Stand and Feed!

(Micah 5:4) “He shall stand and feed in the strength of the Lord.”

This morning I wish to stop and pause reflecting on self. We can get lost with what is happening around us, I often tend to focus on others without focusing on myself. This is definitely one of my nagging traits. It is all very well to expose error but when we do we become judges, we are called to judge, and this is in accordance with God’s Word, especially when it comes to “sound doctrine”. However, we are never instructed to seek out self-justification as we consider ourselves better than someone else. We are all sinners and need a redeemer, and if we are born again, then we are justified by Christ’s sacrifice and not our own. I wonder why on-going sanctification seems to want to rob us of this if misconstrued. The pat on the back syndrome is never helpful, all it does is sets us up for the fall; “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. It is better to be of a lowly spirit with the poor than to divide the spoil with the proud.” (Proverbs 16:18-19) 

Today is a day to sit back, catch my breath, focus and to listen. At present I need to look for the greatest nourishment a man can receive, the Lord Jesus our great shepherd leads us to green pastures, but will we stand and feed in the strength of the Lord? I pray we will all set aside time for reflection and even the more as we see that day approaching.

“Christ’s reign in his Church is that of a shepherd-king. He has supremacy, but it is the superiority of a wise and tender shepherd over his needy and loving flock; he commands and receives obedience, but it is the willing obedience of the well-cared-for sheep, rendered joyfully to their beloved Shepherd, whose voice they know so well. He rules by the force of love and the energy of goodness.

His reign is practical in its character. It is said, “He shall stand and feed.” The great Head of the Church is actively engaged in providing for his people. He does not sit down upon the throne in empty state, or hold a sceptre without wielding it in government. No, he stands and feeds. The expression “feed,” in the original, is like an analogous one in the Greek, which means to shepherdize, to do everything expected of a shepherd: to guide, to watch, to preserve, to restore, to tend, as well as to feed.

His reign is continual in its duration. It is said, “He shall stand and feed”; not “He shall feed now and then, and leave his position”; not, “He shall one day grant a revival, and then next day leave his Church to barrenness.” His eyes never slumber, and his hands never rest; his heart never ceases to beat with love, and his shoulders are never weary of carrying his people’s burdens.

His reign is effectually powerful in its action; “He shall feed in the strength of Jehovah.” Wherever Christ is, there is God; and whatever Christ does is the act of the Most High. Oh! it is a joyful truth to consider that he who stands to-day representing the interests of his people is very God of very God, to whom every knee shall bow. Happy are we who belong to such a shepherd, whose humanity communes with us, and whose divinity protects us. Let us worship and bow down before him as the people of his pasture.” (C.H.Spurgeon)

“He shall stand and feed in the strength of the Lord.” (Micah 5:4)

Let us therefore feed in the strength of the Lord, Amen!

Signing off

Tyrone

  

God's Army!

(Luke 9:50) But Jesus said to him, "Do not stop him, for the one who is not against you is for you."

The more I unpeel the layers to this topic; “the body of Christ” the more vicious I realize the attack. I love the Word of God so much; it always eventually shines into the areas of our lives that at times seem impossible to get too. It is so full of life! All glory and honour belongs to our King the Word Himself, the Lord Jesus! There are many voices that echo through the night, influencing our thoughts, although many of those voices are indeed helpful, there are many frivolous foolish words spoken by some that would be better left unsaid.

I am thankful that the Lord is bringing me to a head on this topic and as He is the head of the body of Christ, we all need to remember this truth. There seems to be far too many rallying for that position. We would never openly admit that amongst our immediate circle of friends, or family of God. But that position is taken, and how thankful I am for that. The sooner we all learn this, the freer we will be to get on with what God has willed for our lives.

We must remember the warning of James; instability is like water, it moves with the tides and currents. It is not stable like the rock, immovable and sure! We must build upon the rock, the head, Jesus Christ our Lord! We must learn to trust his headship and leave that to Him, if not we will have been lured into Satan’s trap and there are many that find themselves taken at will by his cunningness.

