How Will I Know?
October 10, 2006
Hey All!
Here is yet another Oswald Chamber’s that has gotten me excited to share with you, hope it excites you too. Again, his words are in BOLD.
Jesus answered and said, ’I thank You, Father . . . that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes’ —Matthew 11:25
We do not grow into a spiritual relationship step by step— we either have a relationship or we do not.
It’s kinda like either we are (do) or we aren’t (do not)! For example, when we make a commitment to be married, and then actually get married, we are married. You see, God doesn’t invent certain hoops that we need to jump through to gain a “spiritual relationship” with Him. There are some religions that say; before you deserve to get to heaven you need to do this and that first, it’s like God is saying; “You need to show Me that you are worthy to spend eternity with Me” that’s called “works”. If you have been a Christian for any length of time, you know what it is we deserve! You’ll see as you read further down that no matter how much we read or do, it doesn’t change our position in Christ one bit.
God does not continue to cleanse us more and more from sin— "But if we walk in the light," we are cleansed "from all sin" ( 1 John 1:7 ).
Oswald tells us that if we obey, then we do have a relationship with The Lord.
It is a matter of obedience, and once we obey, the relationship is instantly perfected. But if we turn away from obedience for even one second, darkness and death are immediately at work again.
Wow! Does that mean “if we turn away from obedience for even one second” that we will lose our salvation, or that we will shortly (if not instantly) die? What I believe it means for us who are children of God, and especially in my own life, is that when I “turn away” in disobedience, and because God is Holy, He also “turns away”. My relationship with Him is temporarily severed until I turn back to Him in obedience, and repentance. He turned His back on Jesus just for a moment as Jesus took the filth of the world upon Himself and became sin in the place of us. If you can imagine the worst thing you’ve ever done, or the worst thing you’ve ever seen or heard of someone doing, all that was placed on Jesus at the cross, and at that moment He was alone!
It’s “darkness and death” to the saved as well as the unsaved, they both are void of relationship with the Father, in that they both have said, “I don’t need You right now! I don’t want You right now! I can do it myself! or I deserve this because I’m a good person!” that’s sin! The Bible says “the wages of sin is death!”
Regarding this separation (which equates to darkness and death) in the case of the saved person, it has to do with separation in relationship and communion with God, which could be for as little as a moment’s time. Whereas in the other case, it means separation for eternity.
All of God’s revealed truths are sealed until they are opened to us through obedience. You will never open them through philosophy or thinking. Some have a real problem with this, they feel or think that there has to be more to it than just the simple Gospel. Even though the answer is right there, they think maybe if I read this book that just came out, or maybe if I chant these words, or maybe it’s not in this part of the country at all, I’ll find the truth!.
It makes me think of the Greeks of ancient days and how they put much credence into their philosophers and their great thinking men, they considered themselves very wise in their thinking and would sit for long stretches of time trying to figure out the answers, or what is their purpose here on this earth?
Check out what happened when the Apostle Paul was with these great philosophers and thinkers in Acts 17; “Then Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious; for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription:
TO THE UNKNOWN GOD.
Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you: God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things. (Acts 17:22-25). And then in verses 30 and 31 Paul continues; “Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.”
The point I’m making is this, the Gospel is meant to be simple to understand through faith, why add to it, or make it seem more complex?
But once you obey, a flash of light comes immediately. Oswald is right in saying that once we obey God, His “sealed truths” will be opened to us. Will ALL of His truths be opened to us? Oswald points that out a little further down. I know that God promises us through His Word in James that “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.”
And even in the Old Testament when King Solomon asked for wisdom above everything else he could have asked God, he was given it and blessed more than any other king before him:
“Now give me wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people; for who can judge this great people of Yours?” Then God said to Solomon: “Because this was in your heart, and you have not asked riches or wealth or honor or the life of your enemies, nor have you asked long life—but have asked wisdom and knowledge for yourself, that you may judge My people over whom I have made you king— wisdom and knowledge are granted to you; and I will give you riches and wealth and honor, such as none of the kings have had who were before you, nor shall any after you have the like.” 2 Chronicles 1:10-12
Let God’s truth work into you by immersing yourself in it, not by worrying into it. The only way you can get to know the truth of God is to stop trying to find out and by being born again. If you obey God in the first thing He shows you, then He instantly opens up the next truth to you. You could read volumes on the work of the Holy Spirit, when five minutes of total, uncompromising obedience would make things as clear as sunlight. It’s up to us; do we read read read, study study study, or just simply obey? We need to immerse ourselves into His truths, but where do we find those truths? Are we sure to get them from our pastors or from the T.V. evangelist? Maybe! Are we sure to get them from the latest book that just hit the rack? Probably not! The only true way to know we are getting the truths of God is in His Word.
