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Standing on the Promises

What would be the theme song for your life?  “Standing on the Promises” would be a good one as it calls for glory and praise to go to God.  As Christians, we’d all like to be known for that.

Standing on the promises of Christ my King, Thro’ eternal ages let His praises ring; Glory in the highest, I will shout and sing, Standing on the promises of God.

But, if we were honest, we might have to change a few letters for it to be sung as “Sitting on the Premises.”  Ouch!  Have we withdrawn so much into the walls of our church buildings that we only glorify and praise Him there?  What do we have to do for us to truly sing that we are indeed “Standing on the Promises” (Romans 12:1-2)?

I. Hebrews 10:19-23.  The reason that we can stand on His promises at all is because He is faithful who makes the promises.  In Psalm 119, we see that He promises to save (v41), comfort (v50), answer prayer (v58), and to uphold us (v116).  We must long for His promised salvation (v123) as He keeps steady our steps (v133), and His promises are well-tried (v140) as He lets us meditate on them (v148).  So, we must offer ourselves as living sacrifices to stand on His promises that are needed in life’s storms.

Standing on the promises that cannot fail, When the howling storms of doubt and fear assail, By the living word of God I shall prevail, Standing on the promises of God.

Are you standing on the promises that cannot fail?

II. John 5:21-24.  Our Father is faithful in His promises, but how about Christ?  He makes similar promises to us (John 14:1-3).  He is able to fulfill His promises because all that the Father has has been given over to the Son through the cross.  Only if we are living in Him can we overcome the world … because He has overcome the world (John 16:30-33).  Once baptized into Him, we can begin the transformational process of rejecting the world and living for Christ to truly stand on His promises.

Standing on the promises of Christ the Lord, Bound to Him eternally by love’s strong cord, Overcoming daily with the Spirit’s sword, Standing on the promises of God.

Are you standing on the promises of Christ the Lord?

III. 2 Peter 1:3-11.  Once standing on the promises, are we ever able to step off?  It is by His divine power that God has given us everything for life and godliness.  His glory and excellence has given us His “precious and very great promises.”  But, here it speaks also of the process we must go through to hold onto them or “never fall.”  We must “make every effort” to add certain “qualities” to our faith in “increasing” measure.  This is walking with the Spirit (Galatians 5:16-25) and lets us test what is God’s will.

Standing on the promises I cannot fall, List’ning every moment to the Spirit’s call, Resting in my Savior as my all in all, Standing on the promises of God.

Are you standing on the promises so you cannot fall?

So, is the chorus of your theme song “Standing on the Promises” or is it sung more like this:

“Sitting on the premises, sitting on the premises, Sitting on the premises of God my Savior; Sitting on the premises, sitting on the premises, I’m sitting on the premises of God“?

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If the World Hates You

Why do many Christians choose to live their lives in Christ different than the world only in degree but not by nature?  A stranger meeting them for the first time would see them as another predator, not the man escaping uphill on the bike.  Cutting through all the excuses and justifications, the real reason is that the one who died with his Savior in baptism to live for his Savior in new life doesn’t want to be hated like Jesus was (John 15:18-21).

I.  Philippians 2:5-8.  Just before the cross, Jesus tells His followers that because He was hated they will be too.  Why?  Because their very nature will no longer be like the world’s but be like His.  Because we obeyed the gospel, we died with Christ to live our new lives for Christ (Romans 6:4, 2 Corinthians 5:17).  Set apart from the world, we will face persecution (Matthew 5:11-12) for living sanctified, just like the prophets (Hebrews 11:37-38).  The world is not worthy of us, yet we often live like we’re not worthy of it.

II.  John 13:12-15.  But, can we blend in with the world and still be Christians?  Jesus told the servants to serve as we saw the Master do.  When persecuted, early Christians rejoiced because they were considered worthy to suffer for Jesus’ name (Acts 5:40-42).  Yet, often we strive to avoid persecution at all costs that we might somehow be spared the world’s rejection and scorn.  We change the church to become more like the world rather than shining the light of the gospel to change the world (John 3:19-21).

