Friday, August 5, 2016
Nothing to Add to Christ's Work
Anyone who thinks they are earning their way to heaven by not sinning or by good works of any kind, cannot be born again.
It is Christ alone who saves because of our desire to be cleansed by Him. We cannot cleanse ourselves, He must do that in us.
If we are trusting in ourselves on any level, then there can be no salvation for us. Christ died on that cross to pay the debt, and do we really think we can add any of our own works to what He did? How utterly silly!
It's All About Christ
A true believer will not be looking to "the rules", they will be looking to Christ. Christ works in our hearts, we desire what He desires. Those who want to continue in sin don't want Christ. Christ will not change anyone who does not want to be changed into a new creation. When we are changed into a new creation our desires become His desires, our desires are what motivate our actions and reactions.
Doing Everything Right Will Not Gain You Heaven
So many people are buying into the idea that one can lose their salvation, as though they did anything to gain it to begin with. Sadly many do not understand the concept that salvation is not a work they do to gain or to keep salvation.
There are those who believe they don't sin after becoming born again, this is not true. Christ's blood covers our sin, we we had no more sin there would be no need for a c covering, there would be no need for the chastisement as His children and there would be no need for confessing sin as described in 1 John 1:9, which was written to blood bought born again believers who are sealed with the Holy Spirit of Promise.
We become a Christian by believing on the Lord Jesus Christ and we are sealed with the Holy Spirit until Christ comes and takes us home.
Romans 10:8-10 "…8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: 9 that if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with your heart you believe and are justified, and with your mouth you confess and are saved."
Ephesians 1:13-14 "In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation--having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God's own possession, to the praise of His glory."
When we confess belief in Christ, He comes and changes us into a new creation, then He keeps us until He comes for us.
No work will gain us heaven, no work to keep salvation will gain us heaven. Only trusting in Christ will save us. Then HE keeps us.
Jude 1:24-25 " 24 Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you unblemished in His glorious presence, with great joy — 25 to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all time, and now, and for all eternity. Amen.…"
Believers do sin but Christ in us will chastise us if we do, we do not lose salvation but there are consequences in this life and lost rewards in the next for unconfessed sin. God said this to believers:
1 John 1:9 "9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
Hebrews 12:6-7 "6 For the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and He chastises everyone He receives as a son.” 7 Endure suffering as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?…"
The seal was a drop of wax on an envelope that only the King can open, the seal of the signet ring of the king was placed in the wax to show that it belonged to the king. The Holy Spirit is that seal for the born again believer.
2 Corinthians 1:21-23 "…21 Now it is God who establishes both us and you in Christ. He anointed us, 22 placed His seal on us, and put His Spirit in our hearts as a pledge of what is to come. 23I call God as my witness that it was in order to spare you that I did not return to Corinth.…"
Our works have nothing at all to do with our salvation. Works can be evidence of our salvation. However even the vilest sinner can have good works, but if they have not trusted Christ they will go to hell.
If someone lives in sin, defends it and loves it, then they were never born again. The born again believer hates sin, when they sin they don't stay in it, they want to confess and be cleansed eventually.
1 John 3:8-10 "…8 The one who practices sin is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the very start. This is why the Son of God was revealed, to destroy the works of the devil. 9 Anyone born of God refuses to practice sin, because God’s seed abides in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God. 10 By this the children of God and the children of the devil can be distinguished: Anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is anyone who does not love his brother.…"
We do not work to gain salvation, works happen because of salvation. There are no works by grace. Grace means "unmerited favor." God has extended His grace to us, meaning we can have the FREE gift of salvation with no strings attached. When we accept that and ask Christ to change us He will do the changing in us. If someone is working to gain or keep salvation then they are working their way to heaven and will not be born again, they are depending on their own flesh not the Holy Spirit.
