- araratchurch
- May 7, 2023
- 2 min read
For our word today we simply offer these two passages of scripture for your prayerful consideration in preparation for our discussion over the next few days.
“See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are! But the people who belong to this world don’t recognize that we are God’s children because they don’t know him. Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is. And all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure, just as he is pure. Everyone who sins is breaking God’s law, for all sin is contrary to the law of God. And you know that Jesus came to take away our sins, and there is no sin in him. Anyone who continues to live in him will not sin. But anyone who keeps on sinning does not know him or understand who he is. Dear children, don’t let anyone deceive you about this: When people do what is right, it shows that they are righteous, even as Christ is righteous. But when people keep on sinning, it shows that they belong to the devil, who has been sinning since the beginning. But the Son of God came to destroy the works of the devil. Those who have been born into God’s family do not make a practice of sinning, because God’s life is in them. So they can’t keep on sinning, because they are children of God. So now we can tell who are children of God and who are children of the devil. Anyone who does not live righteously and does not love other believers does not belong to God.”
1 John 3:1-10 NLT
“But God’s truth stands firm like a foundation stone with this inscription: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and “All who belong to the Lord must turn away from evil.” In a wealthy home some utensils are made of gold and silver, and some are made of wood and clay. The expensive utensils are used for special occasions, and the cheap ones are for everyday use. If you keep yourself pure, you will be a special utensil for honorable use. Your life will be clean, and you will be ready for the Master to use you for every good work. Run from anything that stimulates youthful lusts. Instead, pursue righteous living, faithfulness, love, and peace. Enjoy the companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure hearts.”
2 Timothy 2:19-22 NLT
Is your vessel, your person, a welcoming home for the Holy Spirit of God, or for something else?
Peace to you.
Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!
- araratchurch
- May 6, 2023
- 3 min read
“For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: "I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite.”
Isaiah 57:15 ESV
The word of God tells us that when Moses came down from Mount Sinai after speaking to God face-to-face, his face shined in such a way that the people were afraid to look at him.
“When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hand, he did not know that the skin of his face was shining [with a unique radiance] because he had been speaking with God. When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone, and they were afraid to approach him.”
Exodus 34:29-30 AMP
Now, we don’t get shiny faces from our relationship with God through Jesus Christ; but make no mistake, if we fail to look like Him in what we say and do, we can be sure that if we have experienced His presence, we certainly have not allowed His presence to transform us.
Indeed, some Christians show no change because they haven’t submitted to the process required for transformation; they haven’t submitted to the discipline (cleansing) of the Lord.
Through the work of Jesus Christ we now have been given the precious Holy Spirit of God. It is He Who will guide us into the process of being formed into the Lord’s image. But, if we will not accept His correction and direction, there will be no transformation.
“You must submit to [correction for the purpose of] discipline; God is dealing with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? Now if you are exempt from correction and without discipline, in which all [of God’s children] share, then you are illegitimate children and not sons [at all]. Moreover, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us, and we submitted and respected them [for training us]; shall we not much more willingly submit to the Father of spirits, and live [by learning from His discipline]? For our earthly fathers disciplined us for only a short time as seemed best to them; but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness.”
Hebrews 12:7-10 AMP
Understand, without humility, we will never submit to the discipline of God through which we are made able to share in His holiness.
In our opening scripture we see that the Lord says that He actually dwells with those who are humble and contrite.
On the other hand, we know that He resists the proud.
“And all of you, dress yourselves in humility as you relate to one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor.”
1 Peter 5:5b-6 NLT
This week we have been looking at the concept of “holy despair,” the godly sorrow that leads to repentance. And, it is only through repentance that we will be able to produce good (godly) works.
Without humility, we will never allow the conviction of sin—whether coming through God’s word, His Holy Spirit speaking to our spirit, or through encountering His unfathomable holiness—to cause us to have the godly sorrow necessary for the receiving of His correction.
Tragically, without that correction, we can never be like Him. Without that correction, we can never be holy.
Peace to you.
Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!
- araratchurch
- May 6, 2023
- 3 min read
“As he was approaching Damascus on this mission, a light from heaven suddenly shone down around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me?” “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. And the voice replied, “I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting!”
Acts 9:3-5 NLT
If you have dealt with children much you are familiar with their propensity to attempt to distract from what they have done wrong by pointing to a sibling, another child, and so on, and tattling on what they did first.
Sadly, the tendency to project the responsibility for our sin on another is not limited to children. In fact, we do much sinning framed as “appropriate” reactions based on what someone else has done.
One time in my life the Lord challenged me concerning my own sin that I was framing as some sort of “righteous indignation,” as completely “understandable” given what had been done to me.
Thanks be to the Lord, He doesn’t allow me to continue in self-deception. He spoke to me clearly saying, “Now you are operating in the same spirit they (the ones who had wronged me) are operating.” I tried to resist by pointing out that I was the “victim,” to which the Lord added that I needed to repent of my reaction—in this case—an attitude of offense.
You see, the Lord, in challenging the “rationale” in which I was wrapping my sin, isolated my response from what I considered the provocation. Indeed, this is the way we are judged by a holy Lord: Everyone will give an account for what they did—not what caused them to do what they did—when we stand before His throne.
“So whether we are here in this body or away from this body, our goal is to please him. For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body.”
2 Corinthians 5:9-10 NLT
Over the last couple of days we have considered Job’s and David’s reactions when confronted with their sin, outside of the “context” in which they had been viewing the sin.
Job, faced with the fact that what he saw as defending himself, was actually an accusation against God, responded with this:
“I had only heard about you before, but now I have seen you with my own eyes. I take back everything I said, and I sit in dust and ashes to show my repentance.””
Job 42:5-6 NLT
David, faced with his sin that was somehow disguised as being what needed to be done to preserve his kingdom, saw that it wasn’t his sin against Uriah he needed to be considering, but the fact that his sin was against God, the One Who made him king in the first place.
“For I recognize my rebellion; it haunts me day and night. Against you, and you alone, have I sinned; I have done what is evil in your sight. You will be proved right in what you say, and your judgment against me is just.”
Psalms 51:3-4 NLT
In today’s opening scripture we see that Paul—as he was heading to Damascus to round up more Christians to persecute—is confronted by Jesus. We see that Jesus asks Paul why he was persecuting Him.
What a realization that must’ve been for Paul—who was doing what he was doing, thinking he was actually doing God a “favor”—to be asked why he was persecuting the Lord.
Remember, no matter how we try to transfer responsibility to someone else, if our actions/reactions are sinful, it is still a sin committed against the Lord.
Let us allow the holiness of God to reveal the sins we may be obscuring in an excuse.
Further, let us recognize that any sin is against the Lord.
Then, let us repent before Him, asking Him to help us to do what is right in His eyes, no matter what “provocation” we may face.
Peace to you.
Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!