03.30.09
J.A. Matteson
"…as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved." Colossians 3:12
Has your sojourning led you to the gentle crest of the Hill of Wonder to view with humility the transaction of Calvary? Or do you remain in the lowlands as Israel, “The LORD said…’The people who are with you are too many for Me to give Midian into their hands, for Israel would become boastful, saying, 'My own power has delivered me’” (Judges 7:2). Natural man is ego-centric regarding the spiritual, yielding an arrogant blind inclination towards self-ability when none is present.
Has grace revealed to you from the vista on the mount that Salvation is from the Lord; that more than merely providing a theoretical redemption—reserved for those who in their natural resources believe—the mercy of God assures the effectual application of the Gospel to the chosen? Have you accounted for your former misery in sin as that of a cesspool in a deep pit with walls as smooth as ice, from which you could not have escaped unaided? How do you account for your being in Christ? Perhaps you picked yourself up by your spiritual bootstraps and simply wised up, taking Jesus at His word that He is the Son of God. If that is so then certainly our Lord would affirm your thesis. But what does He say to Peter?, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 16:17).
According to Jesus, the natural mind of man is incapable of knowing Him as the Son of God; it is spiritually blind, deaf, and dumb. The basis of your salvation was grace manifested through divine initiative. While unregenerate you where not spiritually sick you where spiritually dead, and to be dead is to be unresponsive. Take the largest floodlight you can locate and place a blind man directly in front of its blinding illumination and he will see nothing but darkness. Blast the loudest trumpet straight into the ear of the deaf and he will hear perfect silence. Walk into the darkest graveyard and passionately command the dead to come forth and you will leave alone as when you arrived.
At one moment you stood condemned in spiritual death, without Christ, at enmity with God, helpless and hopeless in the world. In the next you found yourself translated in spirit into His marvelous light, suddenly believing in the Lord Jesus Christ and rejoicing in your new life of faith. To your flesh the pathway from darkness to light, from death to life, from enmity to peace, was sublimely simple, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31), and “if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9); and you do in fact believe, your faith is real. Upon the hill it happened, a beautiful heavenly realization unfolded and gripped your heart, your mind was illumined by the Spirit to the wondrous reality of divine initiative in your salvation. Initially the natural cry of your heart was “That’s not fair!” to which the Apostle asked rhetorically, “What shall we say then? There is no injustice with God, is there? May it never be!” (Romans 9:14).
The Spirit revealed that His ways are infinitely more graceful than yours, as left unaided you would still be in your sin. Regeneration precedes faith, which is a gift of God, “For to you it has been granted…to believe in Him….” (Philippians 1:29). Had you applied human reasoning to identity the divine nature of Christ the words of the Lord would be meaningless, “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing” (John 6:63), and “no one can come to Me unless it has been granted him from the Father” (John 6:65). To you, the chosen of God, the Gospel proved effectual. The general Gospel call is ineffectual and heard by the living dead as idiocy, “For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Corinthians 1:18).
Copyright 2009 Immutable Word Ministries ("...the word of our God stands forever." Isaiah 40:8)
Monday, March 30, 2009
Friday, March 27, 2009
Trecherous Traditions
03.27.09
J.A. Matteson
"See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men…" Colossians 2:8
All a man needs is Jesus Christ “in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2: 3). Regeneration begets conversion and the saint is sealed with or in (τῷ) the Holy Spirit—not merely by, implying an incomplete work of grace—but with, indicating a thorough internal transformation and empowerment by the Holy Spirit. At conversion the saint stands as a new creation in Christ Jesus, complete as His ambassador, lacking nothing, looking to the Head alone who is able to keep him from stumbling and to present him blameless on that Day. The Apostle confronted head-on the evil traditions and teaching of men that were not founded by Christ—the Chief cornerstone of the Church, nor the teaching of the Apostles—its foundation, viz., that faith was insufficient for justification and that men were obligated to follow human philosophy and tradition, binding their consciences to the delusional whims of men rather than to Christ. In the present day there is an evil at work through human philosophy and traditions of men that is subverting the word of Christ and His Apostles. The Reformers confronted Papal decrees and councils, the vile sale of indulgences for absolution, and the viewing of relics to circumvent time in purgatory.
Protesting these and many other unbiblical teachings the evil was unmasked and those advancing the cause of doctrinal reform were vilified, many brutally killed by a man-centered religion desperate to remain in control over the souls of men. As the masses were led astray in past generations by men who engaged in fanciful isegesis of Scripture leading to extra-biblical doctrines that enslaved the consciences of men, so too the present generation is being held hostage to doctrines of men that have been elevated as authoritative for faith and practice, the end result has been the subversion of the inspiration, inerrancy, authority, and sufficiency of Scripture to which the Apostle decries to the Corinthians, “But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ” (2 Corinthians 11:3).
