Tag: Spirit and Truth

Sincere…

Sincere…

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. ~ Romans 12:8

Today I want us to consider the idea of being sincere. The word “sincere” means to be free of pretense or deceit; not dishonest or hypocritical; proceeding from pure, true, genuine feelings. To be sincere is to be wholehearted; heartfelt; and unfeigned. Does that describe your love for God? Is your love for one another sincere … as the Lord Jesus loves each of us?

When Jesus was tested by the religious rulers, He was questioned: “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ (Quoting Deuteronomy 6:5) This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ (Quoting Leviticus 19:18) All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:36-40)

Observe that Jesus said the first and greatest commandment is to love the Lord your God! Do you think the genuineness of your love is unknown to Him who created all things? Is He unable to discern the sincerity of your love for Him? Jesus told His disciples, “If you love me, keep my commands.” (John 14:15) Was this a mere suggestion or recommendation? “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. (John 15:9) Consider the implication when Jesus replied to the religious leaders: “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I have come here from God. I have not come on my own; God sent me.” (John 8:42)

I believe each of us needs to revisit these words: “These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is based on merely human rules they have been taught.” (Isaiah 29:13) Jesus said, “Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and His worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” (John 4:23-24) And, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow Me.” (Luke 9:23)

Reader, if you truly desire to be sincere in faith and in love, it will require some honest introspection. As Paul urged the believers in Corinth: “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test?” (2 Corinthians 13:5) And to the churches in Galatia he admonished, “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps whatever he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. (Galatians 6:7-8) It is my prayer that you and I will wholeheartedly love and serve the Lord Jesus – for He knows the truth! Therefore, let us rid ourselves of all deceit and hypocrisy.

Have a Blessed Day!

Spirit…

Spirit…

When Jesus conversed with the woman at the well (John 4), He declared to her: “God is Spirit, and His worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in Truth.” (Verse 24) His statement is quite profound; and yet, it should be understandable. For God created mankind in His own image, in the image of God He created them; male and female He created them. (Genesis 1:27) As His image bearers … as humans with indwelling spirits … it should be quite natural to us to worship God our Creator … our Father … with the inner being He gave us. (Ecclesiastes 12:7)

Yet, it appears that too often we allow our spirits to be subjected to the weakness of the flesh that envelopes them. As Jesus reminded His disciples: “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Matthew 26:41; Mark 14:38) And so, I think it is apparent that we need a supernatural power to invigorate us … to energize and strengthen us for worship and service that will please our Heavenly Father.

Jesus affirmed: “Very truly I tell you, no one can center the Kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit.” (John 3:5) Indeed, the Apostle John testified: “The one who keeps His commands lives in Him, and He in them. And this is how we know that He lives in us: We know it by the Spirit He gave us.” (1 John 3:24) And Paul reminds us that the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline. (2 Timothy 1:7)

The Good News is that His divine power IS available through baptism in the Holy Spirit. Yes, when you come to Jesus through the grace of faith, believe in Him, and place your entire trust in Him, He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. (Matthew 3:11; Mark 1:8; Luke 3:16; John 1:33) All the Gospels attest to this truth! Through Christ Jesus, you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit!

Friends, I want to encourage you to look deeper into the role of the Holy Spirit in your journey of faith. There is a baptism in water … and there is a baptism in the Holy Spirit. His role is to guide you into all truth. His role is to indwell you so that you may remain in the Lord Jesus. His role is to endue you with power, love, and self-discipline. In Him, you will bear much fruit … Kingdom fruit … that will last and bring glory to God. (John 15:8)

Have a Blessed Day!

So, I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. ~ Galatians 16-18

My Refuge and My Shield

Psalm 119:114 (NIV)

You are my refuge and my shield; I have put my hope in your Word.

In our Verse of the Day, the truth that God is our refuge and our strength is declared in His Word! Yes, we hope in His Word because that is how we KNOW through faith that He is with us … He surrounds us … He protects us! I want us to look at this section of Psalm 119 for the immediate context:

Psalm 119:113-120 (NIV)

ס Samekh

113 I hate double-minded people, but I love your law.
114 You are my refuge and my shield; I have put my hope in your word.
115 Away from me, you evildoers, that I may keep the commands of my God!
116 Sustain me, my God, according to your promise, and I will live; do not let my hopes be dashed.
117 Uphold me, and I will be delivered; I will always have regard for your decrees.
118 You reject all who stray from your decrees, for their delusions come to nothing.
119 All the wicked of the earth you discard like dross; therefore I love your statutes.
120 My flesh trembles in fear of you; I stand in awe of your laws.

In a world where we feel surrounded by chaos and confusion and conflict and coercion and cancel, there is a place of refuge and strength for believers. His name is Jesus! I did not say there is a place of hiding because we are not called to hide from the world; rather, we are to be His light in the world. We are to be that city on a hill where it cannot be hidden. (Cf. Matthew 5:14-16) We need to remember the intercessory prayer of Jesus when He prayed for all believers:

John 17:13-21 (NIV)

I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified. My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.

Jesus wants us IN the world, but He prayed for God to protect us … to be our refuge from the evil one. So, we do not ignore what is happening in the world or stick our heads in the proverbial sand. Believers have been called … we are sent into the world to testify to the truth! That truth is God sent His Son, Jesus, into the world: “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him. Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.” (Cf. John 3:16-19) Yes, we are to engage the world with the light of the Gospel … with the truth of the Word.

Thus, we need to know the Word of God. We need to know the Truth. And through the Holy Spirit who comes to indwell us, we receive wisdom and discernment. The Apostle John has elaborated this for us:

1 John 4:1-6 (NIV)

Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world. You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of Truth and the spirit of falsehood.

Lord Jesus, you are our refuge and strength because You have given us your Spirit … the Spirit of Truth who indwells us and fills us with Your abiding presence and love. Only in You is the wisdom and knowledge of God made known to us. Only in You is the great love of the Father fully expressed and experienced in our hearts. You are the true light that gives light to everyone. Oh, that the light you have given to us might be received in every heart. You are the Living Word in which we hope and find shelter. You are the Way and the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through you. (Cf. John 14:6) And so, I pray that we your children would be your image in this world just as you are the image of the Father. You have sent us into the world just as the Father sent You into the world. Yes, I pray that through our lives and testimonies of redemption, more people will see your kindness and repent. I pray that your great love, which is rich in mercy, will bring life to those who are dead in transgressions. Oh, that your grace, Lord Jesus, would abound as your people proclaim the light and hope, the joy and peace, the truth and love of the Gospel … so that no one would perish but come to a knowledge of the truth and receive eternal life in you. This is my prayer, Lord, and I ask in Your Name. Amen.

So Now You Know…

Have a Blessed Day!

As for God, His way is perfect: The Lord’s word is flawless; He shields all who take refuge in Him. For who is God besides the Lord? And who is the Rock except our God? It is God who arms me with strength and keeps my way secure. ~ Psalm 18:30-32

Hypocrisy – The Enemy of Grace

Romans 5:10

For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to Him through the death of His Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through His life!

As we move closer to Good Friday and the remembrance of the crucifixion, this verse caught my attention in the context of what we see happening in the world right now.  I have shared my thoughts that while the Coronavirus Pandemic is being weaponized by the enemy to bring more darkness and deception in the world; I am certain that God will cause all things to work for the good of those who love Him – who have been called according to His purpose! (Cf. Romans 8:28) And I believe God is shaking the earth once again in this time to stir up His people … to wake us up!  And I sense this shaking is especially for believers … for those who profess Jesus is Lord and yet forsake Him through their complacency, their faithlessness, and their hypocrisy.

Jesus had much to say about the hypocrisy of religious people.  He rebuked the Pharisees and scribes for their hypocrisy.  Here are some excerpts from Matthew 23:

1 Then Jesus said to the crowds and to His disciples: 2 “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. 3 So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach.

13 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to. 14 They devour widows’ houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. These men will be punished most severely.”

15 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are.

25 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26 Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.

27 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. 28 In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.

I find it interesting that after these rebukes found in Chapter 23, we find Jesus speaking about the signs of the End Times in Chapter 24.  I do not think that this organization of the narrative is coincidental because Chapter 25 affords us the Parable of the Ten Virgins, the Parable of the Talents, and His discourse on the separation of the sheep and the goats at His Second Coming! So do you see the progression?  Jesus rebukes hypocrisy and both its deception for believers and its destructive effect on unbelievers or those who are seeking the Kingdom of God.  Then He declares there will be an end of this present world and that He will return.  As Jesus warns us: “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect Him. (Cf. Matthew 24:42-44) And finally, Jesus addresses the outcome of our faith … those who are prepared for His return and those who are not prepared: “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, He will sit on His glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on His right and the goats on His left.” (Cf. Matthew 25:31-33)