What then are my thoughts this morning? Here goes, please pay careful attention. Here are some of the facts according to the Holy Scriptures; the “body of Christ” is made up of many members, and the Lord Jesus is the head. Every member that He has placed into that body needs each other, whether we think this to be true or not, it is God’s design. Satan’s attack is on that body; so when the opinions of various members of the body endeavors to dominate other members, sin plays its part. The true teachers of God are looking to establish sound doctrine within the body, which we must all be thankful for. But when no place is given to the other members to add their measure, using their God given talent to unify the body and build upon the true rock, then we are not acting in accordance with God’s design. This in turn allows the evil one to cause dissention within the ranks and we end up like water being tossed about. Do not be fooled, we are then rendered useless, unstable in all our ways!

His (devil) purpose is to get us to lose our love one for another and this will happen even the more as we see that day approaching. How do I know this? The Word of God has warned me this will happen, and so it must! But it is important that we do not get drawn into this web of deceit: - “And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold.” (Matthew 24:12)  

“The abating of love; this is the consequence of the former; Because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. Understand it in general of true serious godliness, which is all summed up in love; it is too common for professors of religion to grow cool in their profession, when the wicked are hot in their wickedness; as the church of Ephesus in bad times left her first love, Rev_2:2-4. Or, it may be understood more particularly of brotherly love. When iniquity abounds, seducing iniquity, persecuting iniquity, this grace commonly waxes cold. Christians begin to be shy and suspicious one of another, affections are alienated, distances created, parties made, and so love comes to nothing. The devil is the accuser of the brethren, not only to their enemies, which makes persecuting iniquity abound, but one to another, which makes the love of many to wax cold.

This gives a melancholy prospect of the times, that there shall be such a great decay of love; but, First, It is of the love of many, not of all. In the worst of times, God has his remnant that hold fast their integrity, and retain their zeal (may we be amongst that number-my thought), as in Elijah's days, when he thought himself left alone. Secondly, This love is grown cold, but not dead; it abates, but is not quite cast off. There is life in the root, which will show itself when the winter is past. The new nature may wax cold, but shall not wax old, for then it would decay and vanish away.” (Matthew Henry)

With that said; what must we guard against? We must not do the work of the devil and attack the brethren. Many seem to get on their hobby horse and they keep flogging without any mercy, what is that about! Sure we must recognise the enemy and exposed false teachers and the false prophets but we must also remember that those who are for the Lord Jesus, are not against Him. Do you remember the disciple’s dilemma when they encountered others preaching the gospel and casting out demons? What did they do? They tried to prohibit those who weren’t with them to stop preaching, but the Lord was not happy with them and this was His response; “John answered, "Master, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he does not follow with us." But Jesus said to him, "Do not stop him, for the one who is not against you is for you." (Luke 9:49-50) – Note, what I find interesting here is the word “you”, the Lord stresses that they are on the same side and fighting alongside one another, they wore the same coat of arms, even though they were not following the disciples and what they had come to understand as truth, and let’s face it they walked and talked with the Lord in person and had a greater understanding than those who had not walked with the Lord, or at least they should have had. I trust we take note of this!

Do you see the body principle in operation here? I do! God give us eyes to see, and to distinguish between our brothers and the enemy, we often end up attacking the wrong people. And not for one minute am I condoning the false teachers and prophets, if you know me well enough you would know that I am vexed by what they propagate, they are the enemies of God. But not all fall into this category. We need wisdom to differentiate between the two and this is what we then pray for Father God. Give us eye to see and help us lock hands with our brothers wherever they may be situated across the globe and help us guard against the love of many waxing cold.

I see another great attack and that is on the gifts of God, so until tomorrow then…

Signing off

Tyrone    

  

A clear Instruction!

(Proverbs 12:15) “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice.”

What an amazing contrast between the wise and the foolish. This truth can be witnessed throughout all of scripture, great emphasis is place on the difference extremes in one’s rational and many examples have been used through time to illustrate the point. The wise have peace with God but the foolish often lay licking their wounds. Obviously life is a journey and it is there to teach us to become wise.

Yet in the back of my mind I still seek out an answer for our (my) deliberation, our role in the body of Christ. My friend Malcolm reminded me that after salvation we are baptized into the body of Christ, not that I did not know this, but a reminder is sometimes needed. We are the church and if so we must take up our roles with more urgency.

Interestingly I have been lead to examine the difference between the wise and the fool. Like I have mentioned before I do not believe in co-incidences and neither should you, not if you believe in the sovereignty of God. Everything has been mapped; all we need do is find the path and seek out God’s wisdom for our lives; - “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” (Hebrews 10:24) - Anything outside of this must be classed as foolish.