From the humanists who denounce the inspiration of Scripture; to the proponents of higher criticism who reject its inerrancy; to the existentialist who holds to experience as the end authority of truth; to the proponents of the “church growth movement” who profess the sufficiency of Scripture, but by their deeds deny the same; to the charlatans of the word-of-faith movement who devilishly prey upon the simple for sordid gain, living in luxury and promising health and wealth to all who surrender to them their paychecks; to the contemporary Gnostics who being deceived by angels masquerading as messengers of light seek after experience and esoteric knowledge, opening their minds to the principalities and powers of darkness; to the post-modern emergent church and its aversion to propositional truth, denying that truth can be known and by implication denying Christ who is Truth; to the misguided theology and praxis of the “seeker-sensitive movement” that exchanges Christo-centric worship for man-centered entertainment and titillation, designed and produced to amuse the unregenerate, feeding the goats while starving the sheep; and to the Later Rain movement’s self-appointed “apostles” who arrogantly proclaim a new “Word of the Lord”, uttering delusions amongst the gullible with insatiable appetites.
Evidence of the distance the Church has wandered from the truth of Scripture is recognized by the hostile reaction by the many to few who dare question the teachings and doctrines found in extra-biblical non-authoritative resources in the form of Christian books, seminars, DVD’s, CD’s, etc. Many Christians unwittingly have elevated these to the position of papal inerrancy—anathema! Cast aside the yoke of slavery and return to the Word of the Lord and the simplicity of Christ, “Do not be carried away by varied and strange teachings” (Hebrews 13:9).
Copyright 2009 Immutable Word Ministries ("...the word of our God stands forever." Isaiah 40:8)
J.A. Matteson
"See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men…" Colossians 2:8
All a man needs is Jesus Christ “in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2: 3). Regeneration begets conversion and the saint is sealed with or in (τῷ) the Holy Spirit—not merely by, implying an incomplete work of grace—but with, indicating a thorough internal transformation and empowerment by the Holy Spirit. At conversion the saint stands as a new creation in Christ Jesus, complete as His ambassador, lacking nothing, looking to the Head alone who is able to keep him from stumbling and to present him blameless on that Day. The Apostle confronted head-on the evil traditions and teaching of men that were not founded by Christ—the Chief cornerstone of the Church, nor the teaching of the Apostles—its foundation, viz., that faith was insufficient for justification and that men were obligated to follow human philosophy and tradition, binding their consciences to the delusional whims of men rather than to Christ. In the present day there is an evil at work through human philosophy and traditions of men that is subverting the word of Christ and His Apostles. The Reformers confronted Papal decrees and councils, the vile sale of indulgences for absolution, and the viewing of relics to circumvent time in purgatory.
Protesting these and many other unbiblical teachings the evil was unmasked and those advancing the cause of doctrinal reform were vilified, many brutally killed by a man-centered religion desperate to remain in control over the souls of men. As the masses were led astray in past generations by men who engaged in fanciful isegesis of Scripture leading to extra-biblical doctrines that enslaved the consciences of men, so too the present generation is being held hostage to doctrines of men that have been elevated as authoritative for faith and practice, the end result has been the subversion of the inspiration, inerrancy, authority, and sufficiency of Scripture to which the Apostle decries to the Corinthians, “But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ” (2 Corinthians 11:3).
From the humanists who denounce the inspiration of Scripture; to the proponents of higher criticism who reject its inerrancy; to the existentialist who holds to experience as the end authority of truth; to the proponents of the “church growth movement” who profess the sufficiency of Scripture, but by their deeds deny the same; to the charlatans of the word-of-faith movement who devilishly prey upon the simple for sordid gain, living in luxury and promising health and wealth to all who surrender to them their paychecks; to the contemporary Gnostics who being deceived by angels masquerading as messengers of light seek after experience and esoteric knowledge, opening their minds to the principalities and powers of darkness; to the post-modern emergent church and its aversion to propositional truth, denying that truth can be known and by implication denying Christ who is Truth; to the misguided theology and praxis of the “seeker-sensitive movement” that exchanges Christo-centric worship for man-centered entertainment and titillation, designed and produced to amuse the unregenerate, feeding the goats while starving the sheep; and to the Later Rain movement’s self-appointed “apostles” who arrogantly proclaim a new “Word of the Lord”, uttering delusions amongst the gullible with insatiable appetites.
Evidence of the distance the Church has wandered from the truth of Scripture is recognized by the hostile reaction by the many to few who dare question the teachings and doctrines found in extra-biblical non-authoritative resources in the form of Christian books, seminars, DVD’s, CD’s, etc. Many Christians unwittingly have elevated these to the position of papal inerrancy—anathema! Cast aside the yoke of slavery and return to the Word of the Lord and the simplicity of Christ, “Do not be carried away by varied and strange teachings” (Hebrews 13:9).
Copyright 2009 Immutable Word Ministries ("...the word of our God stands forever." Isaiah 40:8)
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Saving Faith
03.24.09
J.A. Matteson
"If indeed you continue in the faith…." Colossians 1:23
That which God ordains as holy remains holy unto the Lord in that positional sanctification is a sovereign work of God and does not depend upon the merit of its object, “For while we were yet sinners Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). And even if what is holy suffers desecration—such as the temple by Nebuccanezzar—it does not diminish its intrinsic holiness; that which is holy is holy perpetually, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9)—“us” in whom the Holy Spirit tabernacles.
The Apostle employs the term “saints” before his readers, “To the saints….” (Colossians 1:2) reminding them that by grace they have been set-apart as God’s people to His service and purposes through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; that they have been bought with a price and are not their own; that they have been mercifully rescued from the authority and domain of Satan, “For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son” (Colossians 1:13), and that the outworking of their deliverance—its validation or proof to themselves and others—is evidenced by a transformed mind resulting in a renewed life—the distinguishing mark of which is a persevering faith which does not diminish, but steadily grows deeper, manifesting good works which God foreordained, “And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach” (Colossians 1:21).
