I received this in an email recently. Since we are soon to commemorate the death, burial AND resurrection of Jesus, the Son of God, I thought this was fitting to pass along to you. Perhaps it will help each of us hold ourselves to a higher standard and greater faith.
Likewise, it might be a good time, say Friday night, to have a family communion service. If you have no family to do that with...why not do it as unto the Lord? I hope each of you have a safe and sacred weekend. Let it be more than eggs, baskets and candy.
God bless each of you!
Jack
There seems to be more than one Jesus to choose from these days.
Which one is the true Jesus and who am I following?
· There’s a ‘seeker friendly’ Jesus, he’s the one who will not
offend anyone in anyway. He loves everyone no mater what they do.
· There’s a ‘sow and reap’ Jesus, he made a covenant with man
so that man could sow his seed and reap wealth and happiness on
earth and then go to heaven when he dies.
· There’s a ‘blend in with the world’ Jesus, he wants us to look
like, act like, and be like the world in order to reach the lost.
· There’s a ‘neverending grace’ Jesus, his ‘grace’ covers us no
matter what we do or how we live.
· There’s a ‘just believe’ Jesus. As long as you truly believe
in your heart, you’re saved.
· There’s a ‘name it claim it’ Jesus. You name it; anything and
it’s yours! If you don’t get it, it’s because you lack faith. It’s your fault.
· There’s a ‘carnal’ Jesus. He doesn’t expect you to overcome
sin, he understands you’re just carnal.
· There’s a ‘heart dwelling’ Jesus. All you have to do is ask
him into your heart and voilà, he’s there. You’re going to heaven!
Truth:
There’s the Jesus who said “Repent and believe the gospel,
the kingdom of God is at hand.” -Mark 1:15
He said, “Deny yourself, take up your cross and follow Him.” -Lk 9:23-25
He said without Him you are already condemned. -John 3:18
He said He came to save the world -John 3:16
He said unless you forsake all you have, you cannot be His disciple.
-Luke 14:33
He said if we love anyone more than Him we are not worthy of Him.
-Matt 10:37-39
He said if you love this life you’ll lose it. -John 12:25-26
He said you cannot serve God and money. -Matt 6:24
He said fear God who can destroy both body and soul in hell. -Mt 10:28
He said be extreme in your war against sin. -Matt 18:8-9
He said love God with all your heart, soul and mind and your
neighbour as yourself. -Matt 22:37-39
He said He is the light of the world. –John 8:12
He said the gate is narrow and the way is difficult and few find it.
-Matt 7:13-14
He said those who believe in Him but work iniquity will be
cast out. -Matt 7:21-23
He said you’ll be hated for His name’s sake, but if you endure to
the end, you’ll be saved. -Matt 10:22
He said I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to
the Father but by Me. –John 14:6
Which Jesus do you serve?
Showing posts with label holiness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label holiness. Show all posts
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Praying Isaiah 30
At our first meeting, and then again at our most recent, the Holy Spirit directed us to Isaiah 30. I was meditating on it this morning and was struck by how sobering it was. So much could be said about this chapter, and indeed the succeeding 5 chapters, but my focus started at verse 18.
It reads, Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the LORD is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him! To which we might respond, "Yes Lord, that's what we want to hear." It continues in v19 in a much similar tone: O people of Zion, who live in Jerusalem, you will weep no more. How gracious he will be when you cry for help! As soon as he hears, he will answer you. Isn't that what we want to know? Isn't that praiseworthy? We like to camp a while at such scriptures.
But it is the next verse that is so crucial. We are almost amazed to read at v20, which begins: Although the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction... what's that? While we may find it to be out of character for the Lord to put us on a diet of adversity and affliction, it isn't. Why would "the good Lord" want to do a thing like that to us? What did he just now get through saying? Well, we shouldn't be so surprised. It is very much like him to do such a thing. It is part of his process for bringing much needed discipline into our lives. It is the process by which he turns flabby into fit, wishful into watchful, victims into victors, and wimps into warriors.
Verse 20 continues magnificently (as in the NASB), ...He, your Teacher will no longer hide Himself, but your eyes will behold your Teacher. Wow! Isn't that powerful?! Saints, when your find yourself on a diet of adversity and affliction, LOOK UP, open your eyes! You are about to behold the LORD your Redeemer in a whole new light and with fresh love and appreciation!
And in that refinded condition, v21 tells us Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying,"This is the way; walk in it." Nothing is so precious as divine direction--especially when you really don't know where you're going. Notice that regardless of what path we might be taking at the time, in that refined, disciplined condition, we'll hear that clear, unmistakable voice of the Lord directing us how to make the correct course adjustment.
Finally, here's what the Lord instructs us we'll be able to do as a result. And this next verse is precisely where God gave us laser focus at our last prayer meeting. V22: Then you will defile your idols overlaid with silver and your images covered with gold; you will throw them away like a menstural cloth and say to them, "Away with you!" Now if you don't realize it already, we have idols in our lives that need to be thrown out! God said so then and he is saying so ever so forcefully, "Church! Remove the idols from your lives and worship him and him alone!" It is perhaps the clarion call of the hour for the Church. We have adapted so much of the world into our worship and church government that we can hardly recognize a church service from an Amway meeting. We've preached success principles over sanctification. We're familiar with wholistic, but not holiness. We've elevated superstars rather than servants.
And idolatry has filled the house. But these verses tell me that all of the discipline and chastening the Lord has been dishing out to so many of his choicest saints has been with a divine purpose. He has been readying us to clean out all of our idols--to throw them out like "a menstrual cloth" (can it get any clearer than that?) and to embrace him above all else!
Its time for the Church to clean house!!
It reads, Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the LORD is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him! To which we might respond, "Yes Lord, that's what we want to hear." It continues in v19 in a much similar tone: O people of Zion, who live in Jerusalem, you will weep no more. How gracious he will be when you cry for help! As soon as he hears, he will answer you. Isn't that what we want to know? Isn't that praiseworthy? We like to camp a while at such scriptures.
But it is the next verse that is so crucial. We are almost amazed to read at v20, which begins: Although the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction... what's that? While we may find it to be out of character for the Lord to put us on a diet of adversity and affliction, it isn't. Why would "the good Lord" want to do a thing like that to us? What did he just now get through saying? Well, we shouldn't be so surprised. It is very much like him to do such a thing. It is part of his process for bringing much needed discipline into our lives. It is the process by which he turns flabby into fit, wishful into watchful, victims into victors, and wimps into warriors.
Verse 20 continues magnificently (as in the NASB), ...He, your Teacher will no longer hide Himself, but your eyes will behold your Teacher. Wow! Isn't that powerful?! Saints, when your find yourself on a diet of adversity and affliction, LOOK UP, open your eyes! You are about to behold the LORD your Redeemer in a whole new light and with fresh love and appreciation!
And in that refinded condition, v21 tells us Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying,"This is the way; walk in it." Nothing is so precious as divine direction--especially when you really don't know where you're going. Notice that regardless of what path we might be taking at the time, in that refined, disciplined condition, we'll hear that clear, unmistakable voice of the Lord directing us how to make the correct course adjustment.
Finally, here's what the Lord instructs us we'll be able to do as a result. And this next verse is precisely where God gave us laser focus at our last prayer meeting. V22: Then you will defile your idols overlaid with silver and your images covered with gold; you will throw them away like a menstural cloth and say to them, "Away with you!" Now if you don't realize it already, we have idols in our lives that need to be thrown out! God said so then and he is saying so ever so forcefully, "Church! Remove the idols from your lives and worship him and him alone!" It is perhaps the clarion call of the hour for the Church. We have adapted so much of the world into our worship and church government that we can hardly recognize a church service from an Amway meeting. We've preached success principles over sanctification. We're familiar with wholistic, but not holiness. We've elevated superstars rather than servants.
And idolatry has filled the house. But these verses tell me that all of the discipline and chastening the Lord has been dishing out to so many of his choicest saints has been with a divine purpose. He has been readying us to clean out all of our idols--to throw them out like "a menstrual cloth" (can it get any clearer than that?) and to embrace him above all else!
Its time for the Church to clean house!!
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