III.  Matthew 5:43-48.  The apostle speaks of an upward spiral in John 14:15 and 1 John 2:3-5.  If we love, we’ll obey; if we obey, we’ll know God; if we know God, our love will be perfected.  But, while seeking to live the minimum to still be considered Christians (although God has spoken about those who are lukewarm in Revelation 3:16), these chameleons are really in a downward spiral: they don’t obey His words, so don’t love; they don’t love, so they don’t know God; they don’t know God, so they don’t obey Him.

One popular slogan today says, “Stop trying to fit in when you were born to stand out.”  From a spiritual perspective, we should stop trying to blend in with the world to avoid being hated when we were born again at a terrible cost to our Savior to live sanctified.

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I Want to Be a Soul Winner

In the movie version, based on the WWII story of conscientious objector Desmond Doss who saved 75 men on Hacksaw Ridge, the combat medic, exhausted and abandoned by his infantry company for dead, powerfully cries out, “Just one more, Lord,” as he lowers the wounded one by one down the cliff edge.  This should be our attitude towards evangelism, not just one aspect of church life that we’ll get to if we can or have time but the vehicle through which we conduct our Christian walk (1 Corinthians 9:16-27).

I.  Do you want to be a soul winner for Jesus every day?  Paul describes his preaching of the gospel that “necessity is laid upon me,” that “Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel,” and that he has been “entrusted with a stewardship.” Are you similarly compelled?  What return are you making on the investment that has been entrusted to you (Matthew 25:14-30)?  How often we sing, “I want to be a soul winner for Jesus every day …,” but do we mean it?

I want to be a soul winner for Jesus ev’ry day, He does so much for me; I want to aid the lost sinner to leave his erring way, And be from bondage free.

II.  Do you want to be a soul winner and bring the lost to Christ?  Paul’s compulsion made it so that everything he did “in word or deed” was done “in the name of the Lord Jesus” Colossians 3:17.  Is what Christ has done for us through the gospel also convict us to “become all things to all people that by all means [we] might save some”?  Do you view your life as not your own because you were bought at a price (1 Corinthians 6:19-20) and so must persuade others (2 Corinthians 5:11-21)?

I want to be a soul winner and bring the lost to Christ, That they His grace may know; I want to live for Christ ever, and do His blessed will, Because He loves me so.

III.  Do you want to be a soul winner till Jesus calls for you?  It’s evident that Paul understood that his very eternal reward was at stake, and so being a soul winner was the operating system through which he lived his life (Romans 6:4-11) in Christ.  He wanted to run his race in such a way as to win the prize and the only choices were to be disciplined or to be disqualified.

I want to be a soul winner till Jesus calls for me, To lay my burdens down; I want to hear Him say, “Servant, you’ve gathered many sheaves, Receive a shining crown.”

Do you truly want to be a soul winner for Jesus?

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Walk as Jesus Did

As the Christian walk has been described as being on the narrow road that few find and leads to eternal life (Matthew 7:13-14), it’s easy to picture him struggling to keep his balance on a tightrope while the will within and the winds without work to knock him off.  In Philippians 3:17-21, Paul gives us three ways to persevere to the safety at the other end of the narrow line.

I. 2 Timothy 1:5-7. We must keep our eyes on those who walk according to the example. Paul ventured to tell others to follow him as he followed Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1), and then the Hebrew writer tells of the great cloud of witnesses who had walked this walk before us (Hebrews 12:1-3).  Because that walk was difficult for them (Hebrews 11:33-38), we should learn from their example, just as Timothy did from the godly women that had walked the tightrope before him.

II. Judges 2:2-10. Beware of the many who walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Colossians 3:1-4 gives us the motivation to keep our balance on the tightrope: we died with Christ and so will be raised with Him.  Sometimes that which makes us fall are of our earthly nature and our selfish will that we haven’t yet put to death (Colossians 3:5-10), and sometimes the enemies are winds of the immoral culture or circumstances beyond our control. Our example to others watching how we walk is at stake.