To the reprobate sanctifying grace possesses both a curious magnetic and repulsive characteristic. The Lord Jesus illustrated the magnetic attributes whereby a temporary outward piety, void of inner regeneration by the Holy Spirit, eventually manifests the bitter fruit of apostasy (Mark 4:1-9); the Apostle John reiterates the Lord’s dire warning, “They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, so that it would be shown that they all are not of us” (1 John 2:19). Saving faith—that which the Holy Spirit supplies—does not renounce Christ by apostasy. Beloved, what is the basis of your assurance that you are in Christ? Is it your confirmation, baptism, church membership, service, tithe, or some past “decision” for the Savior? Do you not know that apart from a vital living faith that these things are dead works, the end result of which is eternal damnation? The unpardonable sin is unbelief and those who belong to Christ cannot—rendered unable—forsake Him, “No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God” (1 John 3:9).
The power of the Seed which indwells the saint saves and the same power secures unto eternal life. The saints of redemptive history have all displayed an abiding faith until death, one which does not perish. For many their testimony is one of unspeakable suffering at the hands of wicked men, many joyfully choosing horrible deaths while scorning the suggestion of apostasy by their perpetrators—this is the saving grace of the Holy Spirit. Shall we speak of Abraham, Noah, David, Joseph, Samson, Gideon, or the Apostles? The epitaph of Scripture to the enduring faith of such men declares, “And all these, having gained approval through their faith….” (Hebrews 11:39).
And beyond them we could speak of Polycarp, John Huss, Martin Luther, Jim Elliott, and countless others. The Scripture declares that, “…the righteous will live by his faith” (Habakkuk 2:4). The faith the prophet speaks of is not mere knowledge of theological propositions, but an intimate growing relationship with the risen Lord, the great I AM. Biblical faith daily seeks to work out its salvation with fear and trembling, hating sin, and puts no confidence in the flesh for salvation, while at the same time earnestly desiring to be pliable in the Potter’s hands so that the sweet fruit of good works unto the glory of God will be evident to all men. The holy ones of God, while imperfect and who stumble, die in a state of faith; this is the testimony of Scripture and Church history, “Here is the perseverance of the saints who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus” (Revelation 14:12).
Beloved, let us offer thanks and praise for His marvelous grace to save and to keep!
Copyright 2009 Immutable Word Ministries ("...the word of our God stands forever." Isaiah 40:8)
J.A. Matteson
"If indeed you continue in the faith…." Colossians 1:23
That which God ordains as holy remains holy unto the Lord in that positional sanctification is a sovereign work of God and does not depend upon the merit of its object, “For while we were yet sinners Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). And even if what is holy suffers desecration—such as the temple by Nebuccanezzar—it does not diminish its intrinsic holiness; that which is holy is holy perpetually, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9)—“us” in whom the Holy Spirit tabernacles.
The Apostle employs the term “saints” before his readers, “To the saints….” (Colossians 1:2) reminding them that by grace they have been set-apart as God’s people to His service and purposes through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; that they have been bought with a price and are not their own; that they have been mercifully rescued from the authority and domain of Satan, “For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son” (Colossians 1:13), and that the outworking of their deliverance—its validation or proof to themselves and others—is evidenced by a transformed mind resulting in a renewed life—the distinguishing mark of which is a persevering faith which does not diminish, but steadily grows deeper, manifesting good works which God foreordained, “And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach” (Colossians 1:21).
To the reprobate sanctifying grace possesses both a curious magnetic and repulsive characteristic. The Lord Jesus illustrated the magnetic attributes whereby a temporary outward piety, void of inner regeneration by the Holy Spirit, eventually manifests the bitter fruit of apostasy (Mark 4:1-9); the Apostle John reiterates the Lord’s dire warning, “They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, so that it would be shown that they all are not of us” (1 John 2:19). Saving faith—that which the Holy Spirit supplies—does not renounce Christ by apostasy. Beloved, what is the basis of your assurance that you are in Christ? Is it your confirmation, baptism, church membership, service, tithe, or some past “decision” for the Savior? Do you not know that apart from a vital living faith that these things are dead works, the end result of which is eternal damnation? The unpardonable sin is unbelief and those who belong to Christ cannot—rendered unable—forsake Him, “No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God” (1 John 3:9).
The power of the Seed which indwells the saint saves and the same power secures unto eternal life. The saints of redemptive history have all displayed an abiding faith until death, one which does not perish. For many their testimony is one of unspeakable suffering at the hands of wicked men, many joyfully choosing horrible deaths while scorning the suggestion of apostasy by their perpetrators—this is the saving grace of the Holy Spirit. Shall we speak of Abraham, Noah, David, Joseph, Samson, Gideon, or the Apostles? The epitaph of Scripture to the enduring faith of such men declares, “And all these, having gained approval through their faith….” (Hebrews 11:39).
