(J.C. Ryle, 1879) published by Grace Gems
1 Timothy 6:3, "The
doctrine which is according to godliness . . ."
(J.C. Ryle, 1879) published by Grace Gems
1 Timothy 6:3, "The
doctrine which is according to godliness . . ."
Inane things... the conversation of the world.
Through a recent exchange of “semantics” I
believe I have just had a revelation of a fundamental problem within the
Christian church as a whole. It is that we do NOT submit to the Truth of the
Word of God. Duh!
Why not?
A reality of the Old Testament was God’s dealings with the Hebrews. Beginning with calling out one man, Abraham who was called out of the race of men, since there was not yet a “race” of Jews. God worked to bring about a righteous holy people for Himself who would (should) evangelize the world. We’ve all heard the phrase “the best laid plans of mice and men” and in this case God too... “do often go astray.” Yes, indeed! But God is not surprised or foiled... all part of the plan.
I came away from church
this past Sunday with the distinct impression that we (the corporate church
in the world) do not really understand. It wasn’t
“church” that was disappointing... it was the bible teaching, but I’ll confess,
I could be cynical, or I’m naïve and only think I’m cynical.
The Old Testament was (for the Jew) God’s
prophetic message of redemption and
restoration to Israel as a Kingdom of
priests. It was God’s plan for Israel to become a holy nation to then go and reconcile
the rest of the world to God. But they, with exceptions, rebelled continually against
God’s Sovereignty. They never had the faith in God that He would accomplish
what He promised. Israel repeatedly rejected God’s rule over them in their sin
of unbelief. The Old Testament record is of God dealing primarily with the Jews
only. In the 2000 years from Abraham, Gen. 12, to Acts 7, few Gentiles were saved, Eph. 2:11-12.
Charlie Kirk said, “When discourse ends, violence begins.”
And Jesus said, “It is finished.”The dialogue began with Adam (a-dam’ = man). God had much to say to Adam, considering he was a brand new creation, one of his kind, not another like him. Adam may not have had any questions, but God had much knowledge to give him... and a warning-- “Do not eat of that one tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for in the day that you eat of it you, dying you shall surely die” Gen. 2:17. And then the violence began.
Jonah 2:6+9 says, “You have brought up my life from the pit, O Lord, my God. When my soul fainted within me, I remembered the Lord; and my prayer went up to You… Salvation is of the Lord.
There is much in that whole chapter of Jonah that relates to God, and to Jesus, and to Israel, and to us. But I would direct our focus this morning to, “Salvation is of the Lord.” How does God save sinners? By taking the penalty for sin (death) which was due man, onto a body of His own to enter death, undeserving, under His own power wherein death had NO power over Him so He could destroy it, and sin, and satan. That is my nutshell version. There is SO much more there on that theme that you could write a book on it. In fact… He did. You’re holding it.
"What is in the Old concealed, is
in the New revealed" ~Augustine
If you keep reading the Old
Testament you will read about the mysteries of God that even the prophets didn’t
know about as Peter wrote, “Of this salvation the
prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that
would come to you, searching what, or what manner of time (when), the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating
when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories
that would follow (two advents). To
them it was revealed that, not to themselves, but to you they
were ministering the things which now have been reported to you through those
who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things
which angels desire to look into.” 1 Peter 1:10-12.
In Luke 4:18-19 reading
from the NKJV, it says, “The Spirit
of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me
to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty those who are oppressed; To proclaim the acceptable
year of the Lord.”
1 Timothy 1:16 says, However, for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life.
Is there any
misunderstanding as to what this verse says? “For this reason” Paul obtained
mercy... Right? I will address “for what reason” in a moment, but for now, the
verse is saying that Paul obtained mercy because he was a sinner so that Jesus Christ might show forth
His patience AS A PATTERN to those who are “going to” believe on Him for
everlasting life. Can anyone understand this verse differently? Absolutely some
do because they won’t let go of their religion. But this verse is more
complicated because Paul says IN ME FIRST (protos).
In Mark 8, we read a very familiar verse that the whole world has heard at one time or another but disregards as “religion” and they, of course, do not want “religion.”