III. Ephesians 4:11-16. Because our citizenship is in heaven and not of this world, we must walk in obedience as Jesus did (1 John 2:3-6). He left us an example that we might follow in His steps (1 Peter 2:21-23), so we can fix our eyes on Him to persevere to the end of the tightrope.  He has given us in His church everything we need to attain unity and mature into the fullness of Him. He has given Himself and His Word as poles for balance as the whole body in fellowship helps each other reach the end.

Some on the tightrope are so concerned about their own balance that they’ve stopped helping others to step out onto it or their fellow walkers to keep their balance.  Working together using what Jesus has equipped us with, we can all reach the end safely.

 

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I Want to Be a Worker

From the shade with a cold drink in one hand and a fan in the other, many who were once workers for the Lord now watch the dwindling few still sweating in the harvest field.  We come up with a variety of excuses as to why we’re on our extended break: we’re too … old, tired, busy, or sore!  Or, the work is too difficult or dangerous … people just aren’t receptive enough anymore to the gospel … or the world doesn’t allow us to reach out like we did years ago.

I. Luke 10:1.  To be  a worker for the Lord, you must want to love and trust His holy Word, just as the song says:

I want to be a worker for the Lord; I want to love and trust His holy word; I want to sing and pray, and be busy ev’ry day, In the vineyard of the Lord.

Just before Jesus sends out 72 disciples ahead of Him, He tells several that following Him requires diligent and often difficult hard work (Luke 9:57-62).  The well-known servant to the poor, Mother Teresa, died at 87 still working with her last strength.  can we argue that love and trust for Jesus’ Word isn’t connected to faithful action (James 1:22) when His Word tells us that if we love Him, we will obey His commands (John 14:15)?  Are we not told to serve one another through love (Galatians 5:13)?  And to love and forgive one another as Jesus did (John 15:13; Colossians 3:13)?

II. Luke 10:2-3a.  To be a worker for the Lord, you must want to lead the erring in the way, again as the song says:

I want to be a worker every day; I want to lead the erring in the way That leads to heav’n above, where all is peace and love, In the kingdom of the Lord.

Because we’ve used Luke 10:2 to promote the need for evangelism but disconnected it from our personal responsibility, we pray often that God will send workers to His harvest field.  If He hasn’t and the attendance in our assemblies shrinks, we shrug because God is in charge of the increase after all (1 Corinthians 3:6).  Peering into the brightness at the shady edge of the harvest field, we lament how few are laboring in the hot sun to fill the Master’s barn with sheaves.  Yet, just as the 72 were sent, so are we (Matthew 28:18-20) and also to our erring, fellow workers (Galatians 6:1-2; Matthew 18:15-17).

III. Luke 10:3.  To be a worker for the Lord, you must want to trust in Jesus’ power to save, as the song tells us:

I want to be a worker strong and brave; I want to trust in Jesus’ pow’r to save; All who will truly come shall find a happy home, In the kingdom of the Lord.

He sent them out like lambs among wolves!  Why would Jesus do that? It’s because we partaking in our own adventure is that important to Him.  God is wild at heart and wants those made in His image to step out of our comfort zones to do the work He’s prepared for us.  Out of fear we make excuses and justify why we can’t do that work, placing our limitations on the God for whom nothing is impossible.  But, obedience is required from faith (Romans 1:4-5; James 2:14-17), and God, who promises to be with us, lets us wield His divine power to demolish strongholds (2 Corinthians 10:3-5).

Wanting to be a worker for the Lord begins with obedience to the gospel.  You’ve got to don our work clothes (Galatians 3:26-27) and then head out into the field.  If the song has changed for you, a longtime resident of the shade, to “I want to sit in pews for the Lord …” then perhaps it’s time to step out onto the soil and become a worker once more.  Do you want to be a worker for the Lord?