Our journey does however consist of many different categories and I think Paul best explains it; “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12:2) – And yes, life is a test, which will help us determine what God’s will is for our lives and we see that our lives consists of what is acceptable, good and perfect. Some facets being more importance than others in our lives…

Where we live and what standing we may have amongst our community would fall under the “acceptable”, whether we drive a car or catch taxis has very little bearing on the perfect will of God. Our financial status has very little relevance on God’s perfect will. All we have been taught by scripture is to owe no man anything, except to love our neighbour as ourselves: - “Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed. Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.” (Romans 13:7-8) 

We must grow to understand that any debt is not part of God’s will, this is clear from scripture; The Lord Jesus has paid the debt for our sin in full, by dying of that cruel roman cross, a picture of God’s perfect will. Do we see the principle that should be taken into our lives as we learn to live accordingly? Debt in any form or shape is not the will of God! Now obviously I speak after our old natures, anything to do with sin must be pushed aside, or at least we must will it out of our lives. We must give no opportunity to the flesh if we want to find God’s will for our lives, at times, easier said than done, but nevertheless the truth. We are in fact debtors, not to the flesh, but to the Spirit of God. And yes this is the perfect will of God; can this be proved?-“So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to 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. 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!"” (Romans 8:12-15) 

What now of our roles in the body of Christ, it is obvious that it is God’s will that we find our place as active members in His church, remembering that we are part of the bride of Christ. What partner in any upcoming marriage is not involved with their partner and the upcoming wedding arrangements? How can it then be any different for us if we are not willing to get involved with other brothers and sisters in Christ? I think we sometimes forget that we are only a piece of the puzzle, one member of His body and that without the other members we are rendered useless. Have you ever seen a nose operating independently of its body? How ridiculous, but I say it is no different if we look to operate independently outside of the body of Christ; - “But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, "I have no need of you," nor again the head to the feet, "I have no need of you." On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.

Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.” (1Corinthians 12:18-27)

We must learn to actively take up our role in a local church, wherever we may find ourselves.   

With that said what of my dilemma? I am fully persuaded that God’s perfect will for every believers life is to take up their place in  the body of Christ (the church), but what is one to do if one sees error? Two wrong definitely do not make a right, all it does is compounds the error.

This topic is far from over, until tomorrow then…

Signing off

Tyrone

God Given Talents!

(1Corinthians 12:27)  “Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.”

Let us continue to consider the “body of Christ”, making sure we are faithful to the gifts we have been given. That is quite a mouthful. On reflection at present I see myself as an antique dealer. No, that description would be to generous, an antique hoarder is more like it! What a travesty, but having said that it would be worse to wallow in these considerations than to get on with the task at hand, which would be to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling. So, let’s move on…

The parable of the talents comes to mind and interestingly enough this chapter comes after that all informative chapter in Matthew 24 on the “end times” and what we are to be on the lookout for.

“Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.” For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master's money.” (Matthew 25:13-18) 

“Here is a practical inference drawn from this parable (Mat_25:13); Watch therefore, We had it before (Mat_24:42), and here it is repeated as the most needful caution. Note, 1. Our great duty is to watch, to attend to the business of our souls with the utmost diligence and circumspection. Be awake, and be wakeful. 2. It is a good reason for our watching, that the time of our Lord's coming is very uncertain; we know neither the day nor the hour. Therefore every day and every hour we must be ready, and not off our watch any day in the year, or any hour in the day. Be thou in the fear of the Lord every day and all the day long.” (Matthew Henry)

May God instil in each of His wondering children a godly fear, with the mind-set as watchmen scouting the horizon for His appearing, as if our life depends upon it, for it does!

“We have here the parable of the talents committed to three servants; this implies that we are in a state of work and business, as the former implies that we are in a state of expectancy. That showed the necessity of habitual preparation, this of actual diligence in our present work and service. In that we were stirred up to do well for our own souls; in this to lay out ourselves for the glory of God and the good of others.

In this parable, 1. The Master is Christ, who is the absolute Owner and Proprietor of all persons and things, and in a special manner of his church; into his hands all things are delivered. 2. The servants are Christians, his own servants, so they are called; born in his house, bought with his money, devoted to his praise, and employed in his work. It is probable that ministers are specially intended here, who are more immediately attending on him, and sent by him. St. Paul often calls himself a servant of Jesus Christ. See 2Ti_2:24.