I heard someone speak, a while ago, about “Questions” in the Bible. If you want to stay busy for a while, chase down and study out those questions. So... in Mark 8:36 we read,
In Mark 15; Luke 23; and John 18 we read
where Jesus is brought before Pilate by the priests and pharisees.
The “church” has failed a
great many sincere believers of that Gospel we first heard, by which we are
saved. The “church” is not that which saves us. It is faith, and nothing else,
in the finished work of Jesus the Christ. As Paul wrote in 1 Cor. 15:1-4,
Moreover, brethren, I declare to you THE gospel
which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by
which also you are saved... that Christ died for our sins according to the
Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day
according to the Scriptures.
Exodus 20:25-26, “And if you make Me an altar of stone, you shall not build it of hewn stone; for if you use your tool on it, you have profaned it. Nor shall you go up by steps to My altar, that your nakedness may not be exposed on it.”
God's altar was to be
built of unhewn stones, so that no trace of human skill or labor would be
applied to it. Human wisdom wants to arrange the gospel into a system, a
religion that is more congenial to the corrupt fallen nature, but instead of
“improving” the message, carnal wisdom pollutes it until it becomes “another
gospel.”
When
a believer begins to discover something of the awful tyranny of the self-life,
or has been endlessly struggling against that tyranny, he becomes intensely
concerned about the denial of self with the resultant freedom to rest and grow
in Christ. Man has many ways of seeking to escape the thralldom (bondage)
of self; God has but one way. First then, some of these man-centered methods.
John 1:10-14 says, He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own (that which belongs to Himself) and His own people (fellow countrymen) did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the power (authority) to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
"Strong objection is offered by Covenant theologians to a distinction between the gospel of the kingdom as preached by John the Baptist, Christ, and the other disciples and the gospel of the grace of God. One of them states that to make such a distinction is “unfortunate” and “dangerous.” He with others contends that the kingdom gospel is identical with the gospel of divine grace. Here nevertheless will arise an absurdity which does not deter this type of theologian, namely, that men could preach the grace gospel based as it is on the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ when they did not believe Christ would die or be raised again (cf. Luke 18:31-34)." ~Lewis Sperry Chafer, founder and first president of Dallas Theological Seminary
In John 13, we read, that at His last Passover on earth,
Jesus washed the disciples’ feet. His chosen were clean once for always because
they were His, not all of course. But they needed their feet washed. Jesus
nevertheless washed Judas’ feet also. And in verse 12 Jesus said,
“Do
You Know What I Have Done Unto You?”
The “church” has failed a great many sincere believers of that Gospel we first heard, by which we are saved. The “church” is not that which saves us. It is faith, and nothing else, in the finished work of Jesus the Christ. As Paul wrote in 1 Cor. 15:1-4, Moreover, brethren, I declare to you THE gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved... that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.
Who can comprehend
the width and length and depth and height of God's love and mercy, displayed in
salvation in Christ Jesus! These are infinite considerations too remarkable for
finite minds.
To be biblically illiterate is to be biblically incompetent. I’m not pointing fingers. This is a fact observed in scripture itself about people who didn’t know what they were doing when "handling" the Word of God! A great admonishment for me to study the Bible myself ! So I do.
2 Tim. 3:16-17 says, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God,
and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction
in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete,
thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
That passage alone is Bible study enough to know that we NEED to study the Bible!
This whole book that we call the Word of God is, in fact, a testimony to CHRIST, Who is from everlasting. CHRIST is from Genesis to Revelation. But how many realize that CHRIST was ordained, called, established, appointed, predetermined, declared, confirmed in eternity before creation. We must understand that God, in His Omniscience, knew the beginning and the end of what He would do. That is, His Divine plan and purpose would require, by His own design, a creation of life, a corruption of that creation, a Law to condemn the corruption, an atonement for that corruption, a people called out of that corruption for His own possession, a sacrifice called out of His people that would overcome the corruption, so that He could bring about His New Creation. That is over-simplified I know. Each theme there is a Bible study of its own.