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Behold, The New Has Come

For me to get to acceptance in the grieving process after my wife of almost three decades passed last year, I had to keep a forward focus or risk getting mired in memories.  Any move from an old life to a new one is like that.  If we are focused too much on what we have lost, we will miss what we have gained.  Becoming a new creation in baptism is like that as well. If we do not die to sin and work through the transformation process, then we can never embrace the new and abundant (John 10:10) that God has called us to live.

I.  2 Corinthians 5:17-18.  If in Christ, you are a new creation, but how do you life differently if all you know is your old life with its old habits and sinful way of living? Sadly, many people obey the gospel but then only live differently in degree, not in character, than those in the world. Paul spoke of this spiritual war that raged within him (Romans 7:21-23) that was still a transformative process that began at his baptism when he rose out of the water to walk in newness of life (Romans 6:3-5). But, he was working hard to become like Jesus in His death, so He might attain to Jesus’ resurrection in His new life (Philippians 3:10-12).

II.  Romans 12:1-2.  As a new creation, the old has passed away … but has it?  We are to offer our bodies as living sacrifices, not being conformed to the world but transformed by the renewing of our minds.  Then when the old has truly been put to death, then we can test what is a good way of living this new life in Christ.  We must die to sin first (Romans 6:6-8). The problem with being a living sacrifice is that the offering keeps crawling off the altar. To do this we must forget what is behind and strain toward what is ahead. By keeping this forward focus, Paul says, is how he presses on to the goal of heaven (Philippians 3:13-16).

III.  2 Corinthians 5:19-20.  Without Jesus’ reconciling work at the cross and at the grave, we could not have new life, and with this new life comes new work that we also aren’t familiar with.  We are to be “ministers of reconciliation” or “ambassadors for Christ” who speak on behalf of God about this new life–even though we have just taken hold of it ourselves. Just as Jesus died to sin and rose to life, we must press on to take hold of this new life that has now come to us (Romans 6:9-11). Instead of looking back at our old life and regressing into those old habits and behaviors, we must hold true to what we have already attained.

Rather than focusing on what I have lost when my old life died with my wife, I am riveted on taking hold of what God has given me as a widower for His Kingdom in this new life. We must all do the same thing with the new life He has given us in Jesus.

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The Battle Belongs to the Lord

If we are not engaging our whole selves while we sing, then the impact of a song’s words can often escape us.  In “The Battle Belongs to the Lord,” we sing that God will fight for us in our battle, but how much we believe those words and truly trust Him to do so may not be known until we are in the midst of a difficult struggle and choose to rely on Him or on our own limited resources for help.

I.  Psalm 18:1-5.  After witnessing God’s power in the 10 plagues that allowed them to leave Egypt, the Israelites left freed from slavery “equipped for battle” (Exodus 13:18), idealistically ready to walk straight up to the Promised Land.  As they got to the Red Sea, however, they saw Pharaoh’s army marching after them, and “they feared greatly” and “cried to the Lord” Exodus 14:10.  How like them we can be as Christians until we face adversity.  The first verse of the song says it like this:

In heavenly armor we’ll enter the land, The battle belongs to the Lord.  No weapon that’s fashioned against us will stand, The battle belongs to the Lord.

Though we call the Lord our strength, rock, fortress, deliverer, shield, horn of my salvation, and stronghold, it is easier to say the words than to apply them.  The psalmist does have to apply them as he was encompassed, assailed, entangled, and confronted by struggles to the point of death.  Would he choose to have faith or to rely on himself?

II. Psalm 18:6-19.  After God had rescued them with such a mighty hand already, how could the Israelites not trust in God’s power to save?  But they complain and believe that they will die (Exodus 14:11-13), the very opposite of trust.  God would fight their battle, Moses told them, but their responsibility was different than the Lord’s; they had to “fear not,” “stand firm,” and “see” God’s salvation.  In other words faith is a lot of work, harder work than fighting an impossible battle for ourselves and the choice not often made.  Why? Probably because God can’t be made to do anything.  We must submit to His will, not He to ours.  The second verse says:

When the power of darkness comes in like a flood, The battle belongs to the Lord.  He’s raised up a standard, the pow’r of His blood, The battle belongs to the Lord.

