I meet and hear about people all the time who say that they are failing to live up to the "Christian standard". Our churches are full of them. For instance, there is a man (we will call him Dale) who always talks about how he just doesn't have the motivation to get up before work to read his bible and have his devotions. Dale can't pray enough, can't witness, can't do enough to feed his insatiable drive for righteousness in trying to please God. Dale also can't overcome sin in his life, mainly his addiction to pornography. All the while Dale is tremendously proud of his righteousness to the point where he said to me, "If someone accused me of not being man enough, I would tell him, you try living the Christian life". In his attempt to come across as humble and contrite, you can see his pride come oozing out of every orifice. It is sick folks. Almost certainly Dale's problem is, he is still under the law. His thought process is that if he does enough, if he strives hard enough, God will be so pleased and will want him in his heaven for eternity. This is also what most of modern Christianity teaches. That is just plain old natural religion. It is not Christianity and it is not gospel because Muslims believe the same thing. Most of our churches teach that if you keep striving, grasping for one commandment after another, as a knot in a rope, that you will reach God. There is no gospel in that. Most of the emphasis and focus in church meetings is living holy lives and feeding this inherent desire we have to make it right with God. We know we haven't lived right and now we want to say sorry to God and try to live right, to please Him. That is not Christianity. All religions teach that. So if you are in this boat of trying and failing, what do you do? Just give up and quit trying? That doesn't seem right.
What Dale and everyone else like him need to understand is that your righteousness will never measure up. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. It doesn't matter that you haven't sinned as much as the next man. It doesn't matter that you lived a pretty righteous life. A world class longjumper still could not jump over the Grand Canyon. He would fall short every time he tried. The same way, you cannot go to heaven on your own righteousness. If you are trusting in your good works, you will fail. You will fall short. If you're trusting in the way you have lived to get you to God, you will utterly fail. So you say, "What must I do?" Well the problem is it is too late to do anything to make it right. Your problem is your question. Let me ask you, WHAT DID JESUS DO SO YOU COULD BE SAVED? He died on a cross, right? Where did all your sin go? On Jesus and then into the grave, right? So if Jesus died and shed his blood so you could be saved, then why all the striving? Why keep trying to make it right with God when Jesus already did? Just put your trust in what Jesus did and rely on that with all your heart. Stop trusting in your good works! Stop focusing on living right and start focusing on Jesus! Stop being beguiled with enticing words that tell you that what Jesus did is insuficient. Jesus is all you need. You don't need counseling. you don't need self help. All you need is Jesus. That is it. I am done. This is the cure for all that ails you. You put your trust in Him and you'll find you have all the motivation you need to overcome any sin or whatever else stands in your way.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
A Little of My Experience
I just feel the urge to write about how wonderful it is to be a born again Christian. Most of you know me and know that I don't usually show a lot of emotion. I don't go around grinning like an idiot, is what I mean. But inside, man I just love life.
Check this out. I have the same car that I had before I got became a Christian, I got the same pickup, I got the same guns (well... a couple more now), I still hunt, I still backpack, I still like Nascar, hockey... I still live in the same house and have the same job as I had before. Also, if I took a non believer and had him observe my life, he would say, "Wow, your life is everything but exciting. You don't go out and party, go on dates, or even just hang out with friends a whole lot. Your life sure doesn't look like fun." On the exterior, many things are the same... But EVERYTHING is different and where before I was miserable, now I am full of joy. How could this be? It doesn't make any sense.
Herein lies the thing. My joy now, doesn't hinge on seeking pleasure. It doesn't lie in doing good things. It doesn't lie in going to a church meeting. The joy I speak of doesn't even hinge on the people in my life. My joy doesn't even hinge on anything that happens moment by moment in my experience. I am not saying that I don't get joy out of these things. I do, but it is nothing compared to the joy from the hope I got inside. Now some of you know what I'm talking about but if you don't, your missing something, and you need to get it because it's good.
A little background... Most of my life I wasn't saved. Most of my life I was miserable. I didn't really recognize it at the time, I just thought that that's the way it is. It was normal. So to try and be less miserable I sought pleasure. If I could just keep my mind occupied long enough so the loneliness and sadness wouldn't creep in, I'd be ok. I looked fondly at my childhood because things were good then. No responsibility, no guilt... Just carefree living and having fun. Friends, when I look back... I was bitter. I was miserable. Life really did suck. I don't blame the unbeliever for saying, "Life is a b@#ch." It was.