And beyond them we could speak of Polycarp, John Huss, Martin Luther, Jim Elliott, and countless others. The Scripture declares that, “…the righteous will live by his faith” (Habakkuk 2:4). The faith the prophet speaks of is not mere knowledge of theological propositions, but an intimate growing relationship with the risen Lord, the great I AM. Biblical faith daily seeks to work out its salvation with fear and trembling, hating sin, and puts no confidence in the flesh for salvation, while at the same time earnestly desiring to be pliable in the Potter’s hands so that the sweet fruit of good works unto the glory of God will be evident to all men. The holy ones of God, while imperfect and who stumble, die in a state of faith; this is the testimony of Scripture and Church history, “Here is the perseverance of the saints who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus” (Revelation 14:12).
Beloved, let us offer thanks and praise for His marvelous grace to save and to keep!
Copyright 2009 Immutable Word Ministries ("...the word of our God stands forever." Isaiah 40:8)
Monday, March 23, 2009
Psudo-Sovereignty
03.23.09
J.A. Matteson
"Be anxious for nothing…." Philippians 4:6
Pseudo-sovereignty reveals itself in apprehension, whereby the bewildered Christian soberly calculates himself to be a living contradiction—a spiritual schizophrenic—rather than a living sacrifice; one moment he affirms the sovereignty and Providence of God, and in the next instant he is annoyed by both. Born into sin the inclination of man’s heart is towards independence from his Creator, “… and you will be like God….” (Genesis 3:5). The supreme incommunicable attribute of God is His sovereignty, “For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities -all things have been created through Him and for Him” (Colossians 1:16). Grotesque before heavens throne is cosmic treason characterized by a refutation and challenge to divine sovereignty.
By grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ the Christian is forgiven of his former treason and declared righteous by a just Judge, and yet the annoying vestige of the former conspirator within—the old man—stubbornly persists and his demise entails nothing short of a declaration of all out war, “For from within…proceed the evil thoughts…deeds of coveting and wickedness, envy, pride….” (Mark 7:21-22). While speaking to His followers Jesus Christ tenderly summoned, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavyladen, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:28-29). What a delightful balm to the weary and agitated soul are the words of our Lord!
Through Providence the Spirit compassionately touches upon fleshly pressure points within the Christian in order to guide him to singularity with Christ, where the mind and heart operate in unison; what the Spirit initiates by way of loving grace so that Christ may be formed within, spiritual immaturity responds to in doubt, which is unbelief—“Has God said?” The fruit of unbelief is concern, worry, anxiety, and unbelief is sin. The pseudosovereign is preoccupied with the temporal, charting a cognitive course, developing grid to sift experiences and expectations, presuming upon future outcomes that serve what is perceived as beneficial. Providence then transpires and intersects the pre-fabricated understanding of the Christian, turning it on its head; intense anxiety is the resultant fruit, the root is a life characterized by a preoccupation with being its own sovereign; i.e., in control, “Do not worry then, saying, 'What will we eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or 'What will wear for clothing?” (Matthew 6:31).
The Christian who mortifies the flesh and nails to the cross its aspirations, expectations, and presuppositions regarding future events walks as one yoked to the Savior, whose burden is light, and whose peace is beyond comprehension. Anxiety is not an attribute of the divine nature—the throne room of heaven knows nothing but perfect peace. The Spirit within the Christian has raised him up with Christ in heavenly places where peace and harmony triumph, “But God, being rich in mercy… raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places….” (Ephesians 2:4-6). Anxiety is not consistent with the new nature and is a mark of immaturity signaling a life not fully surrendered to Providence; for as God is not anxious within Himself the same is unbecoming in the place of His dwelling, “…do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you?” (1 Corinthians 6:19). And as anxiety generally finds its center in temporal preoccupations the Christian who walks victoriously in peace daily directs his attention heavenward, entrusting himself to Him whose Word is true and whose ways manifest perfect wisdom.
The Spirit of grace who leads the Christian towards maturity is evidenced by the inexpressible joyful realization of a pliable heart, one inclined towards peaceful submission to divine sovereignty and the outworking of Providence, knowing that the Father is indeed crafting unique circumstances for the spiritual benefit of the pilgrim, outfitting him for heaven where his citizenship is held, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance” (James 1:2-3). Enduring peace and joy in the midst of unexpected Providences are the fruit of the Spirit, sprouting forth in a life abandoned to divine sovereignty.
Copyright 2009 Immutable Word Ministries ("...the word of our God stands forever." Isaiah 40:8)
J.A. Matteson
"Be anxious for nothing…." Philippians 4:6
Pseudo-sovereignty reveals itself in apprehension, whereby the bewildered Christian soberly calculates himself to be a living contradiction—a spiritual schizophrenic—rather than a living sacrifice; one moment he affirms the sovereignty and Providence of God, and in the next instant he is annoyed by both. Born into sin the inclination of man’s heart is towards independence from his Creator, “… and you will be like God….” (Genesis 3:5). The supreme incommunicable attribute of God is His sovereignty, “For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities -all things have been created through Him and for Him” (Colossians 1:16). Grotesque before heavens throne is cosmic treason characterized by a refutation and challenge to divine sovereignty.
By grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ the Christian is forgiven of his former treason and declared righteous by a just Judge, and yet the annoying vestige of the former conspirator within—the old man—stubbornly persists and his demise entails nothing short of a declaration of all out war, “For from within…proceed the evil thoughts…deeds of coveting and wickedness, envy, pride….” (Mark 7:21-22). While speaking to His followers Jesus Christ tenderly summoned, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavyladen, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:28-29). What a delightful balm to the weary and agitated soul are the words of our Lord!
