Showing posts with label abides. Show all posts
Showing posts with label abides. Show all posts

Sunday, May 22, 2022

Two Dangers to the fellowship with God

 

1 John 2:15-28 NKJV 15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world----the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life----is not of the Father but is of the world. 17 And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever. 18 Little children, it is the last hour and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour.

1.       2 dangers to fellowship with God, loving the world/loving the things in the world; The world’s foundation is flesh: seen in the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes,/the pride of life ;The world is passing away. It is “dead”.

2.       Antichrists: they are anti-Jesus! 1 John 2:19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us. 20 But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things. 21 I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and that no lie is of the truth. 22 Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son. 23 Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father either; he who acknowledges the Son has the Father also.

                                                                                                               

Made manifest are those who are anti- Jesus: Deuteronomy 13:13 Corrupt men have gone out from among you and enticed the inhabitants of their city, saying, “Let us go and serve other gods”---which you have not known.”

Reminded of Matthew 24:24 For false-christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.

2 Thessalonians 2:9 the coming of the lawless one is according to the working of satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, 10 and with all unrighteous deceptions among those who perish because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

Can you imagine those who will not receive the love of Christ?

From verse 9 of 2 Thessalonians 2….people are giving the announcements of aliens from other planets….God did not create other beings from other planets. He would given it in His word! No, liars are growing in multitudes to renounce Christ! There are those who just make up stories to rally unbelievers into something so out there, they fail to see, fail to know Jesus and die in the lie!

Scriptures given to us is that those who will perish is those of have not received the love and the truth, they have put no faith in Jesus Christ: they did not receive the love of the truth! Be discerning: understand Satan can imitate signs and wonders. Through the Holy Spirit, you and I discern what is truth in God and what is the lie in Satan!         

                                                                              

1 John 2: 24 Therefore let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father. 25 And this is the promise that He has promised us----eternal life. 26 These things I have written concerning those who try to deceive you. 27 But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, & you do not need that anyone teach you, but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him. 28 And now, little children, abide in Him that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming.

1.       From V. 24-27 it is 2 things that will keep and protect the readers from falling victim to the seductive teachings of heretics. Constantly abiding in the truth concerning Christ, which they had received from the apostles, Gospel truth given to keep hearing to abide in the Father and the Son! And point two, the anointing of the Holy Spirit, whose illuminating power will enable us to distinguish truth from error! To receive spiritual knowledge under the guidance of the Holy Spirit is to know truth in a way that human instruction cannot provide. Holy Spirit in our lives moves us into the empowering life God intended for us to live.

2.       This text is not an argument against the ministry of teaching; Romans 12:7…… let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching. Teaching as to the revealed truth of God’s words regardless of any public office. If you are not living in the gift God granted you as to a teacher, you sin. If you do not live in the gifting as to being a giver you sin. Remember Jesus cursed the fig tree: He cursed that which had beautiful leaves and no fruit. If we do not live in obedience to what He has for us, it is sin! If you living just to sing and God called you as a prophet, you sin against Him! ( it is like your mom giving you a toothbrush to brush your teeth, but you only wet the brush and never put the paste on to go inside your mouth to clean the teeth.)

From 1 John 2:15-17 the word world is given: The world does not refer to the physical creation but only to that sphere under the control of evil operating due to the dominion of satan.  1 John 4:4 You are of God, little children and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. 5 They are of the world, and the world hears them. 6 We are of God. he who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error. He who Knows God hears us…to understand God!                                                                              

Growth is always seen in the presence of love. Loves is as a test of the Christian life we read in 1 John 2:7-11. The love source in God should be revealed in us as we move from salvation at the Cross to reach our neighbor. That love will always manifest as sacrificial in attitude and in action like it did in Jesus! Our lifestyle must represent Jesus in that attitude that is of sacrifice for another. Holy Spirit has come to enable us to love others!  We are to remain steadfast to the gospel through faith and the love of God.                                                                                                      

From 1 John 2:10-11 NKJV 10 He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him. 11 But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

1.       Walks in darkness: John 12:35 Then Jesus said to them, “a little while longer the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going. 36 While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become the sons of light. John 8:12 “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”

2.       Has blinded his eyes: John 12:40 He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, lest they should see with their eyes, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them.  ; 2 Corinthians 3:14 …but their minds were blinded. For until this day the same veil remain had remained un-lifted in the reading of the Old Testament, but now the veil is taken away in Christ. ;  2 Corinthians 4:4 ;  …whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, let the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.