Lets get to the good part. Long story short, I got born again. Everything changed. The whole aura of my life changed. I no longer liked listening to sad or dark music. It no longer fit my mood. A lot of my tastes changed. The amount of time I spent doing meaningless things, dropped. I thought about Jesus all the time, without purposing to. I desired to read my bible more, and I now understood it. I would wake up at sometimes three o'clock in the morning thinking about bible doctrine. This doesn't just happen by accident. You don't suddenly develop a hunger for the bible doctrine, without some sort of supernatural work. You don't just tell your buddies that you would rather not get drunk, you would rather stay home and read your bible. You don't suddenly have feelings of love for people that you never cared for before. You don't suddenly develop a hunger for righteousness and a pure hatred for sin, just by accident from one day to the next. You don't suddenly develop the strength to resist the sin that continuously is victorious over this body of flesh . It just doesn't happen randomly! It doesn't.
This might sound a little fruity, but I would (and still do) go for walks through the woods and just marvel at things that before I thought were stupid. I'm all by myself (grinning like an idiot) looking at different plants, bugs, trees, the sky, and just praising God! Praising Him for how beautiful He made everything but mostly, Thanking Him for sending His only begotten Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to die on a cross, where I deserve to be. Thanking Jesus for His righteousness and His shed blood. Just glorying in the finished work of Christ. Walking down the trail, with a new awareness of His presence and knowing that we are now on the same side. Knowing that if I ascend into heaven, thou art there, if I make my bed in hell, behold thou art there. (psalm 139:8).
The whole point here is that, all my joy is not dependant on my experience. All my joy hinges on something that happened outside of my experience. Think about that! If your joy is dependant on something outside of your experience, you are truly free! All my joy comes from a knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. All my joy comes not from the life I live, but from the FINISHED work of Christ. Nothing left for me to do, but believe. That just thrills me! Throw religion aside! All you need is Jesus!
What I've got... It's good! If you haven't got it... you must. Eternity depends on it! If at one point in your life you didn't get different desires, if you didn't hate the sin you used to do, if you didn't hunger for righteousness... then you need to get what I got. If there was never a new hunger for Jesus, for knowledge and for truth, then you need to get what I got. If your "Christian life" is based on a decision you made or a prayer you prayed, then you don't have it, and you need to get what I got. You can't do anything to earn it. And don't go trying to stir something up. Don't go try to do something righteous so you can be sure. You can't put the horse behind the cart. The bible says faith comes by hearing. The bible says you are saved from the wrath of God (eternal damnation) by faith in Jesus Christ. Faith, not in the good works you do but, faith that what Jesus did is sufficient for you to get to heaven. It's a gift.
This is important. Get this straight! A person is saved by faith (believing)in Jesus, and how does one believe? You examine the evidence (hearing) and when you are convinced, you will believe it. You must believe. Deciding to believe is not enough. So you need to hear the Gospel. And you need to hear the true gospel. For the true gospel go to http://nogreaterjoy.org/ and listen to the free commentary on Romans download. If you listen with an open heart and a desire for God, it will totally change your present life and your eternal life.
Check this out. I have the same car that I had before I got became a Christian, I got the same pickup, I got the same guns (well... a couple more now), I still hunt, I still backpack, I still like Nascar, hockey... I still live in the same house and have the same job as I had before. Also, if I took a non believer and had him observe my life, he would say, "Wow, your life is everything but exciting. You don't go out and party, go on dates, or even just hang out with friends a whole lot. Your life sure doesn't look like fun." On the exterior, many things are the same... But EVERYTHING is different and where before I was miserable, now I am full of joy. How could this be? It doesn't make any sense.
Herein lies the thing. My joy now, doesn't hinge on seeking pleasure. It doesn't lie in doing good things. It doesn't lie in going to a church meeting. The joy I speak of doesn't even hinge on the people in my life. My joy doesn't even hinge on anything that happens moment by moment in my experience. I am not saying that I don't get joy out of these things. I do, but it is nothing compared to the joy from the hope I got inside. Now some of you know what I'm talking about but if you don't, your missing something, and you need to get it because it's good.
A little background... Most of my life I wasn't saved. Most of my life I was miserable. I didn't really recognize it at the time, I just thought that that's the way it is. It was normal. So to try and be less miserable I sought pleasure. If I could just keep my mind occupied long enough so the loneliness and sadness wouldn't creep in, I'd be ok. I looked fondly at my childhood because things were good then. No responsibility, no guilt... Just carefree living and having fun. Friends, when I look back... I was bitter. I was miserable. Life really did suck. I don't blame the unbeliever for saying, "Life is a b@#ch." It was.
Lets get to the good part. Long story short, I got born again. Everything changed. The whole aura of my life changed. I no longer liked listening to sad or dark music. It no longer fit my mood. A lot of my tastes changed. The amount of time I spent doing meaningless things, dropped. I thought about Jesus all the time, without purposing to. I desired to read my bible more, and I now understood it. I would wake up at sometimes three o'clock in the morning thinking about bible doctrine. This doesn't just happen by accident. You don't suddenly develop a hunger for the bible doctrine, without some sort of supernatural work. You don't just tell your buddies that you would rather not get drunk, you would rather stay home and read your bible. You don't suddenly have feelings of love for people that you never cared for before. You don't suddenly develop a hunger for righteousness and a pure hatred for sin, just by accident from one day to the next. You don't suddenly develop the strength to resist the sin that continuously is victorious over this body of flesh . It just doesn't happen randomly! It doesn't.
