There are many contemporary messages on self-improvement (both inside and outside the church) that appeal to our intellect but have little to no power to change the soul. If satan can convince us to take a watered-down version of righteousness (which does not exist; it’s like saying, can white be just a little black and still be white), then he can affect whole congregations. As church leaders seek to grow their church, the temptation is to preach a populous message, placating our ego and making us feel good about ourselves with no spiritual gain. These messages allow sins to be excused. Instead of being called sins, they are simply part of our human nature, such as anger, lust, greed, insecurity, or fear, rather than being called sins as God’s Word does. In this venue of populous messages, little is said, if any, of these struggles.
If people come to church emotionally bleeding or spiritually dying, they leave the same or maybe with a bandaid, whereas what they needed were stitches so the wound can close and be healed.
The church is meant to be a hospital for the spiritually hurting, a place of refuge from the onslaught of our carnal nature. Healing from emotional strife and found hope. How does this happen? The teaching of God’s Word brings conviction. Conviction is God’s strong medicine that brings healing. That way, repentance is sought, and wounds that are continually being reopened can close; infection and carnal desire unchecked are destroyed as God’s Word brings healing. Teaching must be strong so the path onward and upward is clearly seen. If sins remain unrepentant, character flaws remain, and wounds continue to fester. Strongholds of anger, lust, unacceptance, insecurity, fear, etc., remain, hindering us from experiencing the love and forgiveness that Christ offers. It’s a vacuous place to be.
A murderer in the days of Rome, if he was not crucified, would be punished by having his victim’s body tied to his back, wrist to wrist, arm to arm, torso to torso, and leg to leg. Then, the murderer would carry the corpse until the gangrene killed him. It’s precisely what Paul alludes to when he says….
Romans 7:23-25
But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?
I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin (sin is not to be excused, but dealt with via prayer and God’s Word).
Therefore, what is the point of going to church if I cannot see myself progressing, getting free from my sinful nature, and sensing a closer walk with Christ? If I didn’t want to get free of my sins, I could easily fill my ear with motivational speakers and gifted cheerleaders and seek to change myself, failing to see my sins from God’s perspective. This is not the church’s calling; cheerleaders are for sports and those who think well of themselves.
The church is called a beacon, a light of Truth and Hope to those who are tired of their way and hungry and looking for answers and hope. The church is to be a hospital for the sick wanting to get well. Where the medicine of God’s Word is applied, and actual healing of the soul and body is felt and seen. The anointing oil of Truth does not always feel good, like removing cancer from the body. Recovery is painful; changing and hating your sin comes at a price, but in the end, healing, peace, and inner joy are felt. The Truth is like that. Jesus put it this way….
Matthew 5:29-30
If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out (ouch!!) and cast it from you, for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish than for your whole body to be cast into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you (now I’m partially blind and crippled, and that’s precisely what Christ is saying, cripple the carnal man), for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.
Christ HAS THE PERSPECTIVE OF HEAVEN, WHERE SIN DOES NOT EXIST, AND PURITY, ONENESS AND JOY RESIDE. We do not come close to living in that realm, at least not yet. It’s like comparing pristine mountain water to sewage. We drink and live in the sewage, and He seeks to lead us to the purity of the water He gives.
John 4:13-14
Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”
Truth is a Light on a hill that speaks of home, security, peace, and love. Therefore, since the church is the Bride of Christ, when one goes to church, he or she should be meeting The Groom of the Church, The Lord Jesus Christ.
Psalms 22:22-25
I will declare Your name to My brethren; In the midst of the assembly, I will praise You.
My praise shall be of You in the great assembly; I will pay My vows before those who fear Him.
Early in my Christian walk, I couldn’t wait till worship was over and the preaching would begin. I didn’t understand the importance of thanking and praising the Lord with my lips in song. Now, I love to worship. Worship alone could be the whole service for me. There is so much truth in the lyrics, especially the hymns. As we worship, we clear our hearts of care and concern, preparing our hearts to hear the message from the scriptures. If done earnestly, conviction of sins are brought to mind, and repentance and forgiveness are found. For some sins, repentance alone is needed; for others, it ismore attached to our soul (e.g., my dad had a temper, or my mom was critical, so I struggle with these), which takes time to overcome.
These are specific fears, insecurities, and lusts that are entrenched in us, and freedom is won and maintained by memorizing specific Bible verses that address this specific sin. Freedom will be gained as the spirit man is fed God’s Word, and the carnal man is starved by not engaging in sin and repenting quickly if we fall. Regardless of how we were raised, we cannot excuse ourselves; sin is sin (THOUGH CONVICTION DOES NOT FEEL GOOD, IT PAINFUL, IT IS BECAUSE OF HIS LOVE FOR YOU AND ME THAT HE DOES SO). Therefore, Straight, Gay, or Gender Identity concerns do not matter; it’s NOT ABOUT US, WE ARE ALL TO BECOME CONFORMED TO HIS IMAGE, HIS STANDARD OF HOLINESS (not our definition of Holiness) THAT WITHOUT IT NONE OF US WILL SEE THE LORD.