We have three things, in general, in this parable.

I. The trust committed to these servants; Their master delivered to them his goods: having appointed them to work (for Christ keeps no servants to be idle), he left them something to work upon. Note, 1. Christ's servants have and receive their all from him; for they are of themselves worth nothing, nor have any thing they can call their own but sin. 2. Our receiving from Christ is in order to our working for him. Our privileges are intended to find us with business. The manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. 3. Whatever we receive to be made use of for Christ, still the property is vested in him; we are but tenants upon his land, stewards of his manifold grace, 1Pe_4:10. Now observe here,

(1.) On what occasion this trust was committed to these servants: The master was travelling into a far country. This is explained, Eph_4:8. When he ascended on high, he gave gifts to men. Note, [1.] When Christ went to heaven, he was as a man travelling into a far country; that is, he went with a purpose to be away a great while. [2.] When he went, he took care to furnish his church with all things necessary for it during his personal absence. For, and in consideration of, his departure, he committed to his church truths, laws, promises and powers; these were the parakatathēkē - the great depositum (as it is called, 1Ti_6:20; 2Ti_1:14), the good thing that is committed to us; and he sent his Spirit to enable his servants to teach and profess those truths, to press and observe those laws, to improve and apply those promises, and to exercise and employ those powers, ordinary or extraordinary. Thus Christ, at his ascension, left his goods to his church.

(2.) In what proportion this trust was committed. [1.] He gave talents; a talent of silver is computed to be in our money three hundred and fifty-three pounds eleven shillings and ten pence halfpenny; so the learned Bishop Cumberland. Note, Christ's gifts are rich and valuable, the purchases of his blood inestimable, and none of them mean. [2.] He gave to some more, to others less; to one five talents, to another two, to another one; to every one according to his several ability. When Divine Providence has made a difference in men's ability, as to mind, body, estate, relation, and interest, divine grace dispenses spiritual gifts accordingly, but still the ability itself is from him. Observe, First, Every one had some one talent at least, and that is not a despicable stock for a poor servant to begin with. A soul of our own is the one talent we are every one of us entrusted with, and it will find us with work. Hoc nempe ab homine exigiture, ut prosit hominibus; si fieri potest, multis; si minus, paucis; si minus, proximis, si minus, sibi: nam cum se utilem caeteris efficit, commune agit negotium. Et si quis bene de se meretur, hoc ipso aliis prodest quod aliis profuturum parat - It is the duty of a man to render himself beneficial to those around him; to a great number if possible; but if this is denied him, to a few; to his intimate connections; or, at least, to himself. He that is useful to others, may be reckoned a common good. And whoever entitles himself to his own approbation, is serviceable to others, as forming himself to those habits which will result in their favour. Seneca de Otio Sapient. Secondly, All had not alike, for they had not all alike abilities and opportunities. God is a free Agent, dividing to every man severally as he will; some are cut out for service in one kind, others in another, as the members of the natural body. When the householder had thus settled his affairs, he straightway took his journey. Our Lord Jesus, when he had given commandments to his apostles, as one in haste to be gone, went to heaven.” (Matthew Henry)

We all seek out our own role in the body of Christ (the local church) we must be of this mind-set. But to what extent are we commanded to compromise, if that in fact is what we are meant to do? I still have not arrived at any conclusion, except to say this, if you find yourself not attending a church for personal reasons, and not doctrinal motives then you would be at fault and on dangerous ground. Father God help us, be about your business and not our earthly passions I pray! Help us to distinguish between the two, Amen!

More must be explored on this topic, so until tomorrow then…

Signing off

Tyrone

Grace!

(2Corinthians 12:9) “But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."”

My life seems to be so full of constant questions, and it can be a bit overwhelming at times. So many thoughts and yet with what appears to be so little victory. There is no doubt, place for all these thoughts, and we are instructed to reason with a sober mind, but I wonder how often we play into the hand of the enemy. The pendulum of reason tends to swing with extremities for so many and I am amongst that number. What child does not want to please his father? Some children are naturally talented on the sports field while others just do not have the gift, but put both on a field and they will each look to shine and win their father’s praise. No, in fact the one with less talent will need his father’s praise even the more!