Great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them all. Matt. 12:15
Let me tell you something else. The saved person does not ask "How close can I get to sin without falling?" They ask, "How close can I get to God?" They don't walk the line between light and darkness. They run from the edge and press into the throne. They want no part of the things that once held them in chains. They don't flirt with the grave they were raised out of. They dance in the freedom of new life, and yet we live in an age where sin is celebrated, where compromise is marketed as wisdom, where holiness is mocked, and truth is considered hate. But you, if you are truly saved, you must be different, you must be set apart, you must shine like stars in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation. You must walk the narrow road even when it is lonely, and yes, it will cost you. The narrow road is never crowded, it's never easy, but it is holy, and it leads to life.
God doesn't want half of your heart.
He wants all of you. He doesn't want weekend worship and weekday rebellion. He
doesn't want lip service and life compromise. He wants the kind of faith that
causes you to burn the bridges to your past, to set fire to your idols, to walk
away from sin without looking back. True salvation is costly. It costs your
pride, it costs your control, it costs your plans. But oh, what it gives in
return...
You cannot cuddle the very sin Christ was crucified for. Salvation is not just about going to heaven, it's about being made holy. It's about God reclaiming what sin tried to destroy. It's about restoration, redemption, renewal. It is the power of God that doesn't just save you from something, it saves you into something... into purpose, into destiny, into sonship, into the image of Christ. The blood of Jesus is not weak.
You say "God knows my heart." Yes He does and that should terrify you if your life doesn't match your lips. He sees the bitterness you hide, the lust you tolerate, the pride you feed, the idols you protect, and He calls you not to condemnation, but to repentance. Repentance is not a one-time event. It is a lifestyle... a daily dying, a constant realigning with God's will. If you haven't wept over your sin in months; if you haven't felt conviction in your soul, then perhaps you've hardened your heart. The Spirit still speaks. The question is “Are you listening?” He convicts, He warns, He calls, but every time you silence His voice, every time you say not now... your heart grows colder, your ears duller, your soul more numb, and eventually the truth that once pierced you no longer moves you. Don't wait until your conscience is too callous to hear Him. Don't gamble with your soul.
A tree is known by its fruit.
So
what does your fruit say? Let the Spirit examine your heart; let the word be
your mirror. Have you truly repented? Have you truly believed? Has grace
changed you or just made you comfortable.
You may carry a Bible in your hand, you may walk through the doors of a church every Sunday, you may wear the cross around your neck and even say grace before meals, but I stand before you today to declare this truth... none of that means you are truly saved. You think you're saved, but this proves you are not because salvation is not a performance, it's not a ritual, it's not a habit you picked up from your parents, or a culture you were born into. It is a radical transformation. It is a death and a resurrection and if your life doesn't bear the marks of that divine interruption, then I say this with love and urgency, you are not saved.
Job 14:14 asks, If a man dies, will he live again?
It sounds like Job wasn’t so sure. Perhaps he asks a rhetorical question? But then in chapter 19:25-27 he
writes, by inspiration of the Holy Spirit we must remember...
I know that my Redeemer lives, and He
shall stand at last on the earth; and after my skin is destroyed, this I know, when
I awake in my flesh I shall see God, I myself will see him, with my own
eyes; I, and not another. How my heart (or soul) yearns within me!
Rom. 15:4 says, For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.
Rev. 2:6, But this you have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
Rev. 2:9, “I
know your works, tribulation, and poverty (but you are rich); and I know the blasphemy
of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a [e]synagogue of Satan.”
Rev. 2:14-15, “But I have a few things against you, because you have there those who hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual immorality. Thus you also have those who hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate.”
“...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Rom. 3:23
But let’s back up to verse 9 a
minute...
Are we
better than the Jew? Not at all. For we have previously charged both Jews and
Greeks that they are all under sin. As it is written:
“When
the Son of Man comes...” Luke 18:8
The question raises the
possibility that when Jesus returns, there might be a decline in faith and a prevalence of doubt or unbelief.
The Word... the Bible is FULL of what God has done and IS
doing FOR us. Beginning before creation, where God, in the counsel of His own
will, ordained Christ and Redemption of the Body of Christ as the culmination
in the execution of His purpose and plan.