If your pastor is teaching more from the bible than from the latest book or latest trend, then you’re probably hearing and learning God’s truths, but again the ONLY way to know for sure is to see it and read it for yourselves.
Don’t say, "I suppose I will understand these things someday!" You can understand them now. And it is not study that brings understanding to you, but obedience. Even the smallest bit of obedience opens heaven, and the deepest truths of God immediately become yours. How can I add to that!
This is very important to understand; Yet God will never reveal more truth about Himself to you, until you have obeyed what you know already. Beware of becoming one of the "wise and prudent." "If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know . . ." (John 7:17 ). The whole verse says; “If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority (from man)” It can be too easy to believe what we hear from a man for several reasons; maybe because we think of him as being more knowledgeable, or maybe because he’s funny and has a great sense of humor, maybe we like the way the man shares stories, or seems to know what is right for me as a Christian (or even as an unsaved person), and how I should live in this world in this day and age. Even with me, you shouldn’t necessarily believe what I’m telling you just because you know me, or because maybe I sound like I know what I’m talking about.
There is ONLY one way to know for sure what your pastor, your T.V. evangelist, or even what your friends are saying is true when it comes to spiritual matters, and that is for you to see for yourselves in God’s word! How can I rely on something that was written thousands of years ago, how can it be relevant to this day? Because His Word tells me; “For the word of God is living and powerful, (the NIV says “living and active”) and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12
Hope this encourages you today!
In HIS Grip
Tony
October 10, 2006
Hey All!
Here is yet another Oswald Chamber’s that has gotten me excited to share with you, hope it excites you too. Again, his words are in BOLD.
Jesus answered and said, ’I thank You, Father . . . that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes’ —Matthew 11:25
We do not grow into a spiritual relationship step by step— we either have a relationship or we do not.
It’s kinda like either we are (do) or we aren’t (do not)! For example, when we make a commitment to be married, and then actually get married, we are married. You see, God doesn’t invent certain hoops that we need to jump through to gain a “spiritual relationship” with Him. There are some religions that say; before you deserve to get to heaven you need to do this and that first, it’s like God is saying; “You need to show Me that you are worthy to spend eternity with Me” that’s called “works”. If you have been a Christian for any length of time, you know what it is we deserve! You’ll see as you read further down that no matter how much we read or do, it doesn’t change our position in Christ one bit.
God does not continue to cleanse us more and more from sin— "But if we walk in the light," we are cleansed "from all sin" ( 1 John 1:7 ).
Oswald tells us that if we obey, then we do have a relationship with The Lord.
It is a matter of obedience, and once we obey, the relationship is instantly perfected. But if we turn away from obedience for even one second, darkness and death are immediately at work again.
Wow! Does that mean “if we turn away from obedience for even one second” that we will lose our salvation, or that we will shortly (if not instantly) die? What I believe it means for us who are children of God, and especially in my own life, is that when I “turn away” in disobedience, and because God is Holy, He also “turns away”. My relationship with Him is temporarily severed until I turn back to Him in obedience, and repentance. He turned His back on Jesus just for a moment as Jesus took the filth of the world upon Himself and became sin in the place of us. If you can imagine the worst thing you’ve ever done, or the worst thing you’ve ever seen or heard of someone doing, all that was placed on Jesus at the cross, and at that moment He was alone!
It’s “darkness and death” to the saved as well as the unsaved, they both are void of relationship with the Father, in that they both have said, “I don’t need You right now! I don’t want You right now! I can do it myself! or I deserve this because I’m a good person!” that’s sin! The Bible says “the wages of sin is death!”