This might sound a little fruity, but I would (and still do) go for walks through the woods and just marvel at things that before I thought were stupid. I'm all by myself (grinning like an idiot) looking at different plants, bugs, trees, the sky, and just praising God! Praising Him for how beautiful He made everything but mostly, Thanking Him for sending His only begotten Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to die on a cross, where I deserve to be. Thanking Jesus for His righteousness and His shed blood. Just glorying in the finished work of Christ. Walking down the trail, with a new awareness of His presence and knowing that we are now on the same side. Knowing that if I ascend into heaven, thou art there, if I make my bed in hell, behold thou art there. (psalm 139:8).
The whole point here is that, all my joy is not dependant on my experience. All my joy hinges on something that happened outside of my experience. Think about that! If your joy is dependant on something outside of your experience, you are truly free! All my joy comes from a knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. All my joy comes not from the life I live, but from the FINISHED work of Christ. Nothing left for me to do, but believe. That just thrills me! Throw religion aside! All you need is Jesus!
What I've got... It's good! If you haven't got it... you must. Eternity depends on it! If at one point in your life you didn't get different desires, if you didn't hate the sin you used to do, if you didn't hunger for righteousness... then you need to get what I got. If there was never a new hunger for Jesus, for knowledge and for truth, then you need to get what I got. If your "Christian life" is based on a decision you made or a prayer you prayed, then you don't have it, and you need to get what I got. You can't do anything to earn it. And don't go trying to stir something up. Don't go try to do something righteous so you can be sure. You can't put the horse behind the cart. The bible says faith comes by hearing. The bible says you are saved from the wrath of God (eternal damnation) by faith in Jesus Christ. Faith, not in the good works you do but, faith that what Jesus did is sufficient for you to get to heaven. It's a gift.
This is important. Get this straight! A person is saved by faith (believing)in Jesus, and how does one believe? You examine the evidence (hearing) and when you are convinced, you will believe it. You must believe. Deciding to believe is not enough. So you need to hear the Gospel. And you need to hear the true gospel. For the true gospel go to http://nogreaterjoy.org/ and listen to the free commentary on Romans download. If you listen with an open heart and a desire for God, it will totally change your present life and your eternal life.
Friday, September 11, 2009
THE LAW
The Law
Recently I have been quite facinated with this topic. Through study and much contemplation I have come to the conclusion that there is a great need in modern Christianity for the law to be preached. If you have read my previous notes, you might be a little shocked. Have I changed my theology? Not in the least.
When we think of biblical law, we think of the Mosaic Law. You know, ten commandments. But the Mosaic law was not given to us gentiles. It was given only to a certain race of people, the Jews. So what is the law to us gentiles? What sayeth the scriptures...
Ro 2:14 For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves:
Ro 2:15 Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;)
The bible says that the knowledge that is present in every human, which is written in our hearts, is the law to us. For example, we know that we shouldn't murder, rape or steal from our fellow man. We know we ought to do right, and when we do wrong our conscience accuses us and we have then broken the law. This knowledge of right and wrong, that we hold inside, grows throughout our life and we use this knowledge or standard to judge other people, consciously or not. And this standard that we use to judge others, is the standard that we ourselves will one day be judged with, by God. That way nobody can say, "It's not fair, I was a victim", or "It wasn't a fair playing field". It doesn't matter. You will be judged by your own measuring stick. Just think... On that day there will be billions of people watching as every vile disgusting thought and deed that you ever did, is played out for everyone to see. You think that you will have an excuse then? Are you going to say, "It's not fair, compared to everyone else I was pretty good"? Or maybe, "But Lord, don't just look at the sin, what about all my goodness?" Or will you just stand there with your mouth shut with the rest of the world, knowing you are guilty and have no excuse? When a criminal stands trial for murder infront of a judge, all the good that he did in his life is not brought into the equation. It just doesn't matter. What matters is that all your life you lived with your back to God. What matters is that all your life you did not like to retain God in your knowledge. What matters is your whole life was spent disobeying your own standard of right doing, all the while knowing the judgement of God and neither glorified Him or were thankful. What matters is that you are breathing God's good clean air with utter disdain for Him, while out of His goodness and forbearance He is not crushing you like you deserve, waiting for you to repent. You think that God wants a person like you in His Heaven? You really think that if you just say sorry, he will let you in? Would a judge let a murderer go if he just said sorry? That would not be just on God's part. And if God were unjust, how could he then judge the world? God requires perfection from us and a payment for our sin. Jesus said, "Be ye perfect." But herein lies the problem, all we sinners can give is an effort, a try, and still end in failure.