What? What do you mean by that?
Well,
if you really want to know, and you really want to believe it, you’ll need to
study that out yourself.
In Col. 2:2-3 Paul says (to churches everywhere), My goal is that their hearts, having been knit together in love may be encouraged, and that they may have all the riches that assurance brings, in their understanding of the knowledge of the mystery of God, which is Christ, in Whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
The mystery of God is Christ!
...and the mystery of Christ is that of the Incarnate
One.
The Mystery of Christ is that God ordained all the treasures of wisdom
and knowledge to be hid in Him from before the foundation of the
world... Christ was brought forth from everlasting.
Faith,
if it has not works, is dead. James 2:17
REALLY? Does one need to “work” (keep
the law) to keep faith? Can you lose your salvation?
Rom. 4:5, But to him who does not work but BELIEVES on Him
who justifies the ungodly, his FAITH is accounted for righteousness.
Are these verses a dichotomy or a
misunderstanding? I have come to learn that these verses, although ripe for
conflict, are a misunderstanding produced and nurtured by the fact that people
cannot separate the Word to believing Jews of the Kingdom, from the Word to the
“called-out” Body of Christ. Many people don’t even know the difference in what
I just said. STUDY!!!
Many people believe Grace and Gospel are synonymous (the same thing), and, in a way, they are. The definitions of these deep, profound words are, for us today in this age, I believe, too simplistic... basic, unsophisticated, adolescent. The Christian (Bible) definition of Grace = “unmerited favor” while the definition of Gospel = “good news.” Many believe the Gospel and Grace “began” with Jesus and the four “gospel” accounts of His ministry.
But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. Matt. 24:37
So, the second coming of Jesus the
Christ will be preceded by a reappearance of events in society as occurred in
the days of Noah before the Flood. What kind of “events?” Well, #1, Gen. 6:5...
“The wickedness of man was great in the earth, and
that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.”
Paul said, The ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the Gospel of the Grace of God. Acts 20:24
Moreover,
brethren, I declare to you THE Gospel which I preached to you,
which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved;
that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He
was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the
Scriptures. 1 Cor. 15:1-4
Believe... and nothing else!
You might say, “What?” What is a gospel? Exactly! That’s a
good question because most people today probably never use that word in the
normal course of conversation. I never
did. Even after someone gave me the definition of “gospel” (good news!)
I do not recall incorporating the term in my conversations. I don’t think I
ever said, “Hey man, check this out... I got some gospel today. I just got a
promotion.” Who says that? The word is foreign to many people outside of
churches. So the word “gospel” we usually hear, if at all, in religious
conversations. And I did not have very many “religious” conversations back
then.
So let’s define G O S P E L.
Kingdom of God; Kingdom of Heaven; Kingdom of the Lord; Everlasting Kingdom; Gospel of the Kingdom; Kingdom of Christ. Distinctions, distinctions, distinctions.
It is so much easier, as many have done, to disregard “distinctions” and just say. “They’re all the same thing.” You go ahead and say that... the Bible makes distinctions; and then I have to find out what they mean!In John 5, Jesus said,
"You search the scriptures for in them you
think you have eternal life and they are they which speak of me.”
So if we look at Proverbs 8 for starters, we read beginning at
verse 1...
There is only one God. Believers and some unbelievers would agree with that. But, “How many expressions of God are we aware of?” I believe most would say, “One.” Any other answer treads on thin, controversial ice, and yet going out where others fear to tread opens a wealth of otherwise missed opportunity and blessings. The safe, comfortable attitude is always, “Go along to get along.” But therein is the spiritual death of the church in the world.
In John 11:35 we read; Jesus wept.
The familiarity of this verse, for many people, lies in the
fact that it is the shortest verse in the Bible. But this is a very profound
verse. It reveals Jesus' perfect human nature and deity in
His compassion for people because He loved them with the perfect love
of John 3:16... “God SO loved
the world...” God expressed His love for His creation in that
verse... and His plan for redemption. This kind of love does not bring a
reserved compassion, but mournful grief for the state of creation. As Isaiah
53:3 says, He was despised and rejected by men,
a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief.