Can two walk together, unless they are agreed? Will a lion roar in the forest, when he has no prey? Will a young lion cry out of his den, if he has caught nothing? Will a bird fall into a snare on the earth, where there is no trap for it? Will a snare spring up from the earth, if it has caught nothing at all? If a trumpet is blown in a city, will not the people be afraid? If there is calamity in a city, will not the LORD have done it? Surely the Lord GOD does nothing, unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets. A lion has roared! Who will not fear? The Lord GOD has spoken! Who can but prophesy?
God's spoken to us in the Son, declaring salvation and Judgment to come. Who can but prophecy and speak the awesomeness of God's Day?
He is returning to judge the earth, and we know it, so we have fled. He has revealed judgment ahead of time, and we, like Noah, find Him to be right. Scripture says, “By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith” (Heb 11:7). We have corrupted our way, walked in sin, and lived opposing Christ in fleshly rebellion. Will He not swing the blade and punish? He will. The grace of God makes us messengers of refuge in Jesus Christ, bidding the justly condemned to grab hold of Him in a way that's righteous. Many think, “I can have Christ” in name only, but He reproves our DEEDS and reveals that Christ must be in us: I must have FAITH and works.
The gospel isn't a message of acceptance in Christ and forgiveness WITHOUT repentance. It is “Repent and believe the gospel”, and “Repentance and remission of sins should be preached” (Mark 1:15; Luke 24:47). Paul told us to bring fruits worthy of repentance, as did John the Baptist. And, the epistles direct us to make our calling and election sure, examining ourselves, to make sure that we're partakers of the life-changing, life-giving faith that's Christ.
God receives SINNERS and then He changes us. We never outgrow sinfulness in self as we grow in grace, but we prosper in holy obedience by the Spirit. The gospel is impossible with men, boring, and impotent. But, in the believer, it is God's power to make us like Christ, to conform us into His image, and to put us in the Church as members (1 Cor 1:18; Rom 1:16).
There is ONE Church - not two, not denominations, not fractions or factions. There is ONE Church and all who believe and practice the gospel - gathering together and striving that God's elect be saved - are united in this calling. Phil 1:27-28 says, “Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel, and not in any way terrified by your adversaries, which is to them a proof of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that from God”.
Our church worship reveals our relationship with God, for many say, “I know Him”, but in works, they are reprobate (Titus 1:16). What kind of God do you know? What Christ? We know Christ as defined by Scripture, and the miracle is that He, by the gospel, makes us live out the gospel, until our lives bear fruit of the Scriptures in our speech and character. He said, “Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven” (Matt 7:21).
This GRACE that we need always sanctifies and changes. We read, “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our Great God and Savior Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:11-13). Therefore, making your election sure is a life-long process, never ending, never saying, “I have arrived”. Paul wrote, “Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me” (Phil 3:12). Like the husband and wife that romance each other lifelong, working on their relationship, even so we do with Christ. We have pride to be abased, faults to clear up, and changes to be made... but we also have God in Christ to pardon sins and give us victory over them by the Spirit. The Holy Spirit is God's gift to us, for Jesus' sake, so that we can be fruitful. He comes as Christ is exalted in redemption for delivering us from sins by His sacrificial death in the place of and for every believer. He washed away the sins, and because of His obedience, the Spirit is GIVEN to sinners who believe, just as He is GIVEN to saints, by faith, so we can obey and love (Rom 8:2-4).
This gospel of holiness by the obedience of Christ - by the word of the gospel and by the Holy Spirit - is the ONLY gospel there is! We believe it, or we die. God's people are united in this message, preaching Christ, worshiping Him properly and in order, so that others may be saved. We read, “A lion has roared! Who will not fear? The Lord God has spoken! Who can but prophesy?” Are you in Christ's church? Are you saved? Or, are you a person who refuses to believe? If you believe, your life shows it. You've heard from God that Judgment is coming, just and holy, and you've not only fled for yourself, but you live that others may believe.
No comments:
Post a Comment