Most religions keep going here, and say, "Do the right thing and live." The old testament also taught that. Just keep trying to please God, grasp for one commandment to another, trying to reach God. But the bible says that the whole world has been pronounced GUILTY, everybody's mouth will be shut, with no excuse. It is too late to try to work your way in.
Ro 3:19 ¶ Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: THAT EVERY MOUTH MAY BE STOPPED AND ALL THE WORLD MAY BECOME GUILTY BEFORE GOD.
The law says, "IT IS TOO LATE TO MAKE IT RIGHT, THERE IS NOTHING YOU CAN DO, YOU HAVE BROKEN THE LAW AND NOW YOU DESERVE TO BURN!"
This is the law's purpose. The bible says...
Ga 3:24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
Recently I have been quite facinated with this topic. Through study and much contemplation I have come to the conclusion that there is a great need in modern Christianity for the law to be preached. If you have read my previous notes, you might be a little shocked. Have I changed my theology? Not in the least.
When we think of biblical law, we think of the Mosaic Law. You know, ten commandments. But the Mosaic law was not given to us gentiles. It was given only to a certain race of people, the Jews. So what is the law to us gentiles? What sayeth the scriptures...
Ro 2:14 For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves:
Ro 2:15 Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;)
The bible says that the knowledge that is present in every human, which is written in our hearts, is the law to us. For example, we know that we shouldn't murder, rape or steal from our fellow man. We know we ought to do right, and when we do wrong our conscience accuses us and we have then broken the law. This knowledge of right and wrong, that we hold inside, grows throughout our life and we use this knowledge or standard to judge other people, consciously or not. And this standard that we use to judge others, is the standard that we ourselves will one day be judged with, by God. That way nobody can say, "It's not fair, I was a victim", or "It wasn't a fair playing field". It doesn't matter. You will be judged by your own measuring stick. Just think... On that day there will be billions of people watching as every vile disgusting thought and deed that you ever did, is played out for everyone to see. You think that you will have an excuse then? Are you going to say, "It's not fair, compared to everyone else I was pretty good"? Or maybe, "But Lord, don't just look at the sin, what about all my goodness?" Or will you just stand there with your mouth shut with the rest of the world, knowing you are guilty and have no excuse? When a criminal stands trial for murder infront of a judge, all the good that he did in his life is not brought into the equation. It just doesn't matter. What matters is that all your life you lived with your back to God. What matters is that all your life you did not like to retain God in your knowledge. What matters is your whole life was spent disobeying your own standard of right doing, all the while knowing the judgement of God and neither glorified Him or were thankful. What matters is that you are breathing God's good clean air with utter disdain for Him, while out of His goodness and forbearance He is not crushing you like you deserve, waiting for you to repent. You think that God wants a person like you in His Heaven? You really think that if you just say sorry, he will let you in? Would a judge let a murderer go if he just said sorry? That would not be just on God's part. And if God were unjust, how could he then judge the world? God requires perfection from us and a payment for our sin. Jesus said, "Be ye perfect." But herein lies the problem, all we sinners can give is an effort, a try, and still end in failure.
Most religions keep going here, and say, "Do the right thing and live." The old testament also taught that. Just keep trying to please God, grasp for one commandment to another, trying to reach God. But the bible says that the whole world has been pronounced GUILTY, everybody's mouth will be shut, with no excuse. It is too late to try to work your way in.
Ro 3:19 ¶ Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: THAT EVERY MOUTH MAY BE STOPPED AND ALL THE WORLD MAY BECOME GUILTY BEFORE GOD.
The law says, "IT IS TOO LATE TO MAKE IT RIGHT, THERE IS NOTHING YOU CAN DO, YOU HAVE BROKEN THE LAW AND NOW YOU DESERVE TO BURN!"
This is the law's purpose. The bible says...
Ga 3:24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
The law was brought in to bring us to a point where we give up and say to God, "God, I got all this sin, I am a total failure, all my righteousness is dung. What have you got?" And God says, "Here put this on." And he clothes us in the righteousness of Jesus Christ. That's our only hope. There is no hope anymore that the good we have done is enough to get us into heaven. You see, God treated His Son as a sinner (not only one sinner, all the sinners of the world) so that He could see us as righteous. You can't offer anything, and nothing is required, just a simple faith. This works out in such a way, that now being free from the condemnation of the law and under grace, with the Spirit of God inside us, we now have all the motivation we need to overcome anything, the world, the flesh, or the devil can throw our way. We are back in fellowship with God in this relationship of faith with all the righteousness needed to get to heaven, freely without any effort on our part. Just living in peace, love and joy for the rest of our days here on earth, believing God and basking in His grace and mercy. It's a beautiful thing.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)