I so often tend to forget that it is by grace we have been saved through faith, and that is a gift of God. This morning I feel for the fainting warrior, those who lag behind the rest as they struggle to keep pace with the bunch, I am often in that pack, but as soon as I pick up the pace and make my way to the front, it is not long before I once again am humbled and seem to be picking up the rear. I forget that it is by grace that I have been saved! Does this happen to every Christian? Yes it does and it must be part of our experience. Why one may ask? Because it keeps us humble! Some of us probably live most of our lives in a confused state as we often ask the question, why? I must confess that I am one prone to pride and therefore need to be often humbled. But we must not resent this but rather be thankful for it, God is on our side, praise His name!

Let us never forget that it is by grace that we have been saved, and that is a gift of God, not of works lest anyone ends us boasting. It is God’s brilliant design to keep us calling out to Him. Remember the Apostle Paul, probably the greatest of all the Apostles according to the flesh, if there could ever be such a title, we know that there could never be such a designation, but for the sake of this illustration let’s look at his life as our example and we see even through this great man’s example that God sent a messenger of Satan to buffet him; “So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited.” (2Corinthians 12:7)

I wonder how often we bog ourselves down with our failed lives as Christians. When all it is, is a thorn in the flesh to keep us humble? I suppose it gets tricky if we use it as an excuse to justify sin in our lives. Nevertheless this was what God chose for Paul’s life in this area of his life. We see him wrestling with his own weakness; Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” (2Corinthians 12:8-9) – We must learn to accept the things we cannot change and remember that it is by grace we have been saved through faith and that it is a gift of God. Our persuasion must give place for wanting to live more Godly in Christ and sometimes that means we should stop fighting for the things we cannot change. God give us eyes to see the difference between excusing sin and accepting the fact that we have been saved by grace and it is not about our abilities but the accomplishment of what Christ achieved on that cruel Roman cross as He defeated sin and the devil.

So until tomorrow, with that now in mind; Lord willing, let us move on with yesterday’s blog; finding our place in the body of Christ.

Signing off

Tyrone

    

    

Our Role in God's Church... part 1!

(1Corinthians 12:27)  “Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.”

To be led by the Spirit of God, what does that look like? What Instruction does the Bible give us concerning this all important coaching? Just maybe I have not been as diligent as I should have, this is now a lot more urgent than we could ever imagine, not only when you prepare for church on Sunday or I for my blog, but we must constantly seek it out. Why is this truth pivotal? If not, we will lose our way! Just maybe I have lost my way concerning the “body principle” (my role as an active member in the church), this is God’s design for every believe, we must work it out with fear and trembling and not find ourselves going down a road that is according to our own good pleasure and not God’s designed preference for our lives.

Why is it that I now am not actively involved with a church and why is it that I resist all the church’s I visit? I like to believe that I see them not sticking to God’s design as He has intended for all his people, most have a man centered ideology linked to it in one form or another. Or is it my own divisive heart that leads me to believe this? These are serious considerations! Are my objection justified or am I playing into the hand of the evil one?

Do not be fooled, Satan is very skillful with his troublesome poisonous arrows and he constantly shoots them at our understanding on this topic. How so? He does it no differently to us, in the way he did it to the Lord Jesus, when He was here on earth. Let me explain; He manipulates the use of scripture and thus propagates confusion amongst the brethren. We understand that God is sovereign and He has allowed this to happen, why? - It in turn, will fashion us into the people we are, it will work out for our good; that is, if we love God and if we have been called by God according to His purpose. Our understanding must hinge on this truth. If not we beat the air as a hopeless man and at will are lead astray by the devils fiery darts. This is by no means a simple topic, but very needful that we investigate its direction for our lives. And once again it is the Word of God that is our final authority. Nothing else will suffice!

A good place to start would be to look at the devils plot against the Lord Jesus; “Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. And the tempter came and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread." But he answered, "It is written, "'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.'" - (The Word of God is more important than daily bread- my thought) - Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, "'He will command his angels concerning you,' and "'On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.'" Jesus said to him, "Again it is written, 'You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.'" – (We do not have the prerogative to test our God even though we are his children- my thought) - Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to him, "All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me." Then Jesus said to him, "Be gone, Satan! For it is written, "'You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.'"” – (Nothing in our lives should take preference in serving Him and His will for our lives- my thought) - (Matthew 4:1-10)

As I believe I stand on the Word of God to justify my position on this topic and I possibly have been blinded by my own obsession, I believe it would be wise to get another brothers perspective on this text, an unbiased one, a trusted man who simply deals with the text as it has been written and hopefully learn from him.