                      

As to Growth in the Lord: Little children will always find out that there is more to salvation, as to growth in the Lord. Romans 8:1 there is therefore now no condemnation to them who are in Christ Jesus……who walk not after the flesh but after the spirit for the spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made us free from the law of sin and death.  From a young one in infancy with God, one becomes the young adult; they encounter that challenge, their faith is tested and they can know victory :For we walk by faith, not by sight.  “Fatherhood” is that place designated and is given to saints who have come to know God as friend.

 

Jesus spoke this in Matthew 18:2-5 NKJV Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, 3 and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me.

Only the humble is devoid of arrogance and self-exaltation; Humility is one willingly submitted to God and His will. Child likeness is character Jesus pointed to: as to being a servant at heart. As the child depends on his or her Father , so too we are to depend as a child does ; In the kingdom of God there is no dominance over others. The dominion or authority of the kingdom of God is for victorious, fruitful living and for the overthrow of hellish powers by those who want to dominate by a single  rule of hate!                                                         

Those of the fatherhood in Christ, grow in joy and peace daily. They encourage others in the faith. They reside in that peaceful state with joy in their heart and willingly reach out to others to make the Gospel love known! 1 Thessalonians 3:11 Now may our God and Father Himself and our Lord Jesus Christ, direct our way to you. 12 And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all, just as we do to you, 13 so that He may establish your hearts  blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

 Paul the apostle wrote in a letter to the Philippians that he was thanking God for the remembrance of the believers always in every prayer of his making request for them with joy.  Philippians 1:4……Paul saw his fatherhood in the Father and how it related back to the church by having a joy to pray for others of the faith! As the “fatherhood” begins to disciple spiritual offspring through the loving progress of reproducing that walk they have had there are always new levels in the spiritual growth. Spiritual growth is not speaking the culture of their day, but of the truth in Jesus Christ where character is the image of God Himself!

In the relationship with God our Father, we walk by faith with Him. We speak words that He has given us to speak. We live as we saw Jesus walk His life out on earth. It will always come back to if we have a walk with the Lord. For living godly, the personal growth is seen both to the spiritual life and the sensitivity to the social relationships around us. Anything without these two function is dead because if you are inclined to talk your way to heaven instead of walk your way there, then you will be noted as never leaving earth to see the glory of Him Who created you in your mother’s womb. Have a heart of the Lord, and have a heart for those God sees and to whom He defends. Amen.


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Saturday, February 20, 2016

Mirror Mirror on the Wall

I remember this from decades ago. It was in a movie. But I wonder if people do that today: you know stare at themselves in the mirror. Oh no!
But I am thinking of the mirror of God's Word.

Romans 1:16
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 
NASU

James 1:19-27
19 This you know, my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; 

20 for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God. 

21 Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls.

In humility we are to receive the word implanted, which is able to save our souls......that is receive His word that will cut off anything that is not of Him: like foolishness, gossip, profanity, covetousness, the blame game, anger, hostility, lust, pride, etc. !


22 But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. 

For His Word will propel us to do for Him and it is due to His power! Amen



23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; 

24 for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was.

25 But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does.

26 If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man's religion is worthless.

27 Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.
NASU

Yes, that natural man looking into the mirror, is the same as one who looks into God's Word but walks away from it. Never finding out what or who he really is would be a hard and terrible thing.
But we are to ever be reminding ourselves that we must hear the Word of God for it is life to us.
In looking at the written word in James 1 and verses 19-27.....the fruit of His Word is that which is good; it looks good and produces life. But there is another that can be produced in nature that is of a sour kind of fruit.

