Back to the Most Important

If an honest evaluation was done on each one of us, what would the results show is of “first importance” to us? What do we do and think about when we have time to do or think about what we want? Excuse work (not excessive work), sleep (not excessive sleep either), and eating (again, not excessive eating) for a moment. What are you passionate about? Humor? Talking? Movies? Excessive amounts of necessities? Ice cream? Sports as participating or spectating? Internet goofing or surfing?

If you answered any of the above or something similar, you have to change. We are in a war, and the question is not “do I have impure passions?” but rather “which passions are impure and to what degree?”

Paul tells us his passion.

“For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures” (1 Cor. 15:3-4).

How do we end up really believing that Jesus is the most important? How does He Himself become our passion?

Consider Him. If He is as good as we read of Him in the Bible, merely being around Him and thinking of Him will do it (if we are genuinely converted).

Remember this verse?
“For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, "Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them" (Galatians 3:10).

If you were ever not a Christian, you relied on your own works at some point. You thought you were pretty big stuff. Then you ran into God. And the truth came out. And the “why do bad things happen to good people?” question was thrown out in favor of “If God knows every word, thought, and action that I did yesterday, then why did He not destroy me in my sleep last night?!”

Remember that early helplessness? Remember it again.

There was one who came at that time and He was mighty to save. And if you know Jesus, He must have saved you. You were helpless and sinful. Still are, I might add. And yet “But God.”

Do not forget Him. In all your reading and living, do not forget. Read to find Him and to know Him. As this year will soon end and you will have completed reading your Bible, do not leave Him behind. I hope that this year will have encouraged us all to pursue Him till death do us join together.

I write this as reminded by Paul, “But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ” (2 Cor. 11:3).

Not a devotion to church, nor to morality, nor to any of the good things He offers. But to be wrapt up in knowing and loving Him. If we seek Him He will let us find Him.

Scum Christianity

“To the present hour we hunger and thirst, we are poorly dressed and buffeted and homeless, and we labor, working with our own hands. When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; when slandered, we entreat. We have become, and are still, like the scum of the world, the refuse of all things” (1 Cor. 4:11-13).

I wonder if we are better off for not having to deal with the persecution that Paul did. The immediate American response would be, “Of course we are.” We have many bumper stickers and songs that ask God to “bless America.” And I doubt that many who sing or stamp that phrase mean genuine contrition and repentance. It is hard to draw the line between the church and the world these days, if it can even be done. I know Jesus can do it. But we Christians are often so fond of the world and the world is so fond of the world that it is hard to distinguish.

Just cite one example from your life this week that set you apart from this world. TV choices? We have to do better than that. Community service? Sadly, I believe large corporations encourage a concern for the poor better than what is called the church. Love for other people just like us? Even lawyers have friends.

How about loving people who cannot repay us? (cf. Luke 14:12-14). How about a love that is other-worldly? (cf. John 13:35). How about the power of the Spirit of God in our lives? (I Cor. 4:20).

I think the biggest thing in my life that affects my ministry to the world and the church is what I think of other people’s opinions. I like them. I want to be thought well of—or at least I don’t want to be seen as a freak. I want to not disturb the class, or not seem too urgent or too godly. I don’t want to be so “heavenly-minded that I’m no earthly good.” If you’re saved, you know how I feel. You probably feel the same.

Here is the challenge from the text: Are you prepared to become like the scum of the world? When people hear the hard things you say and believe, are you ready for the ridicule? If you have true and hard things to say, you will be ridiculed. But most of us know little of the belittling of the world. We talk too little and fit in too much.

Today I read of a Greek philosopher who is respected in ancient philosophy. He masturbated in public. He lived in a barrel. He urinated on critics. And yet he is respected.

But you, simple Christian, for your belief in a kind and dangerous Savior (if you will stand up and believe it), you will be mocked. For telling the world that the problem is not out there, but it is in here. We, all of us, are the problem with the world. With more education and more government (the world’s solutions to its problems) we will not become better. The sinner will become more sophisticated in his sin, and the lack in governors for the governors presents quite a problem. There is no hope for the human race but Jesus.

All paths to human happiness are built on Jesus. Everything else is sinking sand.

I have one last question: Is He worth it?

Emancipation and the New Enslavement

“When you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? The end of those things is death. But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:20-23).

Many of you have heart verse 23 some hundreds of times, but I wonder how often we have taken it in its context. The text sets before us two fully opposed situations, slavery to sin and slavery to righteousness. The slavery to sin is a wide path and full of many fellow journeyers. The slavery to righteousness is a narrow path with a few good (by grace) men and women (cf. Matt. 7:13,14). How good the God of Scripture is to do more than command, but to teach as well. Be careful to notice the often-used panoramic view of life that the Bible contains. So often it speaks of the “end.” The eyes of faith see along with the holy writer to the conclusion of the matter. In hope seeing 10, 20, 30, or more than 40 years ahead. The wide road has a large dropoff. Both the present separation as the result of present sin and the future end (after death), the soul is now and, if grace is ignored till the that date, will be permanently separated from the possibility of friendship with God.

However, the greater enslavement is to God. But do not be deceived, men are slaves—me and you included. The question is not are we slaves but to whom we are enslaved. We often think we are our own masters, but that is a lie from the devil (who is quite happy to have us think he doesn’t exist and that we rule our own destiny). As reborn slaves to God we have the finest of Masters. He has paid the whole price, therefore there is nothing He cannot ask of us. But who can challenge the wisdom of His commands?! Who has better servants (not the pretenders)? Whose servants worry less or have more spiritual food to dine upon? Has not our master given us His words? Are they not life to the soul? Can we not say with Bunyan’s Christian as he labored in battle with that destroyer Apollyon (his former master):

“What I promised thee was in my non-age; and besides, I count the Prince under whose banner now I stand is able to absolve me; yes, and to pardon also what I did as to my compliance with you; and besides, O you destroying Apollyon! to speak truth, I like his service, his wages, his servants, his government, his company, and country, better than yours; and, therefore, leave off to persuade me further; I am his servant, and I will follow him.”
–Pilgrim’s Progress, “The Valley of Humiliation”

Amen to that. He is truly the Master of masters. If He is yours, bless Him for that wonderful eternal occupation!

Don’t You Ever Forget Jesus

I recently read of a prominent Christian leader’s fall into grossly immoral sin. After reading a posting of the church leadership’s position and the firing of that leader, I read responses to that post. It is rather distressing. Men seem to equate Christians with Jesus, even the hypocrites. Maybe even especially the hypocrites.

Yet you read the Bible and you know Whom you have believed! He is not a man that He should lie or fail. He is not great, for great is a comparative word. He is incomparable. Who else is of old? Who else fulfilled a life perfectly and died so hard, yet rose with power? NONE!! And there never will be another like Him.

As you begin Paul’s discourse to the Romans, do not forget the great King over all. Do not confuse men with Him. We must repent; He does not and cannot change. We are fallen, yet we imitate. He is high and lifted up. He imitates only the Father. He is the highest standard and will be the Unique One forever.

Don’t you ever forget Jesus.