We have the cross and often don’t believe in Jesus’ power to save us.  So, does God act on our behalf out of obligation or love?  In the Psalm, the Lord literally overturns heaven and earth because He was angry at the people or circumstances distressing His child.  Then we read that it is because He delights in him. Could He have the same love for us?

III.  Psalm 18:20-30.  How the Israelites took Moses’ words to “fear not,” “stand firm,” “see” God’s salvation, and to “be silent” is not clear (Exodus 14:13-14), but how do we wait in faith for the Lord to act in our lives when we are in distress?  Repeating that God is our refuge and that we should not fear, Psalm 46:10 tells us to “be still and know that I am God.”  While our backs are against the Red Sea and Pharaoh’s army bears down on us in life, choosing faith and letting God fight our battle is the harder but better decision.  As the third stanza says:

When your enemy presses in hard, do not fear, The battle belongs to the Lord.  Take courage, my friend, your redemption is near, The battle belongs to the Lord.

According to the psalm, it is those who choose to have faith and trust in Him, being still in obedience that the Lord rescues.  The one who is “haughty” by trying to fix it himself by his own resources finds God “tortuous.”  It’s about the relationship the child has with his or her heavenly Father.

If God is truly your refuge, then you can truly sing the chorus when we are rescued:

And we sing glory, honor, Power and strength to the Lord.  We sing glory, honor, Power and strength to the Lord.

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Called to Freedom

Floating along with the current of culture, the church fell asleep in its complacency and compromise as the stream changed direction.  Christians began to accept the world’s restrictions on our freedoms to worship and proclaim the gospel, and instead of awakening, we withdrew into the walls of our buildings.

I.  1 Corinthians 10:23-33.  God, of course, puts limits on our freedoms.  We must not sin.  Rather, in obedience to His commands, we must choose to be helpful, build others up, seek the good of others and not ourselves, and glorify God in all that we say or do.  Our humanistic culture we live in, though, seeks to externally regulate us and persecutes us if we do not submit to its dictates.  Now, as Christians, we know we should submit to our governing authorities (Romans 13:1), but Jesus said we should not give to the culture what is God’s (Matthew 22:21).  Our primary allegiance is not, then, to the current that has changed directions, but to where we are citizens (Philippians 3:20).

II.  Romans 12:1-2.  Sadly, many live lives conformed to the world rather than transformed by the gospel.  Asleep while the current of culture sweeps them to their destruction (Matthew 7:13-14), they have accepted the walls the world has erected for us: the gospel is too outdated or can’t compete or is hate speech.  Or perhaps the restrictions are personal: I’m too old or out-of-touch or have circumstances to overcome.  When we use our freedoms for ourselves, we retreat within those walls by dwelling on the past, complaining, or just playing church.  We know that all things are possible with God (Mark 10:27) and declare that if the church is not doing more, then it must be God’s will.  But, God wants us using our freedoms for Him (John 14:12-14), and then He will do more than we can ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20-21).

III.  Galatians 5:13-15.  When we, through love, choose to use our freedom in Christ to serve others instead, we turn our focus outward rather than inward where we will destroy one another.  The very nature of the church is to step outside of the walls where we have been driven by the culture to serve instead in deed and truth (1 John 3:16-18).  Using Jesus as our example, we choose to serve in whatever station in life that God has placed us (Titus 2:1-8) and reaching outside the walls of the world and waging war against it with very different weapons (2 Corinthians 10:3-5).

You may be using your freedom in Christ to fight, but what or whom are you fighting?  Where is your focus?  Inward for self or outward to serve?

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God Be With You

Movies do this often.  The final words of a character are often very important.  Having spent three years in Ephesus, it was understandable that when Paul needed to go to certain imprisonment and persecution in Jerusalem, he wanted to speak to the church there.  But, not wanting to be held up long with people he loved, he had the elders trek about 40 miles to the coast to speak to him at Miletus (Acts 20:17-38).  What he said is important for all of us as part of a local body of Christ to minister to one another after a leader has left.