Perhaps we should back up a few chapters and recall the events of Easter Week.  Consider for a moment: In Matthew Chapter 21, Jesus rode in triumphant procession … on a donkey and was hailed as King when He entered Jerusalem on what we celebrate as Palm Sunday. He entered the temple courts; and to His provocation, Jesus saw the place filled with commerce … like a marketplace … buyers and sellers … and moneychangers (ancient ATMs) throughout.  Filled with righteous anger, Jesus drove them all out of the temple courts and rebuke them all – declaring “My house will be called a House of Prayer (Quoting Isaiah 56:7), but you are making it a den of robbers!” (Quoting Jeremiah 7:11) Jesus exposed the insidious effects of religious hypocrisy and declared it MUST stop at the temple of God … and more metaphorically … it WOULD stop at the temple of His Body! And we know that His zealous actions sealed the decision of the religious rulers to plan His assassination within a few days.

Yet, we need to keep in mind that all these events had been foretold … they had been ordered by Father God.  For God ordained that the sacrifice of His Son would be the final atonement … the eternal propitiation for the sin of the world. So here in our Verse of the Day, we find Paul expounding on the implications of the crucifixion beyond the atonement we received from God:    “For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to Him through the death of His Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through His life!” How much more does not pose the question; rather, it is the conclusive exclamation of the blessing of salvation which surpasses the act of reconciliation! Indeed, there is no greater cost to be imagined. “For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? (Cf. Matthew 16:26)

And so, we are being shaken in this Easter Season.  The cross of Christ reveals how God deeply abhors sin … any and all sin … and perhaps, especially the hidden sin that we attempt to conceal from others under the guise of hypocrisy. Indeed, we are being called to rid ourselves of religious and spiritual hypocrisy! We are to remove it from our inner beings – our spiritual houses. Just as Moses commanded the people when he instituted the Passover: “So this day shall be to you a memorial; and you shall keep it as a feast to the Lord throughout your generations. You shall keep it as a feast by an everlasting ordinance. 15 Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall remove leaven from your houses. (Cf. Exodus 12:14-15) Remove the leaven!  And what is the leaven we should remove in preparation? 

Luke 12:1-5 (NKJV)

He began to say to His disciples first of all, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. 2 For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known. 3 Therefore whatever you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have spoken in the ear in inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops. 4 “And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. 5 But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!

Why is this important? What is the application for us as believers?  As the Church?

1 Corinthians 5:6-8 (NKJV)

6 Your glorying is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? 7 Therefore, clean out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. 8 Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

Amen. We simply cannot tolerate hypocrisy within ourselves!  We cannot allow the leaven of sin to destroy the temples of our bodies! As Paul asserted in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20: “Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.”  In this season right now, God is calling believers to get rid of the leaven in our houses!  He is calling us to holiness!  He is calling us to return to the cross of Christ!  I believe God wants us to identify again with the blood shed on the cross and proclaim: “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.” (Cf. Galatians 2:20) Yes, Jesus died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him who died for them and was raised again. (Cf. 2 Corinthians 5:15)

If God has shaken you during the past few weeks … if God has stirred your mind and heart about the return of His Son and the glory of His Coming … then I pray all of us will listen to and respond to His Word.  Jesus will soon be coming for His Bride … the Church! Through intercession at the right hand of God, He is sanctifying and cleansing us … with the washing of water by the Word … that He might present us to Himself a glorious Church, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.” (Cf. Ephesians 5:26-27) Yes, let us return the cross this Easter and remember the holy price paid for our redemption!  Perhaps this old hymn will speak to your heart:

  1. When I survey the wondrous cross
    On which the Prince of glory died,
    My richest gain I count but loss,
    And pour contempt on all my pride.
  2. Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,
    Save in the death of Christ my God!
    All the vain things that charm me most,
    I sacrifice them to His blood.
  3. See from His head, His hands, His feet,
    Sorrow and love flow mingled down!
    Did ever such love and sorrow meet,
    Or thorns compose so rich a crown?
  4. Were the whole realm of nature mine,
    That were a present far too small;
    Love so amazing, so divine,
    Demands my soul, my life, my all.

Yes! Let us gaze at the wonderous cross on which the Prince of Glory died! Let us return to our first love! We have been afforded the opportunity in this moment.  So let us stop to reflect … to reconsider … to repent … to return. God our Savior, who loves us beyond our ability to conceive, wants us to give Him our attention … our undivided attention … our uncompromised devotion!  Let us remove all hypocrisy and be sincere.  As Jesus said to the woman at the well, “The hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in the Spirit and Truth.” (Cf. John 4:23-24)

So Now You Know!

Have a Blessed Day!