Ephesians 2:9 "…8 For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not from yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance as our way of life.…"
Ephesians 2:10 "…9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance as our way of life. 11 Therefore remember that formerly you who are Gentiles in the flesh and called uncircumcised by the so-called circumcision (that done in the body by human hands)—"
We had a choice to trust Christ, when we did that we wanted Him to change us and keep us it is not against our will or choice. Christ will not change anyone who does not want to be changed.Believer can sin pretty badly that's why God said this:
1 Corinthians 3:15 "…14 If what he has built survives, he will receive a reward. 15 If it is burned up, he will suffer loss. He himself will be saved, but only as one being snatched from the fire. 16 Do you not know that you yourselves are God’s temple, and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?…"
We cannot always tell who is born again and who is not, that is for God to decide. We can however challenge someone to check with God because their fruit looks bad. There are most who will claim to be saved who never were and are not now, but think they are.
Matthew 7:21-23
"21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’"
There are those who believe they don't sin after becoming born again, this is not true. Christ's blood covers our sin, we we had no more sin there would be no need for a c covering, there would be no need for the chastisement as His children and there would be no need for confessing sin as described in 1 John 1:9, which was written to blood bought born again believers who are sealed with the Holy Spirit of Promise.
We become a Christian by believing on the Lord Jesus Christ and we are sealed with the Holy Spirit until Christ comes and takes us home.
Romans 10:8-10 "…8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: 9 that if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with your heart you believe and are justified, and with your mouth you confess and are saved."
Ephesians 1:13-14 "In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation--having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God's own possession, to the praise of His glory."
When we confess belief in Christ, He comes and changes us into a new creation, then He keeps us until He comes for us.
No work will gain us heaven, no work to keep salvation will gain us heaven. Only trusting in Christ will save us. Then HE keeps us.
Jude 1:24-25 " 24 Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you unblemished in His glorious presence, with great joy — 25 to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all time, and now, and for all eternity. Amen.…"
Believers do sin but Christ in us will chastise us if we do, we do not lose salvation but there are consequences in this life and lost rewards in the next for unconfessed sin. God said this to believers:
1 John 1:9 "9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
Hebrews 12:6-7 "6 For the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and He chastises everyone He receives as a son.” 7 Endure suffering as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?…"
The seal was a drop of wax on an envelope that only the King can open, the seal of the signet ring of the king was placed in the wax to show that it belonged to the king. The Holy Spirit is that seal for the born again believer.
2 Corinthians 1:21-23 "…21 Now it is God who establishes both us and you in Christ. He anointed us, 22 placed His seal on us, and put His Spirit in our hearts as a pledge of what is to come. 23I call God as my witness that it was in order to spare you that I did not return to Corinth.…"
Our works have nothing at all to do with our salvation. Works can be evidence of our salvation. However even the vilest sinner can have good works, but if they have not trusted Christ they will go to hell.
If someone lives in sin, defends it and loves it, then they were never born again. The born again believer hates sin, when they sin they don't stay in it, they want to confess and be cleansed eventually.
1 John 3:8-10 "…8 The one who practices sin is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the very start. This is why the Son of God was revealed, to destroy the works of the devil. 9 Anyone born of God refuses to practice sin, because God’s seed abides in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God. 10 By this the children of God and the children of the devil can be distinguished: Anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is anyone who does not love his brother.…"
We do not work to gain salvation, works happen because of salvation. There are no works by grace. Grace means "unmerited favor." God has extended His grace to us, meaning we can have the FREE gift of salvation with no strings attached. When we accept that and ask Christ to change us He will do the changing in us. If someone is working to gain or keep salvation then they are working their way to heaven and will not be born again, they are depending on their own flesh not the Holy Spirit.
Ephesians 2:9 "…8 For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not from yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance as our way of life.…"
Ephesians 2:10 "…9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance as our way of life. 11 Therefore remember that formerly you who are Gentiles in the flesh and called uncircumcised by the so-called circumcision (that done in the body by human hands)—"
We had a choice to trust Christ, when we did that we wanted Him to change us and keep us it is not against our will or choice. Christ will not change anyone who does not want to be changed.Believer can sin pretty badly that's why God said this:
1 Corinthians 3:15 "…14 If what he has built survives, he will receive a reward. 15 If it is burned up, he will suffer loss. He himself will be saved, but only as one being snatched from the fire. 16 Do you not know that you yourselves are God’s temple, and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?…"
We cannot always tell who is born again and who is not, that is for God to decide. We can however challenge someone to check with God because their fruit looks bad. There are most who will claim to be saved who never were and are not now, but think they are.