I.  1 Corinthians 12:18-26.  To minister to the flock, you must pay careful attention to the other parts of the body.  None of us is alone as a Christian but have a responsibility to serve, feed, and care for one another.  The first stanza of the hymn, “God Be With You,” explains this:

God be with you till we meet again; By His counsels guide, uphold you, With His sheep securely fold you; God be with you till we meet again.

God has a relationship with each of us, yes, but it is collectively as His bride that He sanctifies us (Ephesians 5:25-32).  We can study His Word and determine to live for him alone, yes, but it is together that are secure and have fellowship with believers who help us keep in step with the Spirit (Galatians 5:16-25).

II.  Matthew 7:15-20.  To minister to the flock, you must watch for wolves from without and within.  Both might be hard to spot as they may appear as friends who tell you exactly what your itching ears delight to hear, so it is by the ‘fruit’ of their lives that you will know them.  The song continues:

God be with you till we meet again; ‘Neath His wings protecting hide you, Daily manna still provide you; God be with you till we meet again.

Satan is the biggest wolf without (1 Peter 5:8), but even he can masquerade as an angel of light.  When warned of the wolf within, Cain still killed his brother (Genesis 4:5-9).  We must protect and provide for each sheep just as Jesus would (Luke 15:4-5).

III.  John 10:2-5.  To minister to the flock, you must first be alert yourself.  Paul considered it his responsibility to minister to his brothers and sisters (2 Corinthians 11:28-29).  So, it is ours, who strive to follow Christ, to help others listen to the Good Shepherd’s voice.  The third verse says it this way:

God be with you till we meet again; Keep love’s banner floating o’er you, Smite death’s threatening wave before you; God be with you till we meet again.

We each have the responsibility of working out our own salvation with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12), yes, but we can lighten the loads that others carry by our instruction, encouragement, and concern for them (Galatians 6:1-5).  This is how the body works together.

Goodbye (from “God be w’ ye” or the name of the hymn) is so final, and indeed the elders wept knowing they would never see Paul’s face again … in this life.  You see, for Christians who are parting, even physical death is a temporary separation.  We will all see each other again in heaven for eternity.  Rather, it is ‘So long’ or ‘See you later.’  The song captures this sentiment in the refrain:

Till we meet, till we meet, Till we meet at Jesus’ feet; Till we meet, Till we meet again, God be with you till we meet again. 

 

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Save Those Who are Eagerly Waiting

Why was it so essential that Jesus be seated at the right hand of the Father and that we know that He is coming back?  What is the work of the King of Kings that He does on our behalf as He entered His kingdom?

I.  Colossians 1:9-20.  Jesus is on a rescue mission.  He had to enter His kingdom to deliver us from the dominion of darkness and transfer us to His kingdom.  He accomplishes this through the church (Matthew 16:18), which is His body, which He bought with His blood (Acts 20:28), over which He is head (Ephesians 1:7-23).  We are rescued when we obey the gospel (Acts 2:36-41).

II.  Hebrews 7:23-25.  We need Jesus to intercede for us.  Jesus’ constant work on behalf of those who have obeyed the gospel until the Day of Judgment is to sit at the right hand of the Father as our permanent High Priest and offer intercession for us (Hebrews 9:11-15).  And, it is good that He does as the accuser of our brethren is constantly about his deceitful work (Revelation 12:1-17).

III.  Hebrews 9:23-28.  Because we know that Jesus will return for us (Acts 1:9-11), we must be eagerly waiting for Him.  The time for His redemptive work is done, His sacrifice for sins on the cross and overcoming of death at the tomb accomplished.  He has gone away to prepare a place for us (John 14:1-4), so we must live faithfully, watching and preparing (Matthew 25:1-13).

Jesus has gone away to do His important work of saving us.  Are we about our important work of eagerly waiting for His return?