Through Providence the Spirit compassionately touches upon fleshly pressure points within the Christian in order to guide him to singularity with Christ, where the mind and heart operate in unison; what the Spirit initiates by way of loving grace so that Christ may be formed within, spiritual immaturity responds to in doubt, which is unbelief—“Has God said?” The fruit of unbelief is concern, worry, anxiety, and unbelief is sin. The pseudosovereign is preoccupied with the temporal, charting a cognitive course, developing grid to sift experiences and expectations, presuming upon future outcomes that serve what is perceived as beneficial. Providence then transpires and intersects the pre-fabricated understanding of the Christian, turning it on its head; intense anxiety is the resultant fruit, the root is a life characterized by a preoccupation with being its own sovereign; i.e., in control, “Do not worry then, saying, 'What will we eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or 'What will wear for clothing?” (Matthew 6:31).
The Christian who mortifies the flesh and nails to the cross its aspirations, expectations, and presuppositions regarding future events walks as one yoked to the Savior, whose burden is light, and whose peace is beyond comprehension. Anxiety is not an attribute of the divine nature—the throne room of heaven knows nothing but perfect peace. The Spirit within the Christian has raised him up with Christ in heavenly places where peace and harmony triumph, “But God, being rich in mercy… raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places….” (Ephesians 2:4-6). Anxiety is not consistent with the new nature and is a mark of immaturity signaling a life not fully surrendered to Providence; for as God is not anxious within Himself the same is unbecoming in the place of His dwelling, “…do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you?” (1 Corinthians 6:19). And as anxiety generally finds its center in temporal preoccupations the Christian who walks victoriously in peace daily directs his attention heavenward, entrusting himself to Him whose Word is true and whose ways manifest perfect wisdom.
The Spirit of grace who leads the Christian towards maturity is evidenced by the inexpressible joyful realization of a pliable heart, one inclined towards peaceful submission to divine sovereignty and the outworking of Providence, knowing that the Father is indeed crafting unique circumstances for the spiritual benefit of the pilgrim, outfitting him for heaven where his citizenship is held, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance” (James 1:2-3). Enduring peace and joy in the midst of unexpected Providences are the fruit of the Spirit, sprouting forth in a life abandoned to divine sovereignty.
Copyright 2009 Immutable Word Ministries ("...the word of our God stands forever." Isaiah 40:8)
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Paradigm Shift
03.18.09
J.A. Matteson
"But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ." Philippians 3:7
That the Apostle delineated the fact that he at one time held to specific values and that those beliefs had changed is of tremendous interest; pressing even harder upon the Christian, however, is the manor by which the change in perspective occurred; i.e., how the Apostle accounted for it. At the outset is the startling picture of a sincere and pious man who was appallingly self-deceived and ignorant of his dreadful standing before God. With all eagerness and discipline Saul invested his life in the pursuit of righteousness according to the only pattern available to him; viz., the paradigm of the fallen world. The system did repay him with a particular level of satisfaction, centered on what the fallen nature covets—self-righteousness, “as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to the righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless” (Philippians 3:6).
The various means by which Saul sought justification before God were logically considered as gain by his contemporaries. And then it happened: he was encountered by the risen Christ at which time he experienced a titanic paradigm shift in his person and understanding. The circumcision of the Spirit—as with the flesh—cuts and removes. Divine initiative rooted in grace removed a dead heart of stone, eyes which saw but could not perceive, ears that heard but lacked understanding, and a soul which instinctively held self-preservation as supreme. Saul was born from above and his Adamic nature was redeemed from the curse of the Fall, “Render the hearts of this people insensitive, their ears dull, and their eyes dim, otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and return and be healed” (Isaiah 6:10).
Our Lord spoke in parables to the crowds, not so they might understand, but to fulfill the words of the Prophet as a judgment against them, “Jesus answered them, ‘To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted…Therefore I speak to them in parables; because while seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. In their case the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled….’” (Matthew 13:13-14). With a new nature came a new heart that hungered after the true God, one inclined towards obedience, eyes that perceived spiritual truth, ears that heard and understood the Word of the Lord, and a heavenly citizenship that, prompted by the Spirit within the man, sought to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.
Paul understood two resurrections in the life of the Christian: the spiritual and the natural, “that I might know Him and the power of His resurrection (ἀναστάσως)…in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead” (Philippians 3:10-11). The first resurrection is to spiritual life from spiritual death, “…walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4). The second resurrection is physical, “…in order I may attain to the resurrection (ἐξανάσταςιν), lit. ‘out-resurrection’) from the dead” (Philippians 3:11)—a reference to a future bodily resurrection, “out” of the earth.
The Spirit brings new insights into and affections for Christ, His Kingdom and Church, “For neither is circumcision [physical] anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation [spiritual]” (Galatians 6:15). The Spirit initiates regeneration and will give life to flesh given over to decay, “if the Spirit of Him…dwells in you, He…will also give life to your mortal bodies….” (Romans 8:11). We do not initiate physical birth, neither do we initiate spiritual birth—it is by grace to the glory of God. The Apostle highlights supernatural affections for the Son of God as a mark of redemption, establishing the words of our Lord, “You will know them by their fruits….” (Matthew 7:16).