Matthew 7:21-23
"21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’"
Tuesday, August 2, 2016
Gossipers Love Lies
Have you listened to gossip and believed it without evidence other than the stories of the interpreter teller.
How many times have we heard a story about someone but didn't actually see what was told to us? Everything after hearing the gossip was colored by that gossip, rather than interpreted in terms of what we are "really" seeing.
It is natural and normal to believe a friend who tells you things they are encountering, we love them and believe they have experienced what they tell us. This is far different from third party gossip based on something we think we see without any further evidence.
I remember the event many years ago, in which I was accused of hanging out at a bar on a Saturday afternoon. The interpreter desired to think badly of me because of her personal prejudice about me. She was an unsaved person who knew that I was a Christian. Because of this she sought to discredit me on several occasions.
This person who wished to believe I was someone doing what she knew I would not do, wanted something to hold over my head and relayed that gossip to others to further discredit me.
How did this all come about? Here is the real story.
My husband and I were visiting various sales around town on the day in question. One of the sales was across the street from a bar where we parked our car because the lot where the sale took place was full, there was no place to park except in the empty lot of the bar on a Saturday afternoon.
Instead of coming to us to ask us why our car was parked in that lot, the person who loved to gossip about us, chose to assume something about us that she knew was probably not true.
This assumption gave her permission to relay what she chose to believe, as fact to anyone and everyone else. When she finally found out the truth she didn't go back to all those people she told to clarify anything, but simply dismissed it all as an innocent mistake.
Anyone who knew us and loved us would have known immediately that there must have been another reason for our car being there, since the bar was closed the lot was empty and we didn't go to those places.
When we believe gossip about someone, things we never saw for ourselves, it is prudent and wise to ignore it, unless there is some evidence it might be true. Then if we love that person we will go to them to first ask if it is true and then continue from there.
Most often what we hear about others is skewed in a way that makes the gossiper look innocent and superior, never is it for the purpose of fixing anything.
Tale bearers are never about "love", they are always about ruining someone else and elevating themselves.
Nearly all misunderstandings could be easily cleared up when two things happen, first both parties want to discuss it to find truth and secondly when the truth is heard then reconciliation can occur.
The devil loved silence and secrets. Silence and secrets always cause trouble, no one heals, nothing is fixed and evil grows.
Proverbs 10:9-11 "…9 He who walks in integrity walks securely, But he who perverts his ways will be found out. 10 He who winks the eye causes trouble, And a babbling fool will be ruined. 11 The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, But the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.…"
"One who winks" is one who hides truth, even through half truths. Eventually these people are discovered for what they are, but not until they ruin the lives of others first.
Those who are righteous tell the truth, as long as those who hear it are desiring truth, the truth will be a blessing to them. Those who love to hear bad about someone will enjoy their ill temper toward their target. The righteous man wants to know truth to repair things.
Open and honest humble discussion is the only way trouble is thwarted.
Psalm 52:3 "…2 Your tongue devises destruction, Like a sharp razor, O worker of deceit. 3 You love evil more than good, Falsehood more than speaking what is right. Selah. 4 You love all words that devour, O deceitful tongue.…"
1 John 3:7 "Little children, make sure no one deceives you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous;"
1 John 4:20 "If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen."
When we love, we desire to hear truth to fix problems.
Those who want to hear gossip to find fault, have one thing in mind, that is to destroy, their father is the devil.
John 8:43-45 "…43 Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you are unable to accept My message. 44 You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out his desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, refusing to uphold the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, because he is a liar and the father of lies. 45 But because I speak the truth, you do not believe Me!…"
How many times have we heard a story about someone but didn't actually see what was told to us? Everything after hearing the gossip was colored by that gossip, rather than interpreted in terms of what we are "really" seeing.
It is natural and normal to believe a friend who tells you things they are encountering, we love them and believe they have experienced what they tell us. This is far different from third party gossip based on something we think we see without any further evidence.
