Comfort Yet Concern

Brethren, one of the most assuring truths for the believer is the promise that he has eternal life.  He cannot “lose his salvation.” It is not his anyway.  It is the Lord’s.  And whom the Lord saves by His grace through Christ, He keeps until the day of Jesus Christ. We know this doctrinally.  We know that once someone believes on the Lord Jesus Christ, they are saved forever.  They can’t lose it.  No matter what, we are secured in Christ.  We also know that the result of someone who repents and believes the Gospel is a new creature in Christ.  They become a new person.  Old things pass away and new things develop.  Old loves and lusts are replaced by new desires and actions.  So we preach and teach the security of the believer.  And, brethren, we need to rest in this.  We need to find great joy in knowing we have eternal life.  John wrote on this subject- the assurance of salvation - that our joy may be full! (I John 1:3-4).  What then do we do with the effects remaining sin in our flesh has on our mind, conscience and assurance?  How often our assurance is weakened and doubts persist (am I really saved?) due to particular sins we still commit.  We acknowledge them to the Lord (confess them), we attempt to mortify them (overcome them through prayer, God’s Word, diligence, etc.) and at times struggles deeply with some sins in our lives.  It may be anything from laziness to lust.  And one large effect is the issue of our salvation.  Yet we know we are saved for eternity.  How then do we handle or view remaining sin in us (the old man) in such a way that we are not always wondering if we are saved.  One way that helps greatly is to recognize that while we are secured in Christ (what a wonderful thought!), we will be chastened and reap what we sow.  We are not freed from the temporal consequences of sins we commit as believers.  God chastens those whom He loves.  “Be sure your sin will find you out,:” is good for believers as well as the unsaved.  A life of laziness will result in great loss of spiritual benefits.  Constant lying will result in getting caught!  Indulging in the lusts of the flesh will result can result in adultery or other consequences of unbridled lusts. Pride will bring shame and covetousness will work destruction in our families.  Yes, we will then learn from it.  We will be forced to grow in the Lord.  Yes, God will use it.  But be sure that as we sow to the flesh we will reap to the flesh.  As we sow to the spirit we will reap to the spirit.  Paul writes this to the Galatian churches.  We cannot “lose our salvation” for which we praise the Lord.  But we will suffer the chastening of the Lord.  He will apply the “rod” as needed.  He will grow us up.  So find comfort in His salvation, resting in the work of Jesus Christ on the Cross.  But be concerned in any area where you and I sin.  It is not good.  It needs to be addressed.  We are accountable just as the child in the home.  He is our child, and that will not change.  But to the degree he doesn’t obey and act right, he must be corrected so he can grow up in a sound fashion.  So, we find comfort, but never find comfort over sin.  Rather be concerned.  Pray as David “Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me; then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression.”

The Key To Living Above The Problems Of Life

The title to this word should be enough to let you know that this article is not going to answer such a statement conclusively.  Well, I suppose I could write the Key is to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.  That is true.  But an explanation on how to have that work out in our lives is much broader.  Many have written this is the key or that is the key to living a victorious life (again, defined many ways by many people).  What I am trying to address is how we can maintain peace in the midst of a life full of troubles on every hand. To somehow suggest to God’s people that they can be free from trouble and disturbances, is to mislead them. It is to show them the way to living in a spiritual la la land.  It is delusional at best.  No. The believer’s life is full of heart breaking experiences as well as life’s small, but perpetually bothersome agitations.  Yet, we are offered in Christ a life that is marked by peace in our souls.  “Thou wilt keep in him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee,” Isaiah writes.  “And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus,”: Paul writes.  How can this be applied and developed in our lives?  As you are aware, an aged saint passed from his world to be with the Lord recently.  As I listened to the many testimonies in her honor at the funeral service, the following came to my mind.  I must add it came as I was writing my sister in the midst of her having 7 friends/acquaintances die within 3 weeks.  In trying to say words to her that might help her soul, the testimony of Vivian came to mind.  What gave her the presence and true sense of “it will be all right and everything will work so let us trust the Lord?” Two things came to mind.  Her life exemplified these two things among others.  I believe the key to her being able to live “above” the problems of life (she was mostly blind and deaf) was she memorized God’s Word and she prayed without ceasing.  There then is a two fold key to living above the problems of life for those in Christ.  Be always memorizing and maintaining what we have memorize of God’s Word (for it is His means of speaking peace to our hearts) and be ever praying, making all things/problems known to him in prayer.  Memorizing God’s Word and praying without ceasing were two of the keys to Vivian’s ability to live “above” the problems of life.  Let us follow her example, dear troubled saint.  Herein learn to rest in the Lord.  See to it and you will find His presence and power in ways that will fill your soul with a foretaste of heaven.  You will find they are truly are a God given means of living above the problems of this life.