Hebrews 12:11
Now, no chastening seems to be joyful for the present but painful; nevertheless, afterward, it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
Hebrews 12:14-15
Pursue peace with all people and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord: looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this, many become defiled (the importance of forgiveness).
Romans 12:1-2 Living Sacrifices to God
I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. Do not conform to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind so that you may prove what that good and acceptable and perfect will of God is.
To not pursue holiness because we simply believe we cannot change, that the sin or the flaw is too great or genetic (it’s in our D.N.A) is to say that Our Creator is weak. That the Blood of Christ shed on the Cross to make us holy and righteous cannot help me. This is an absolute lie, and it comes from the pit of hell itself, AND it’s a popular one that many want to believe, for it excuses us and allows us to justify our sins. However, it also keeps us from experiencing His love, hope, and peace, not to mention the people we hurt because of our unwillingness to fight against it. Keeping my sin, JUSTIFYING IT, IS NOT WORTH the price (image a dad with a temper yelling at his wife and kids, the damage he is causing because of his unwillingness to fight for the freedom he could have in Christ because he believes the lie of satan THAT HE CAN’T change rather than believing God’s promise.
John 8:44( this is what Jesus said of Satan, so think twice before you believe something that contradicts the scriptures).
You are of your father, the devil (referring to the Pharisees, the religious leaders of his time [the church]), and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie (e.g., you can’t change), he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it ( is this who you want to follow, and become part of his casualties? I know I don’t).
Philippians 4:13
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (to make strong, to fortify, vigorous, able to conquer by His empowerment).
So, as harsh as this sounds, if you believe an untruth (any belief that seems true but comes in conflict or contradicts scripture) is a lie, period! It’s hard work to reprogram our brains from utterly believing one thing to completely believing the opposite. It threatens our sense of well-being and security, but if you or I could truly understand God’s love for us, which sent Him to the Cross while we were yet His enemies (Romans 5:8), what fear is there? To surrender an untruth, a lie that will hurt me and others, for a Godly truth that will help and bless others, is that a loss? No, it’s a gain because the indwelling Holy Spirit combined with His Word, the sword of the Spirit, can and does bring deliverance and freedom.
Now, let’s clarify something else. The Church is only part of the equation. I’m the other part, and I talk about this with every Vida4U. The other part is our time with God, reading the Bible, taking notes, and praying. An hour or two on Sunday and maybe an evening of midweek study is not enough spiritual food to carry me through the week successfully.Trials and temptations, deadlines and kids, events of life and my carnal nature, etc., the “spiritual food supply” is used up. The scriptures say we are to meditate upon them. To meditate comes from the word that describes a cow chewing its food. This may sound gross, but the cow has four compartments in its stomach, and each compartment helps the cow digest food even better. The second compartment of the stomach upchucks the food back into the mouth of the cow, and hence, we get the saying, “the cow is chewing its cud.” This is partially digested food that has already been in compartment 1, the Rumen. This second chewing enables the cow to get all the nutrients from the food, and this is our word: “to meditate.”
It definitely is not a casual read. No, it’s looking up the words in their original language, cross-referencing with other verses, etc. This would be like us “chewing the cud of the Word.” This is my part and my responsibility, as it is yours. It’s fascinating because it’s like digging for gold. Except this gold is Eternal, or if you fancy being a pirate, it’s like searching for buried treasure. This process takes some time, but for me, it’s only 1/4 of the time it used to take. Now, with my iPad, the Strong’s Dictionary, and Greek and Hebrew Lexicons all loaded into it, it is super quick. I used to have three books open, plus my John MacArthur Bible. Now I just switch from different screens.
2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
Now, here’s the confusing part. You feel no different. You feel like the same old sinner that you have always been. Since “truth” is what we feel, we must change and understand that truth now is not our feelings but God’s Word. It’s an entirely different way to live life. That’s why we must spend time in the Word daily.
Our walk with God is not feeling-based but Faith-based, and quoting God’s Word that contradicts or comes against what I feel is how you use your armor. A series we just finished. Feelings and Faith are not friends, feelings must submit to Faith. Faith must be the Master. If feelings dictate our life, we will have one result, and it will not be good, but if faith becomes that which dictates, then the promises of God become our inheritance, being regularly nourished by God’s Word. Whoever we feed the most will be the master.
This time of study we spend together helps us to live wisely, choose appropriate friends and activities, and say no when necessary. And best of all, to be a better husband, father, and most importantly, a better son or daughter to our Eternal Father. A Great and Loving King that only deserves the very best we can give Him through the aid of The Holy Spirit.
Father,
Thank you for this study. It’s a beautiful journey as You spend time with us, teaching us the truths that free us and bring us closer to You. Help us to understand that our carnal nature wants us to feel hopeless, trapped, that we can’t do this Christian life. That the carnal nature is too strong. Yet that is not true, for You say, “All that are in You are a new creature, old things have passed away, behold all things have become new.” Father, help us to exalt Faith and Your Word over and above feeling or even logic and simply trust You.
Amen and Amen
Until next time,
Arthur