Copyright 2009 Immutable Word Ministries ("...the word of our God stands forever." Isaiah 40:8)
J.A. Matteson
"But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ." Philippians 3:7
That the Apostle delineated the fact that he at one time held to specific values and that those beliefs had changed is of tremendous interest; pressing even harder upon the Christian, however, is the manor by which the change in perspective occurred; i.e., how the Apostle accounted for it. At the outset is the startling picture of a sincere and pious man who was appallingly self-deceived and ignorant of his dreadful standing before God. With all eagerness and discipline Saul invested his life in the pursuit of righteousness according to the only pattern available to him; viz., the paradigm of the fallen world. The system did repay him with a particular level of satisfaction, centered on what the fallen nature covets—self-righteousness, “as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to the righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless” (Philippians 3:6).
The various means by which Saul sought justification before God were logically considered as gain by his contemporaries. And then it happened: he was encountered by the risen Christ at which time he experienced a titanic paradigm shift in his person and understanding. The circumcision of the Spirit—as with the flesh—cuts and removes. Divine initiative rooted in grace removed a dead heart of stone, eyes which saw but could not perceive, ears that heard but lacked understanding, and a soul which instinctively held self-preservation as supreme. Saul was born from above and his Adamic nature was redeemed from the curse of the Fall, “Render the hearts of this people insensitive, their ears dull, and their eyes dim, otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and return and be healed” (Isaiah 6:10).
Our Lord spoke in parables to the crowds, not so they might understand, but to fulfill the words of the Prophet as a judgment against them, “Jesus answered them, ‘To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted…Therefore I speak to them in parables; because while seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. In their case the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled….’” (Matthew 13:13-14). With a new nature came a new heart that hungered after the true God, one inclined towards obedience, eyes that perceived spiritual truth, ears that heard and understood the Word of the Lord, and a heavenly citizenship that, prompted by the Spirit within the man, sought to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.
Paul understood two resurrections in the life of the Christian: the spiritual and the natural, “that I might know Him and the power of His resurrection (ἀναστάσως)…in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead” (Philippians 3:10-11). The first resurrection is to spiritual life from spiritual death, “…walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4). The second resurrection is physical, “…in order I may attain to the resurrection (ἐξανάσταςιν), lit. ‘out-resurrection’) from the dead” (Philippians 3:11)—a reference to a future bodily resurrection, “out” of the earth.
The Spirit brings new insights into and affections for Christ, His Kingdom and Church, “For neither is circumcision [physical] anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation [spiritual]” (Galatians 6:15). The Spirit initiates regeneration and will give life to flesh given over to decay, “if the Spirit of Him…dwells in you, He…will also give life to your mortal bodies….” (Romans 8:11). We do not initiate physical birth, neither do we initiate spiritual birth—it is by grace to the glory of God. The Apostle highlights supernatural affections for the Son of God as a mark of redemption, establishing the words of our Lord, “You will know them by their fruits….” (Matthew 7:16).
Copyright 2009 Immutable Word Ministries ("...the word of our God stands forever." Isaiah 40:8)
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Harmonizing Profession with Obedience
03.17.09
J.A. Matteson
"He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross." Philippians 2:8
The work of Providence is to test the Christian’s heart, harmonizing profession with obedience, bringing into alignment the academic with the actual. The academic precedes the actual and the actual validates the academic as wrought in Christ. Lost in the Garden of Eden was obedience, being replaced by rebellion. The Lord cleanly stripes away all pretense by revealing the genuine fruit of the academic, “If you love Me you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15). Love is manifest at the divine intersection of humility and obedience. The end of Providence is obedience; the means is humility; the pathway is death. By Providence the Christian sojourns to the base of difficult hills at which point the academic and actual are juxtaposed, he will at that place continue on the pathway of Providence which leads up or elect to become his own providence and traverse around the base of the hill. Spiritual immaturity seeks to be its own providence. The outworking of maturity is humility unto obedience and the tutor unto humility is Providence. Spiritual immaturity isolates circumstances as separate from Providence; it artificially fabricates a distinction between what it perceives as ordinary and the divine. Humility willingly accepts God’s providential appointed ends and His means toward that end, “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it” (Matthew 16:25).
The Providential pathway towards obedience leads directly through the Valley of the Shadow of Death where humiliation and worldly-loss remain constant companions. To these things the Lord assures the pilgrim, “Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who will not receive many times as much at this time and in the age to come, eternal life” (Luke 18:29-30). What has Providence required of you that you squirmed under, choosing rather to become your own providence? At what intersection have the academic and the actual caused you to pull back? At what point has the outworking of the academic and actual proved incongruent—a startling disconnect, tempting you to become your own providence rather than ascend the hill which Providence assigned to you? Watch out, Jonah was such a man and he soon found himself inside the slimy reeking belly of a fish. Saul was such a man and the kingdom was stripped out of his hands and given to one younger. The foundation of obedience is love and perfect love casts out fear, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments” (John 14:15). It is through obedience that the Christian demonstrates that his love for the Lord is genuine, that the relationship between the academic and actual in his life is progressing as he imitates the Lord’s obedience to His Father, “I always do the things that are pleasing to Him” (John 8:29).