And the Lord Added to the Church

We praise the Lord for His work and grace in Luke, Chelsea Mae and Chelsea’s lives. Last week we gathered (again) at Carl’s place, heard their confession of faith in Christ, baptized Luke and Chelsea Mae (Chelsea had been baptized before) and received them into the church.  We gave them the “right hand of fellowship” as the Scriptures exemplifies. They are now part of this body of believers. As I stated before, now the work begins! We have received them in on a three fold basis.  One, we as they confess our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.  Second, we will love them as they us.  And third, we as they are willing to be taught, have oversight and be accountable to this church.
With that in mind, it crossed my mind on a practice that we may want to begin towards all those who come into this church.  It is for all of us to make it a point to invite that one or ones into our home for a meal and time with us.  Wouldn’t that not be a good way to start?  That means every member here would make it a point to invite Luke, Chelsea Mae and Chelsea over for an evening.  What simpler way is there to express interest, love and foster increased fellowship than this?!  So let’s do this.  I realize some make it a point to have the brethren in their homes (read the tract In Each Others Homes) or to be in their homes.  This then puts the initiative in our laps.  And that goes for single people also.  You don’t have to be married to show hospitality and love towards the brethren.  Brethren, more than once over the years I have met people show have been in churches for years, and have yet to be in each other’s homes.  Even in our home we can do a better job.  It is somewhat expected that a pastor would have folk in their home.  Well, that is fine and sets an example.  But, I repeat, let us allow reach out in this simple way.  And use the time with them to get to know them, beginning the developing and deepening of our fellowship with each other in a way that will continue until we go to be with the Lord.

Kindness That Leads to Repentance

Have you ever sat and thought about what brought you to Christ? We often attribute our coming to an understanding of the saving knowledge of Jesus to someone or some event in our life. Many of you can remember the person that explained the Gospel to you. We often say of that person that they led me to Christ. We should all give thanks to God for those who took the time to tell us or teach us about the saving grace of Jesus Christ. They were a part of Gods plan.

Some of you can pinpoint an event in your life that inspired you to look to God and that eventually led to your salvation. Possibly it was a near death experience that brought you face to face with your own mortality and as a result you saw your need for Jesus. Maybe it was the death of loved one that pushed you to God. Often when someone we love dies, we consider the fact that we too will someday face death. Circumstances can be used by God to accomplish salvation in the lives of people.

God uses people and God uses circumstances to draw us to Himself but the truth of the matter is that it is the Spirit of God that draws us. Jesus said in John 6:44 that No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him. It is the Father who draws us to himself. One thing in particular I would present for you consideration is the draw that comes as a result of the kindness of God. Romans 2:4 asks a rhetorical question so that we might think on the kindness of God …do you despise the riches of His kindness, restraint, and patience, not recognizing that Gods kindness is intended to lead you to repentance? It is easy to mistake God’s kindness of apathy. We think just because God does not punish every sin that a person commits that He is apathetic and that our sin does not really matter that much. Gods patience and kindness is not meant to give us a license to sin. Quite the contrary it is meant to lead us to repentance. When you look at Scripture you never see Jesus using coercion to bring people to Himself. He drew people to Himself through the love that He showed. He still does that today. If God did not exercise kindness and patience in dealing with our sin, we would all be damned to destruction through the wrath of God. God simply extends His kindness to us until there is a willing spirit in us that submits to His authority.

As you think of the kindness of it should cause great thankfulness to well up inside of you. God is not apathetic toward sin, but he exercises patience and show kindness to us so that we might see our sin in the way that He does. When that happens we will be convicted of that sin and see the need to repent. This is what draws us to God. As He extends His love to us it draws us to him. We become enthralled with His character and want to know Him more and more.

Yes, most of us can point to a person or a circumstance that created an interest in spiritual things, but we were all led to Jesus by God Himself. His kindness and love draws us to Him and leads us to repent.

I pray that you understand the kindness of God and allow it to lead you to a life of purpose and fulfillment found only it Jesus.