Regarding this separation (which equates to darkness and death) in the case of the saved person, it has to do with separation in relationship and communion with God, which could be for as little as a moment’s time. Whereas in the other case, it means separation for eternity.
All of God’s revealed truths are sealed until they are opened to us through obedience. You will never open them through philosophy or thinking. Some have a real problem with this, they feel or think that there has to be more to it than just the simple Gospel. Even though the answer is right there, they think maybe if I read this book that just came out, or maybe if I chant these words, or maybe it’s not in this part of the country at all, I’ll find the truth!.
It makes me think of the Greeks of ancient days and how they put much credence into their philosophers and their great thinking men, they considered themselves very wise in their thinking and would sit for long stretches of time trying to figure out the answers, or what is their purpose here on this earth?
Check out what happened when the Apostle Paul was with these great philosophers and thinkers in Acts 17; “Then Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious; for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription:
TO THE UNKNOWN GOD.
Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you: God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things. (Acts 17:22-25). And then in verses 30 and 31 Paul continues; “Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.”
The point I’m making is this, the Gospel is meant to be simple to understand through faith, why add to it, or make it seem more complex?
But once you obey, a flash of light comes immediately. Oswald is right in saying that once we obey God, His “sealed truths” will be opened to us. Will ALL of His truths be opened to us? Oswald points that out a little further down. I know that God promises us through His Word in James that “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.”
And even in the Old Testament when King Solomon asked for wisdom above everything else he could have asked God, he was given it and blessed more than any other king before him:
“Now give me wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people; for who can judge this great people of Yours?” Then God said to Solomon: “Because this was in your heart, and you have not asked riches or wealth or honor or the life of your enemies, nor have you asked long life—but have asked wisdom and knowledge for yourself, that you may judge My people over whom I have made you king— wisdom and knowledge are granted to you; and I will give you riches and wealth and honor, such as none of the kings have had who were before you, nor shall any after you have the like.” 2 Chronicles 1:10-12
Let God’s truth work into you by immersing yourself in it, not by worrying into it. The only way you can get to know the truth of God is to stop trying to find out and by being born again. If you obey God in the first thing He shows you, then He instantly opens up the next truth to you. You could read volumes on the work of the Holy Spirit, when five minutes of total, uncompromising obedience would make things as clear as sunlight. It’s up to us; do we read read read, study study study, or just simply obey? We need to immerse ourselves into His truths, but where do we find those truths? Are we sure to get them from our pastors or from the T.V. evangelist? Maybe! Are we sure to get them from the latest book that just hit the rack? Probably not! The only true way to know we are getting the truths of God is in His Word.
If your pastor is teaching more from the bible than from the latest book or latest trend, then you’re probably hearing and learning God’s truths, but again the ONLY way to know for sure is to see it and read it for yourselves.
Don’t say, "I suppose I will understand these things someday!" You can understand them now. And it is not study that brings understanding to you, but obedience. Even the smallest bit of obedience opens heaven, and the deepest truths of God immediately become yours. How can I add to that!
This is very important to understand; Yet God will never reveal more truth about Himself to you, until you have obeyed what you know already. Beware of becoming one of the "wise and prudent." "If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know . . ." (John 7:17 ). The whole verse says; “If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority (from man)” It can be too easy to believe what we hear from a man for several reasons; maybe because we think of him as being more knowledgeable, or maybe because he’s funny and has a great sense of humor, maybe we like the way the man shares stories, or seems to know what is right for me as a Christian (or even as an unsaved person), and how I should live in this world in this day and age. Even with me, you shouldn’t necessarily believe what I’m telling you just because you know me, or because maybe I sound like I know what I’m talking about.
There is ONLY one way to know for sure what your pastor, your T.V. evangelist, or even what your friends are saying is true when it comes to spiritual matters, and that is for you to see for yourselves in God’s word! How can I rely on something that was written thousands of years ago, how can it be relevant to this day? Because His Word tells me; “For the word of God is living and powerful, (the NIV says “living and active”) and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12
Hope this encourages you today!
In HIS Grip
Tony
posted by In His Grip at 2:05 PM
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