The Providential pathway for individual Christians differ but their destination is the same—glory. In this regard two errors ought to be avoided: firstly, the inordinate pondering of the Providences of other pilgrims, this merely distracts and retards your own progress along the path the Lord has set for you—resist the temptation, “Lord, and what about this man?...what is that to you? You follow Me!" (John 21:21-22); secondly, becoming a hindrance to other pilgrims as a result of ignorance as to their own paths of Providence, “…we as well as the local residents began begging him not to go up to Jerusalem. Then Paul answered, 'What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound, but even to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.'” (Acts 21:12-13). Jesus Christ maintained a sharp focus on his mission as the Lamb of God, “But for this purpose I came to this hour” (John 12:27), and motivated by love for His Father He humbled Himself to obediently remain on the Providential pathway set before Him. As with King David the pathway of God for each pilgrim is revealed through Providence, and it is each Christians obligation to follow that pathway with humility and obedience, for in so doing he fulfills the Lord’s plan for his life, “For when David had served God's purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep; he was buried with his fathers.” (Acts 13:36).
Copyright 2009 Immutable Word Ministries ("...the word of our God stands forever." Isaiah 40:8)
J.A. Matteson
"He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross." Philippians 2:8
The work of Providence is to test the Christian’s heart, harmonizing profession with obedience, bringing into alignment the academic with the actual. The academic precedes the actual and the actual validates the academic as wrought in Christ. Lost in the Garden of Eden was obedience, being replaced by rebellion. The Lord cleanly stripes away all pretense by revealing the genuine fruit of the academic, “If you love Me you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15). Love is manifest at the divine intersection of humility and obedience. The end of Providence is obedience; the means is humility; the pathway is death. By Providence the Christian sojourns to the base of difficult hills at which point the academic and actual are juxtaposed, he will at that place continue on the pathway of Providence which leads up or elect to become his own providence and traverse around the base of the hill. Spiritual immaturity seeks to be its own providence. The outworking of maturity is humility unto obedience and the tutor unto humility is Providence. Spiritual immaturity isolates circumstances as separate from Providence; it artificially fabricates a distinction between what it perceives as ordinary and the divine. Humility willingly accepts God’s providential appointed ends and His means toward that end, “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it” (Matthew 16:25).
The Providential pathway towards obedience leads directly through the Valley of the Shadow of Death where humiliation and worldly-loss remain constant companions. To these things the Lord assures the pilgrim, “Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who will not receive many times as much at this time and in the age to come, eternal life” (Luke 18:29-30). What has Providence required of you that you squirmed under, choosing rather to become your own providence? At what intersection have the academic and the actual caused you to pull back? At what point has the outworking of the academic and actual proved incongruent—a startling disconnect, tempting you to become your own providence rather than ascend the hill which Providence assigned to you? Watch out, Jonah was such a man and he soon found himself inside the slimy reeking belly of a fish. Saul was such a man and the kingdom was stripped out of his hands and given to one younger. The foundation of obedience is love and perfect love casts out fear, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments” (John 14:15). It is through obedience that the Christian demonstrates that his love for the Lord is genuine, that the relationship between the academic and actual in his life is progressing as he imitates the Lord’s obedience to His Father, “I always do the things that are pleasing to Him” (John 8:29).
The Providential pathway for individual Christians differ but their destination is the same—glory. In this regard two errors ought to be avoided: firstly, the inordinate pondering of the Providences of other pilgrims, this merely distracts and retards your own progress along the path the Lord has set for you—resist the temptation, “Lord, and what about this man?...what is that to you? You follow Me!" (John 21:21-22); secondly, becoming a hindrance to other pilgrims as a result of ignorance as to their own paths of Providence, “…we as well as the local residents began begging him not to go up to Jerusalem. Then Paul answered, 'What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound, but even to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.'” (Acts 21:12-13). Jesus Christ maintained a sharp focus on his mission as the Lamb of God, “But for this purpose I came to this hour” (John 12:27), and motivated by love for His Father He humbled Himself to obediently remain on the Providential pathway set before Him. As with King David the pathway of God for each pilgrim is revealed through Providence, and it is each Christians obligation to follow that pathway with humility and obedience, for in so doing he fulfills the Lord’s plan for his life, “For when David had served God's purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep; he was buried with his fathers.” (Acts 13:36).
Copyright 2009 Immutable Word Ministries ("...the word of our God stands forever." Isaiah 40:8)
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Our Spiritual Battlefield
03.15.09
J.A. Matteson
"Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might." Ephesians 6:10
The Christian ought not to naively entertain the notion that in his natural endowments he is Satan’s equal. In the natural those in the Beloved are no more a match for the prince of darkness than is a squirrel to the ravenous the lion. In the natural Satan will devour you swiftly, effortlessly, and thoroughly while contemptuously mocking and laughing at your naivety. The adversary is adept at being crafty and modifies the variety, intensity, and duration of his assaults.
His relentless pursuit is intended to wear you down as a predator his prey. By grace the Christian can withstand this fiendish assailant, but to do so he must heed the conditional directive of the Lord, “Abide in Me and I in you… apart from Me you can do nothing” (John 15:4-5); to be victorious the branch must remain in the Vine. The Roman coat-of-arms was intended to protect the soldier’s body from a mortal blow. The battlefields of the world experience periods of violence followed by peace. The spiritual battlefield on which the saint finds himself is vehemently more hostile, and perpetual. There will be no truce, as it is a fight to the finish; there will be no treaty, in that light and darkness have no part with each other; there will be no peace until the Prince of Peace returns in glory and His enemies become His footstool. The serpent loathes the Seed of the woman and marshals every force of hell in a vain attempt to destroy her children; their existence is in defiance to his temporal dominion, “No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God” (1 John 3:9).