I remember the event many years ago, in which I was accused of hanging out at a bar on a Saturday afternoon. The interpreter desired to think badly of me because of her personal prejudice about me. She was an unsaved person who knew that I was a Christian. Because of this she sought to discredit me on several occasions.
This person who wished to believe I was someone doing what she knew I would not do, wanted something to hold over my head and relayed that gossip to others to further discredit me.
How did this all come about? Here is the real story.
My husband and I were visiting various sales around town on the day in question. One of the sales was across the street from a bar where we parked our car because the lot where the sale took place was full, there was no place to park except in the empty lot of the bar on a Saturday afternoon.
Instead of coming to us to ask us why our car was parked in that lot, the person who loved to gossip about us, chose to assume something about us that she knew was probably not true.
This assumption gave her permission to relay what she chose to believe, as fact to anyone and everyone else. When she finally found out the truth she didn't go back to all those people she told to clarify anything, but simply dismissed it all as an innocent mistake.
Anyone who knew us and loved us would have known immediately that there must have been another reason for our car being there, since the bar was closed the lot was empty and we didn't go to those places.
When we believe gossip about someone, things we never saw for ourselves, it is prudent and wise to ignore it, unless there is some evidence it might be true. Then if we love that person we will go to them to first ask if it is true and then continue from there.
Most often what we hear about others is skewed in a way that makes the gossiper look innocent and superior, never is it for the purpose of fixing anything.
Tale bearers are never about "love", they are always about ruining someone else and elevating themselves.
Nearly all misunderstandings could be easily cleared up when two things happen, first both parties want to discuss it to find truth and secondly when the truth is heard then reconciliation can occur.
The devil loved silence and secrets. Silence and secrets always cause trouble, no one heals, nothing is fixed and evil grows.
Proverbs 10:9-11 "…9 He who walks in integrity walks securely, But he who perverts his ways will be found out. 10 He who winks the eye causes trouble, And a babbling fool will be ruined. 11 The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, But the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.…"
"One who winks" is one who hides truth, even through half truths. Eventually these people are discovered for what they are, but not until they ruin the lives of others first.
Those who are righteous tell the truth, as long as those who hear it are desiring truth, the truth will be a blessing to them. Those who love to hear bad about someone will enjoy their ill temper toward their target. The righteous man wants to know truth to repair things.
Open and honest humble discussion is the only way trouble is thwarted.
Psalm 52:3 "…2 Your tongue devises destruction, Like a sharp razor, O worker of deceit. 3 You love evil more than good, Falsehood more than speaking what is right. Selah. 4 You love all words that devour, O deceitful tongue.…"
1 John 3:7 "Little children, make sure no one deceives you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous;"
1 John 4:20 "If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen."
When we love, we desire to hear truth to fix problems.
Those who want to hear gossip to find fault, have one thing in mind, that is to destroy, their father is the devil.
John 8:43-45 "…43 Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you are unable to accept My message. 44 You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out his desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, refusing to uphold the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, because he is a liar and the father of lies. 45 But because I speak the truth, you do not believe Me!…"
Monday, August 1, 2016
Pride Destroys Anyone Controlled By It
The only way the believer can grow in holiness is to set aside pride, pray for a compliant heart and a teachable spirit.
We live in a world where many, if not most believers we meet are "hell bent" on preserving a false image of themselves.
Willing to bludgeon anyone who dares to challenge to the slightest degree their elevated view of their own importance, these people will fight and argue to win no matter what it takes to stay on top.
Lying, gossiping and demeaning of all kinds are their tools to keep Christ followers in a continual one down position. Satan has been very cleaver recently in building the self esteem of the culture, causing people to think that their own self image outweighs truth and goodness.
2 Timothy 3:1-5
We live in a world where many, if not most believers we meet are "hell bent" on preserving a false image of themselves.
Willing to bludgeon anyone who dares to challenge to the slightest degree their elevated view of their own importance, these people will fight and argue to win no matter what it takes to stay on top.
Lying, gossiping and demeaning of all kinds are their tools to keep Christ followers in a continual one down position. Satan has been very cleaver recently in building the self esteem of the culture, causing people to think that their own self image outweighs truth and goodness.
2 Timothy 3:1-5
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