Peter writes that since we have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God (1 Peter 1:23), we should rid ourselves of immature fleshly behavior such as malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy and slander. Because the Lord has redeemed our finite lives, giving us eternal lives, we should function as new creatures, giving ourselves up as spiritual offerings. Our lives should be living sacrifices, revealing God in everything we do. As Paul would say, we must consider the old man as dead, moving on in our lives to new beginnings: Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. (Philippians 4:4-9) The fleshly ways of our former lives should be avoided as much as possible. But often we feel as if we are fish swimming upstream, attempting to be good, to be holy, to never displease God. Yet condemnation and disappointment often trouble our minds because we see ourselves as not always doing the will of God. Maturity seems to slip from our grasp. To survive as Christians, many believers constantly go back to the fundamentals of becoming a Christian: repenting of sins, accepting Jesus as Savior; receiving baptism in water and Spirit, and acknowledging they will be raised from the grave. Returning to the rudimentary elements of Christianity is not bad unless that is where the believer wants to abide, refusing to go deeper in the things of God. Immaturity leads to seeking pastors who preach only the elementary teachings of Christ, preaching that provides comfort rather than challenge because the people have already fulfilled the initial requirements of salvation. But the writer of Hebrews desires believers to move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, instruction about cleansing rites, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. And God permitting, we will do so. (Hebrew 6:1-3) Fundamentals have their place and should not be ignored, but they represent spiritual pablum to one alive IN CHRIST. As spiritual men and women seeking maturity, we should desire pure spiritual milk so that we may grow up in our salvation, walking in the full knowledge of who we are IN CHRIST. We do not need to continually discover salvation; we need to come alive in the Spirit in our salvation. Of course, our spiritual maturation will culminate in the future when we see Jesus on the other side of this life. At that time, we and all of creation will know who we really are as adopted daughters and sons in the household of God. The angels and all of creation will rejoice, for no longer will creation be under the burden of sin. Consequently, dear brethren around this devotional table this morning: Rejoice! Rejoice! Salvation is yours! The fundamentals are completed! Appreciate that you have been made complete, perfect, through the works of the cross.
What is it to go deeper in the Lord? How do we know that we are treading on a deeper landscape than the flat meadows of elementary teaching? See, I lay a stone in Zion a chosen and precious cornerstone and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.” Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,” and, “A stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall.” We must believe that the cross and its works are always with us, that we will never be put to shame. We do not have to repeat the elementary works of salvation to know that we are complete in the Lord. He is our cornerstone for sure; we build our lives on his teachings, on his life by faith. But Jesus is also the touchstone in our lives. He is the perfect God. He is without end, always the same, exactly perfect in every way. As the Bible says, Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. (Hebrews 13:8) With Christ as the touchstone, we cannot vary at all from that perfection if we are going to reside with God. Do we believe that fact? Or are we trying to live that perfect life in ourselves? Are we the fish that is always swimming upstream, but never making it to the top of the rapids? Are we the one who is bruised by every rock on the way, often pushed underneath the current, hardly surviving in our journey? Are the rudimentary tenets of Christianity what keeps us moving and alive as Christians? Does the unending struggle seem too much? If so, we are still battling life with the milk designed for babies, that which will never give us enough energy to bolster our spiritual lives forever. The rocks, the obstacles in life, will hinder our struggle to find security in the Lord. James adds to this insecurity by informing us of the error of trying to find our way to God by obeying the law: For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. For he who said, “You shall not commit adultery,” also said, “You shall not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker.” (James 2:10-11) James points out that any sin, no matter how insignificant, makes us guilty of not being acceptable to God. If we sin, we are not perfect, and God is perfect. What is our hope of security, our hope of reaching the top of the waterfalls? Trust completely in the works of Christ. He is the touchstone, the gold standard of life. He is the way to life eternal. Faith in God’s work will bring us security. When we fail, we know for sure that we are still in the household of God, for Jesus paid the price for failures. His efficacious work is continuously providing for every failure, every weakness. We and the Touchstone are one, for we are IN THE TOUCHSTONE! We are IN CHRIST.
What is the deeper work of Christ? What is a life that is mature in Christ, that is seated in heavenly places with Christ? If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing right. (James 2:8) Actively loving people as you love yourself, represents a deeper work. When God’s love takes over, salvation is not all about yourself: how you get to heaven; how you please God. Milk for baby believers is oriented towards self-survival in the kingdom of God. However, for mature Christians, the life you live in the flesh is not for personal survival, but for the survival of others. Your life becomes one of a servant. You are not concentrating on what God can do for you; instead, you are asking God what you can do for others. A mature believer makes his or her life available for God’s mission on Earth rather than following a personal mission. Paul wrote: I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20) The Bible says, God is love. His great patience with this world signifies his love for the world. Outside of God’s love, we are a cancer on existence, enemies of God. Yet while we are and were in this state, God sent his Son for our survival. He not only willingly redeemed us, but He placed us in his household, glorifying us. He made us as He is, complete, perfect, exact. We do not have to live in a state of wondering if we will meet God’s standard for eternal life. We exist in the ETERNAL ONE: JESUS CHRIST. Believers do not need to fight the battle of finding salvation or defeating sin. God has defeated sin through the One in whom we have placed our trust, Jesus Christ. We who trust in him have died with him and are now presently alive forevermore with him. That battle is over. Now the struggle we might be experiencing as mature Christians is to love others as God loves them. This is a daily struggle for all Christians. Christians no longer need to swim upstream for security in Christ, but what we must be willing to do daily is to love the people of the world as Jesus loves them. Beloved friends, inventory your love. Do you love others who are not like you, those who are not in your ethnic group, your culture group? Do you care for those unappreciated by society, those who struggle with addiction and poverty? To what level does the dipstick in your love reservoir rise? The battle to love others is a war for all of us, no matter where we are on the ladder of supposed maturity in Christ. Jesus said, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:44-45) Why? Because God loves them, and we are to reflect God’s image to the world. Are we reflecting him or are we reflecting the natural man’s parsimonious love for others? Go forth today as living stones, the children of God with the attributes of God, loving one another deeply from your hearts.
No comments:
Post a Comment