"Purity: To Proclaim Liberty To The Captives" 4-1-08

Here let's dig deeper into Matthew 5:8 and talk about purity. Specifically, we're going to discuss the dangers of an impure life, and learn how to live purely in Christ.

But when a righteous person turns away from his righteousness and does injustice and does the same abominations that the wicked person does, shall he live? None of the righteous deeds that he has done shall be remembered; for the treachery of which he is guilty and the sin he has committed, for them he shall die. "Yet you say, 'The way of the Lord is not just.' Hear now, O house of Israel: Is my way not just? Is it not your ways that are not just? When a righteous person turns away from his righteousness and does injustice, he shall die for it; for the injustice that he has done he shall die. (Ezekiel 18:24-26 ESV)

And of course, this raises the age-old question: can we lose our salvation? And this is a very good question to ask (indeed, I would encourage you to seek God to find the answer to this); however, it is not the purpose of this message. Rather, the purpose of this message is to bring to light the impending doom of living an impure lifestyle, turning from our righteousness, doing injustice, and committing the same abominations of the wicked.

Remember that Christ is our righteousness - when we turn away from Him, as this verse makes clear, we shall surely die. Without Christ we are nothing! But I would like to pose the question: is not remaining in an impure lifestyle in itself turning from Christ? Is not seeking satisfaction from "broken cisterns" that cannot satisfy, rather than from the Lord who is the spring of living water, turning from Him? I am not talking about momentary turns or stumbles, either; I am talking about a steady pattern of sin, a kind of lifestyle. Habitual sin, you could say. This is a question to which I do not know the answer, for only God sees the heart of a person and is able to make that judgment (and He is the only one who should), but one thing we know for sure: sin, especially this "habitual sin", can separate us from Him and will leave us unsatisfied and longing for more.

"My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water." (Jeremiah 3:2)

"Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare." (Isaiah 55:1-2)

Truly, why spend money on what is not bread, and labor on what does not satisfy? The deceitfulness of sin is indeed very tempting - just look at the story of the adulteress in Proverbs 7. She offers promises of satisfaction and joy - and the foolish youth follows her, "like an ox goes to the slaughter, or as a stag is caught fast till an arrow pierces its liver; as a bird rushes into a snare; he does not know it will cost him his life." Sin is deceitful, and it is tempting, which is why many times people fall into this pattern of sin - and often times, they hide it away deep within themselves, and even those closest to them may not have any idea of the struggle within - but God knows. Nothing is hidden from His sight. We may be able to fool our church, our friends, even our family, but we cannot fool God. Or maybe, we aren't even aware that we've adopted a kind of sin lifestyle, and we need the Lord to reveal this to us.

Jesus said to her, "Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty forever. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." (John 4:13-14 ESV)

Are you currently drinking from broken cisterns that cannot satisfy? Are you turning from the living waters of Christ to the deceitfulness of sin? Is there a portion of your heart that is hidden in the darkness? Ask yourself this. Indeed, sin takes many forms - Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. (Galatians 5:19-21 ESV) All of these can become idols in our lives, places that we turn to for momentary comfort which, of course, never lasts.

But in the Lord, there is hope. Are you currently struggling with sin in this manner, or is there some place other than Christ that you will turn to in times of trouble? If so, remember that there is hope in Him. Focus your eyes upon Him, and He will satisfy your soul. There is hope in none other. If you would like further study on this topic, I would recommend you to a ministry I know of called http://www.settingcaptivesfree.com/, a Christ-centered web-ministry that offers Bible studies ranging from regular Christian living to freedom from living a lifestyle of sin. I can tell you from experience that they exalt Christ and His Word above all else.

"You have exalted above all things your name and your word." (Psalm 138:2)

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. And he began to say to them, "Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing." (Luke 4:18-21 ESV)

Watch these chains fall from my hands Then you will understand, then you will understand. Watch me walk through these prison bars Then you will know my heart is free, Then you will know my heart is free.

~Watch, by Seven Places

Blessings,
Andrew

"The Pure In Heart" 3-31-08

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. (Matthew 5:8)

This is a very interesting verse. There are really so many directions this message can go in. There are two things that I think of when I read this. First, I think of the day when we will literally see God with our very own eyes - a privilege only the pure-hearted sons and daughters of God will be able to experience. We will eventually enter into the kingdom of heaven and into the presence of the Lord, having had our hearts completely purified from all sin.

Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure. (1 John 3:2-3 NKJV)

And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him. They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads. There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever. (Revelation 22:3-5 NKJV)

And boy, what a hope we have in this, wouldn't you say? I can hardly wait for the day! But there is something else that comes to mind when I read Matthew 5:8 that has a little bit more to do with how we live our lives in the here-and-now.

"Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you. I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty." Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God. (2 Corinthians 7:17-8:1)

Know that the LORD has set apart the godly for himself; the LORD will hear when I call to him. (Psalm 4:3)

Christ is truly the "Lamb of God that has come to take away the sin of the world" - His cleansing blood purifies us from all unrighteousness, which is the only way we could see God face-to-face as we talked about above. But there's more to this as well. Christ's death, which reconciles us to God, also enables us to live pure today. As we see from the two verses above, a pure life now, abstaining from things which defile us, will result in a closer relationship to God. This puts Matthew 5:8 in a totally different light: "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God." So now, let's ask the question:

How can a young man keep his way pure? (Psalm 119: 9a)

Well, here's the answer, in the second half of this verse:

By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. Praise be to you, O LORD; teach me your decrees. (Psalm 119: 9b-12)

Of course, this is referring to the Law given to Moses, in which we have a tremendous blessing. While we no longer live under Law but under grace, we can still use the Law - and indeed, the entire Word of God! - as a guideline of the things which build us up in purity, and the things which tear us down. Praise God for the revelation of His Word to us, without which we would be so pitifully lost in this world! I pray that we would all earnestly seek purity, so that we can grow closer to God today, and truly see God in the days to come.

See the Daily Bread "Purity: To Proclaim Liberty To The Captives" (4-1-08) for further examination of this topic.

Blessings,

Andrew

"A Lesson in Humility" 3-30-08

Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual but as worldly—mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere men? For when one says, "I follow Paul," and another, "I follow Apollos," are you not mere men? What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building. 1 Corinthians 3:1-9

She lived out spiritual humility, yet she had much on a human level to be proud of. As an author of over 70 books and a translator of many others into Afrikaans, Annalou Marais had much cause to brag–but she was more concerned about honoring Christ than advancing herself. She worked behind the scenes of the Bible conference, doing a servants tasks with a smiling face and a joyful heart. It would have been natural for her to desire, and even deserve, the spotlight. Instead, she quietly served, joyfully weeping as God worked in people's hearts. It was an impressive humility because it was completely genuine.

I have heard it said, 'It is amazing what can be accomplished when we don't care who get's the credit.' This is certainly true of Christian service. Paul told the church at Corinth, 'I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. So then either he who plants is anything, or he who waters, but God who gives the increase' (1 Cor. 3:6-7). Paul had learned that great lesson of the servant's hear, as Annalou has learned–it's entirely about God. What we do is accomplished by His power and grace, and all the glory must go to Him.

It was a lesson in humility watching Annalou, and one that reminded me of the richness of serving God." (written by Bill Crowder)

'God often uses lowly things
His purpose to fulfill,
Because it takes a humble heart
To carry out His will.' (D. De Haan)

(Courtesy of Our Daily Bread, of RBC Ministries)

Pride and Grace cannot dwell in the same place.*

Praying for humility,
Whitney

"Those Who... Seek Him!" 3-28-08

Blessed are those who keep His testimonies,

Who seek Him with the whole heart!

(Psalms 119:2 NKJV)

You know, this entire series has been a very... inquisitive one, for lack of a better term. Each verse seems to raise new questions to which I have no answer, and so the only place to look for these answers is to God. Before we continue on with Matthew 5:7, I'd just like to mention something to you all. If ever you encounter something in Scripture that seems to defy reason, that just doesn't make sense, or that seems to contradict itself, investigate it; dig a little deeper; ask God. Indeed, "seek Him with your whole heart!"

I'm sure you've heard it said before that God is big enough to be asked the tough questions, and this is absolutely true. In fact, when we do dig deeper and ask these questions, it pleases Him that we are willing to devote the time and energy to seek understanding, honor him with our minds, and spend time with Him. He gave us the ability to reason and learn for a purpose, and what better purpose could we put it to than to seek Him?

"Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this your great people?" It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this. (1 Kings 3:9-10 ESV)

Yes, if you cry out for discernment, And lift up your voice for understanding, If you seek her as silver, And search for her as for hidden treasures; Then you will understand the fear of the LORD, And find the knowledge of God. For the LORD gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding; He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk uprightly; He guards the paths of justice, And preserves the way of His saints. (Proverbs 2:3-8 NKJV)

As it is said, "Seek and ye shall find." (Matthew 7:7)

Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. (Matthew 7:7-8 KJV)

God wants us to seek Him and search for His understanding, even if this involves asking the tough, faith-threatening questions. So let's put our trust in Him and be willing to ask these questions, what do you say? It is by this process that we grow in faith and knowledge of God, as well as in closeness with Him. And boy, what an amazing privilege it is to be able to sit down with the Almighty God of the Universe as if in casual conversation and ask Him for understanding and fellowship! I do hope this inspires thankfulness in each of our hearts!

Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations. (Psalms 100:4-5 ESV)

And as one final thought, let's always remember to focus on the epitome of God's Wisdom, His Son:

Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. (1 Corinthians 1: 22-24)

Blessings,
Andrew

"Those Who Hunger And Thirst For Righteousness" 3-27-08

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. (Matthew 5:6)

I must say, with this particular verse, the Lord has taken me on quite a rigmarole to get to the heart of what He wants us to focus on today. I originally thought this verse would be simple to comment on, but oh, how wrong I was! I'm sure many things can be said about it, but none of them are what He wanted to be spoken today. Instead, while I was asking Him what He wanted us to focus on, He brought me to this verse:

Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: 'The LORD is our righteousness.' (Jeremiah 23:5-6 ESV)

Do you know who this verse is speaking of? This righteous Branch of David? It's speaking of Jesus Christ, who is indeed our righteousness.

It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. (1 Corinthians 1:30)

Praise God for this, that Jesus Christ has become our righteousness, for apart from Him our own righteousness and good works are as "filthy rags" to God (Isaiah 64:6). Only by the righteousness of Christ can we even approach the throne of God, much less be accepted into the kingdom of heaven. So, getting back to Matthew 5:6 above, we see that those who hunger and thirst for this righteousness will be filled. So naturally, that led me to the question, "Well, God, is simply desiring righteousness enough? If I just one day decide that I'm going to be a better person, will I be filled?" The answer to this question, of course, is no. We must take this verse in context and look at it in light of the rest of the Word of God, and verses such as Isaiah 64:6 mentioned above and Romans 3:10-18, As it is written: "There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God... ((etc.))" make it clear that there's more to it than just wanting to be a better person. Our focus has to be on Christ, our desire for His righteousness to cover ours, and then we will be filled.

But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. (Romans 21-24)

The amazing part of this righteousness is that not only does it allow us to be seen as righteous and pure in the eyes of the Father, it empowers us and allows us to actually produce the fruits of righteousness as well. We simply cannot have received this gift of righteousness and salvation through Christ without having our very hearts changed so that we evidence this change through how we live our lives - although this righteousness comes through faith alone, if we don't evidence this in a changed life, it is an indication that we have not truly received this righteousness and that our faith is dead. "For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead." (James 2:26 ESV)

And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. (Philippians 1:9-11 ESV)

It is my prayer that we would all accept this free gift of grace and allow our souls to be "filled" to the brim, so that this love and righteousness would overflow into the lives of all those around us!

Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." (John 4:13-14)

Blessings,
Andrew

"The Meek" 3-26-08

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. (Matthew 5:5)

Reading over this verse, I again began to ask God, "Why is it the meek who will inherit the earth? Aren't we as Christians supposed to be fearless and mighty children of the King?" I've always understood "meek" to be a word closely related to weakness. With verses such as 2 Timothy 1:7: For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love, and of self-discipline, and Luke 24:49: I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high, indicating that we are supposed to be fearless and mighty children of God, I began to wonder, where does meekness fit into this? As usual, God provided me with an answer by leading me to His Word.

People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." (Mark 10:13-15)

So as I reflected and prayed to God about this, He revealed to me that of course we as Christians have a spirit of power, but this isn't our spirit of power - this is the Spirit of God dwelling within us. OUR spirit is one of meekness and humility, the spirit of a child. When we draw near to Christ as one of these little children, completely humble and full of meekness, then we open the door for His Spirit to come in and live within us. This is the spirit of power, love, and self-discipline that we hear so much about; this is the power from on high that we have been promised by the Father. And for we who have this meekness in our own hearts, we as little children of God will inherit the earth. So let me ask you: are you meek? Are you humble before the Lord? If so, rejoice, for you are truly blessed! If not, I would encourage you to humble your heart before Him, and open the door for His Spirit to come into your life.

But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy great peace. (Psalm 37:11)

Blessings,
Andrew