Ever went to the store just for some really purple grapes? You find them, take them home and then after washing, you take the biggest one in the bowl, bring it into your mouth and then to your surprise it is sour! You scowl .....and try to get the taste out of your mouth. Once again, you take another grape only to find they are all sour grapes, indeed!
I know that we all like fruit, but what fruit are we producing? That which speaks of God and His ways is worthy to be given, it is the untainted. That which God produces is for the good to all. Yet, there are many people seeing and receiving that sour fruit in some ministry. Why is that?

One thing for sure, the one leading must of the humble spirit, adhering to God and being submissive to all He gives as commanded to do. We also have to look at any faults. People can make mistakes. And people are to be the patient ones, but alas in a microwave society, it is "I want it now".
One pastor I knew for many years, always said upon rising in the morning, he would check himself in every area of his life. He said he would ask the Holy Spirit to show him in area he was missing the mark with God. He yielded to God!

So yielding every day, will keep us in His sights, in His plan, and His gospel will be paramount to us.
Man is natural, and does natural things to him.
It is just like our little dog. She finds a place to lay down, but because of many hundreds of years of her forefathers likeness according to that which was handed down through the ages, she still has to scratch at the rug like it is grass. Like the wild dog who flattens down an area to lie down on, she does this too! She has never had to lay in grass, be out at night as to sleep on it, or spend any time with it. Yet, every routine she does before laying down in that just right place, she must scratch it to point of moving the blanket around to her desire. Even the door mat within the house will get an occasional scratch to make her leisure position more comfortable to her way of thinking.

If while driving, I am looking away from the highway and stop paying attention to what is in front of me while driving, what happens?  Well, if it is any indication of what I saw yesterday while in the city, I would say the person was either texting or talking to the passenger in the vehicle with her! When I get behind the steering wheel of a car, do I throw all the information of the rules of the road out the window or do I run them through my mind while driving? In driving, we are to be mind-full of our driving. Phones, in my opinion should never be used while driving. In my own experience, I have always pulled off the road to take a call.

The fruit of the Holy Spirit is: love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Gal. 5:22-26) Those who belong to Jesus have crucified the sinful nature and desires. We keep in step with the Spirit of God. But...........verse 26 of Galatians 5 says this: let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

The amplified states this: 26 Let us not become vainglorious, and  self-conceited, competitive, and challenging, and provoking and irritating to one another, envying and being jealous of one another.

When we start moving forward with God, are we ever challenged? Yes!
And it seems at the oddest time. Like the proof is in the pudding........that is..........the proof of the pudding is in the eating! And when outreach is being done by a handful people and are touching others with God's love...........someone always comes to make light of it or that it is of no effect at all.
Yes, people have faults, they fail sometimes, they come up short, but with God we can look good, and sound good. He gives us His Word to live out a life that is far from the natural man. But repentance is vital to keeping step with the Spirit of God.

If we are the envying, then what or who do we envy? Or are we the conceited?
To me, it reminds me of times when some school mate comes to your house. They show you the latest "new thing"...they had acquired.......and making the statement, "it is mine and you do not have one"! Ever been there or in that place?

Yes, and this very thing carries over into the church today! See what I have....and you do not have this! And you came from nowhere. YIKES!

In the regeneration, we are trained in the Gospel for godliness.
We are to reject profane and old wive's fables, and exercise toward godliness. (1 Timothy 4:7)
We are to imitate God according to Ephesians 5:1-3.......and to walk in love as Christ loved us. He was that offering and sacrifice to God for a a sweet-smelling aroma.
Does our life give off any aroma of the sweet? Or does that which we produce tend only toward sour grapes and worms? Yikes!

If our walk is serving in the church, then what about outreach to the community? Our going to church is a good thing, But remember most people do not go to church, and they remain outside the walls of one. If we keep the concept of church foremost in our thinking, then we remain as it were the "ones taking baby steps with the Lord" and remain as it were in the basement and the beginning of things with God. 
It is really time for the church to move outdoors and reach others for Jesus.