This topic may also need a number of posts to arrive at its conclusion as I believe we will have to travel slowly in seeking out answers for God’s direction to these areas of our lives.

It is needful to first lay down a foundational setting and that is exactly what Matthew Henry does…

“We have here the story of a famous duel, fought hand to hand, between Michael and the dragon, the Seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent, nay, the serpent himself; in which the seed of the woman suffers, being tempted, and so has his heel bruised; but the serpent is quite baffled in his temptations, and so has his head broken; and our Lord Jesus comes off a Conqueror, and so secures not only comfort, but conquest at last, to all his faithful followers. Concerning Christ's temptation, observe,

I. The time when it happened: Then; there is an emphasis laid upon that. Immediately after the heavens were opened to him, and the Spirit descended on him, and he was declared to be the Son of God, and the Saviour of the world, the next news we hear of him is, he is tempted; for then he is best able to grapple with the temptation. Note, 1. Great privileges, and special tokens of divine favour, will not secure us from being tempted. Nay, 2. After great honours put upon us, we must expect something that is humbling; as Paul has a messenger of Satan sent to buffer him, after he had been in the third heavens. 3. God usually prepares his people for temptation before he calls them to it; he gives strength according to the day, and, before a sharp trial, gives more than ordinary comfort. 4. The assurance of our sonship is the best preparative for temptation. If the good Spirit witness to our adoption, that will furnish us with an answer to all the suggestions of the evil spirit, designed either to debauch or disquiet us.

Then, when he was newly come from a solemn ordinance, when he was baptized, then he was tempted. Note, After we have been admitted into the communion of God, we must expect to be set upon by Satan. The enriched soul must double its guard. When thou has eaten and art full, then beware. Then, when he began to show himself publicly to Israel, then he was tempted, so as he never had been while he lived in privacy. Note, The Devil has a particular spite at useful persons, who are not only good, but given to do good, especially at their first setting out. It is the advice of the Son of Sirach (Ecclesiasticus 2:1), My son, if thou come to serve the Lord, prepare thyself for temptation. Let young ministers know what to expect, and arm accordingly. II. The place where it was; in the wilderness; probably in the great wilderness of Sinai, where Moses and Elijah fasted forty days, for no part of the wilderness of Judea was so abandoned to wild beasts as this is said to have been, Mar_1:13. When Christ was baptized, he did not go to Jerusalem, there to publish the glories that had been put upon him, but retired into a wilderness. After communion with God, it is good to be private awhile, lest we lose what we have received, in the crowd and hurry of worldly business. Christ withdrew into the wilderness, 1. To gain advantage to himself. Retirement gives an opportunity for meditation an communion with God; even they who are called to the most active life must yet have their contemplative hours, and must first find time to be alone with God. Those are not fit to speak of the things of God in public to others, who have not first conversed with those things in secret by themselves. When Christ would appear as a Teacher come from God, it shall not be said of him, “He is newly come from travelling, he has been abroad, and has seen the world;” but, “He is newly come out of the desert, he has been alone conversing with God and his own heart.” 2. To give advantage to the tempter, that he might have a readier access to him than he could have had in company. Note, Though solitude is a friend to a good heart, yet Satan knows how to improve it against us. Woe to him that is alone. Those who, under pretence of sanctity and devotion, retire into dens and deserts, find that they are not out of reach of their spiritual enemies, and that there they want the benefit of the communion with saints. Christ retired, (1.) To make his victory the more illustrious, he gave the enemy sun and wind on his side, and yet baffled him. He might give the Devil advantage, for the prince of this world had nothing in him; but he has in us, and therefore we must pray not to be led into temptation, and must keep out of harm's way. (2.) That he might have an opportunity to do his best himself, that he might be exalted in his own strength; for so it was written, I have trod the wine-press alone, and of the people there was none with me. Christ entered the lists without a second.” (Matthew Henry)

Much food for thought so let us withdraw as we follow our dear brother’s instruction and draw aside as we seek out answers for our lives; “and must first find time to be alone with God.”

Let us do exactly that, as we look to commune with Him privately and alone in our closets. Pray for me, and pray for yourselves as it is essential that we get to grips with our role in the body of Christ (the church), we must work out how we fit into God’s plan in this area of our lives.

Until tomorrow then,

Signing off

Tyrone

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