downcast and feeble in the knees.

When we think on the Lord Jesus, our memory, affection, and understanding must be exercised on all the things which we had heard, tasted and handled. Christianity is a very personal experience, or at least it should be. God dealing with me in my individual circumstance and teaching me to observe whatsoever I need to pay attention to, so that I may be equipped to do His will. How often have I hashed this, but remember no matter how you feel, if you are still making a botch of the call God has placed on your life, remember this, “He who has begun a good work in you will complete it”. This is the point I look to make today, if we have sinned then we must confess our sin and seek out forgiveness from God. But we must not live in a state of remorse or worldly sorrow; this will only lead to death. Having done that we now need to forget those things that are behind and we need to press on as we THINK on the Lord’s achievements. Our minds need to be filled with life giving substance and if this then is the case in point, we will all begin to walk victoriously in the areas of our lives we so frequently fail in. This will be our lot in life when we Hold Him, and do not let Him go.

The word “ponder,” means to weigh. Make ready the balances of judgment. Oh, but where are the scales that can weigh our Saviour, there are none to be found. His riches and His mercies are immeasurable, they are beyond seeking out. I am floored every time I consider God’s mercy and grace, what a great God! If our understanding cannot comprehend, let our affections arrest; and if we battle to scope the Lord Jesus in the spirit with our thinking, let us clinch to Him in the arms of affection.

There is an inexhaustible fullness of grace and mercy in God, which the prayers of all the saints can never draw dry. Whatever we may ask, or think to ask, God is still able to do more, abundantly more, exceedingly abundantly more.

Signing off

Tyrone

Is love our treasure?

(Matthew 6:21) “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”

At times, I find it hard to read scripture with a clear conscience. I do love and hate the way the Word of God cuts through the smoke screen of my flesh and then goes straight onto the chase to where ones heart is exposed and left bare. This text is like that, even now it cuts deep, “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” All I need to do is honestly be honest with myself in all areas of my life. Sometimes in some areas of my life I may tick the box as checked, but honestly there will always be room for improvement, but those areas do not overly concern me, it is the areas that have a big cross next to them that seriously unease me. How do we measure our love for God? The beloved disciple John, the only one afforded the privileged in finding rest for his head, as he habitually lay upon the chest of the Lord Jesus and there he listened to the steady pounding of His heart beat. The pulse of life beating in his ear! It was his privilege and his alone; if anyone understood the love of God it was John and this is what he teaches on the subject; (1John 5:2) “By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.”

How must our lives prove to one another that we have love one for another, what example will be evident in our lives toward the regenerate (born again children of God). The foundation of it must be our love to God, whose they are: “By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God,”

Our love to them appears to be sound and genuine when we love them not merely upon any secular account, because they are rich, or have knowledge, or kind to us, or have fellowship with us at the same church, but rather because they are children of God and the spirit of God dwells in them, they have also received the gift of salvation, they might differ, actually we will often differ in some areas on understanding, we must be long suffering with each other and pursue unity of the faith. (Ephesians 4:3) "Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." I agree true love will never be to the exclusion of sound doctrine as there is much of that now being bandied about within the so-called Christian ranks. "Saddleback" and the like, but that filth will only affect the goats and not the sheep; the sheep will hear their master’s voice and flee to Him.

Why must we love one another? Because it is a simple requirement from God to us and this will be a yardstick to examine own hearts, if I say I love God and cannot find love for His children, then I am liar and I deceive myself. Let the Word of God penetrate my life so that it destroys the chaff, all that opposes the will of my Father must no longer has any permission and place to my life, it must be driven far from me.

In a sense God’s children are twice His children, they are the offspring of Adam through creation, and I agree they are fallen beings, we all are, but we have been created in the image and likeness of God. They are offspring by creation and they are His sons through adoption in Christ. They all have the privilege of addressing God in this manner; “Our Father which art in heaven.” The Lord Jesus taught this!

Here is authority: If I am a Father, where is my honour? If I am a son, where is your obedience? Here we see affection mingled with authority; an authority which does not provoke rebellion; and yet my life has been filled with rebellion, why and where is it that I continuously erred? I must pin down any area of my life which in turn takes my eyes off my wonderful Saviour. This obedience is not forceful and it does not demand any hard pressed requirements that crushes me and builds resentment in my life to love God. Why then do I stubble in this area of my life? May God have mercy on my soul and on all those who in like manner need help in this area of their lives? The obedience which God’s children yield to Him must be loving obedience. This must become part of my character; I must learn to love as I have been loved. I must not go about in service to God as a slave to his taskmaster’s toil, but run in the way of His commands because it is my Father’s way. We must yield your bodies as instruments of righteousness, because righteousness is our Father’s will, and as a child who has received so much love I would now want to abide in His will, my Father’s will!

Father!-Here is honour and love. How great is a Father’s love to his children! That which friendship cannot do, and mere benevolence will not attempt, a father’s heart and hand must do for his sons. They are his offspring, he must bless them; they are his children, he must show himself strong in their defence. If an earthly father watches over his children with unceasing love and care, how much more does our heavenly Father? Abba, Father! He who can say this, hath uttered better music than cherubim or seraphim can reach. There is heaven in the depth of that word-Father! There is all I can ask; all my necessities can demand; all my wishes can desire. I have all in all to all eternity when I can say, “Father.” C.H.Spurgeon

May God open the eyes of our hearts so that all His children will have a passion of love burning bright for one another, may its flame be seen from afar off and speak sincerely resulting with our own lusts and needs dwindling into insignificance when we consider the needs for our brothers/sisters.

Words are easily voiced and even penned, it is the action to what has been penned that I pray for. Hear my cry, Abba Father; make us all more like our glorious Saviour, even Jesus Christ our Lord! Amen.

Signing off

Tyrone