And if we think we see some R-rated flick with some kind of filthy language and it will not affect us in any way, then we are the deceived! One might have some prayer time in with the Lord, and even some scripture base that he has placed in his heart, but now said person is seeking R-rated stuff, that is evil, brings darkness and can have a person produce sour grapes..........a fruit no one can be refreshed by. It could consequently be fruit with many worms, is that which is of lust for something, any selfishness........and yes, greed. 
And have we not read of it about the Hebrew nation coming out of Egypt?
As we had seen in the Israelite's hoarding manna, the consequences were to decomposition. They hoarded the manna and they came up with worms!
What they saw as something to take extra amounts of.......became their source of corruption.
In trusting God, our faith is for today..........tomorrow will take care of itself, right?
Matt 6:33-7:1
33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.    NIV

I heard Joyce Meyer this morning mention how many times she felt she went to hell in maintaining no pride in her ministry. It was of God and it was in His power and in His doing. She was along for what He desired. She said the "flesh has to die"..........that resurrection is all important, but the "flesh has to die". 
She gave this example with a cookie cutter, and placed on some dough. As she pressed the dough into the cookie cutter that looked like a little person, she named what had to be removed.....like gossip, and covetousness...............and everyday we have to keep those things away from us.


Looking into the perfect law of liberty, we do not change His Words, His Words change us. There is no picking up the Mirror and speak some kind of chant. God's Word is not of frozen princesses, pumpkin carriages, or tin men. It is not how fast you can sing, or fast you can dance, but how fast you and I obey God.  It is not how many face lifts you have had in the last ten years, because you will certainly need another after the first one. Some folks you see as spokespersons do not even look like what I remember them looking like from years past. Praise the Lord, I am sure He does since He created them. But the society today looks only for that which is the of the youthful person  who is the beautiful and if not: discard! To do anything against what God created seems fake and very phoney to me.
God looks on the heart, and not on the looks of the individual. We certainly saw that with David, the shepherd boy!

But God has chosen us a race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that we may proclaim the excellencies of him who called us out of darkness into his marvelous light. We live in a world of darkness, but we are not part of that darkness. We are not of the world because we are in Christ. We have light. Our light is to shine that others might know Him and be saved. (1 Peter 2:9) We are seated with Him and in His righteousness. We are not to envy, covet or have any pride that exalts themselves. Those taking baby steps have remained in the building of the church.


Matthew 5:13-16…..13 "You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. 14 You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lamp stand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. NKJV

His Ways and Thoughts are higher than ours, are they not? 
Isaiah 55:9
9 "As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways 
and my thoughts than your thoughts. NIV


We can leave the scratching of the ground behind, that digging in the dirt, or talking into mirrors to find out the fairest in the land.
For there is One True God. He is not found in mirrors. I think about that Hall of Mirrors. It is found usually in some amusement park. The different mirrors give a distorted view of you and what is going on in that moment.
With God, there is no distortion, no smokin' mirrors, no magic tricks, and no silly chants. His Word is alive and it is power. And those who love His Word will be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger.

Remember that it is in humility that we should receive the word implanted, which is able to save our souls......that is receive His word that will cut off anything that is not of Him: like foolishness, gossip, profanity, covetousness, the blame game, anger, hostility, lust, pride, etc. !
When we truly look with intent in our heart, we see the liberty of who we are, and become the person who is effective in their work for his kingdom. And those who follow Him in His kingdom are blessed.

We look not to those funny mirrors, but into God and what fruit we are producing. Is it good for another?  OR is it of a "sour quality"?  For that which is good is not too salty...........it is not fruit filled with worms, but is good and healthy for another. It is the humble, willing to conform to God's thinking and keep from the profane. To speak life into another person, and see them come up higher in the things of God. It looks like this: It is to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world. 

Go find those orphans who are wandering.....(there are many of many ages, height and weight).....lead them to Jesus.........and be blessed by God! And forget the mirror. Just think what you will look like in heaven! We can all be 29 years of age and weigh 115 pounds when we get to heaven right?
Of course men will want a trimmer middle and may desire to have a more muscle-looking physique, yet we will walk with God to see His best for us all! It is not what you or I look like in the mirror, but that the mirror is His Word to have a clarity of who we are, and where we are going in this journey we call life. Amen.

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No Spiritual Hospice

  Ephesians 6:10-18 NKJV   10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God t...