In the Greek the Apostle refers to the armor of God in the singular. The translators have supplied the antecedent “whole” so that the English reader would understand that the Lord’s armor consists of the entirety its parts; if a part is missing the armor has not been put on and the saint cannot prevail. With the armor Christians can be victorious to stand against demonic forces that in the natural would obliterate them instantly. With God’s spiritual armor Joshua came against Jericho and David against Goliath—it was not their physical armaments that won the victory, “Some boast in chariots and some in horses, but we will boast in the name of the LORD, our God” (Psalm 20:7).
Truth: God’s Word is the foundation upon which you stand and Satan tirelessly tempts you to doubt it, “Has God said?” (Genesis 3:1). Additionally, as children of Abraham the saint instinctively imitates his Lord by walking in the truth.
Righteousness: the breastplate protected vital organs from injury, especially the heart; the heart is deceitful and must be guarded from worldly pollution “Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life” (Proverbs 4:23). After Bathsheeba grieving David reflected on the importance of guarding his heart, “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my rock and my Redeemer” (Psalm 19:14).
Shod your feet: proclaiming the Gospel is every saint’s obligation as it is a message of peace to sinners, alerting them that they are at enmity with God and that peace with Him is available through Jesus Christ. Shield of faith: the natural circumstances of life do not define spiritual reality; do not attempt to apply human reasoning to them. Practice childlike trust that your heavenly Father is providentially working things together for good and reject the fiery darts of doubt, “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways”, declares the LORD” (Isaiah 55:8).
The helmet: the helmet protected the head which houses the brain—the center of life; deliver a forceful blow and life will cease. After the Fall the Lord told the serpent that the Seed of the woman would crush his head, sealing his ultimate fate. Spiritual regeneration brings life eternal and while Satan may bruise and harass you on your pilgrimage he cannot extinguish the spiritual life which God supplies, “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life” (John 5:24).
Sword of the Spirit: the sword is both defensive and offensive and to be wielded every time the enemy releases an accusation or statement antithetical to the Word of God, “The Lord rebuke you Satan, for it is written….!”
Copyright 2009 Immutable Word Ministries ("...the word of our God stands forever." Isaiah 40:8)
J.A. Matteson
"Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might." Ephesians 6:10
The Christian ought not to naively entertain the notion that in his natural endowments he is Satan’s equal. In the natural those in the Beloved are no more a match for the prince of darkness than is a squirrel to the ravenous the lion. In the natural Satan will devour you swiftly, effortlessly, and thoroughly while contemptuously mocking and laughing at your naivety. The adversary is adept at being crafty and modifies the variety, intensity, and duration of his assaults.
His relentless pursuit is intended to wear you down as a predator his prey. By grace the Christian can withstand this fiendish assailant, but to do so he must heed the conditional directive of the Lord, “Abide in Me and I in you… apart from Me you can do nothing” (John 15:4-5); to be victorious the branch must remain in the Vine. The Roman coat-of-arms was intended to protect the soldier’s body from a mortal blow. The battlefields of the world experience periods of violence followed by peace. The spiritual battlefield on which the saint finds himself is vehemently more hostile, and perpetual. There will be no truce, as it is a fight to the finish; there will be no treaty, in that light and darkness have no part with each other; there will be no peace until the Prince of Peace returns in glory and His enemies become His footstool. The serpent loathes the Seed of the woman and marshals every force of hell in a vain attempt to destroy her children; their existence is in defiance to his temporal dominion, “No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God” (1 John 3:9).
In the Greek the Apostle refers to the armor of God in the singular. The translators have supplied the antecedent “whole” so that the English reader would understand that the Lord’s armor consists of the entirety its parts; if a part is missing the armor has not been put on and the saint cannot prevail. With the armor Christians can be victorious to stand against demonic forces that in the natural would obliterate them instantly. With God’s spiritual armor Joshua came against Jericho and David against Goliath—it was not their physical armaments that won the victory, “Some boast in chariots and some in horses, but we will boast in the name of the LORD, our God” (Psalm 20:7).
Truth: God’s Word is the foundation upon which you stand and Satan tirelessly tempts you to doubt it, “Has God said?” (Genesis 3:1). Additionally, as children of Abraham the saint instinctively imitates his Lord by walking in the truth.
Righteousness: the breastplate protected vital organs from injury, especially the heart; the heart is deceitful and must be guarded from worldly pollution “Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life” (Proverbs 4:23). After Bathsheeba grieving David reflected on the importance of guarding his heart, “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my rock and my Redeemer” (Psalm 19:14).
Shod your feet: proclaiming the Gospel is every saint’s obligation as it is a message of peace to sinners, alerting them that they are at enmity with God and that peace with Him is available through Jesus Christ. Shield of faith: the natural circumstances of life do not define spiritual reality; do not attempt to apply human reasoning to them. Practice childlike trust that your heavenly Father is providentially working things together for good and reject the fiery darts of doubt, “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways”, declares the LORD” (Isaiah 55:8).
The helmet: the helmet protected the head which houses the brain—the center of life; deliver a forceful blow and life will cease. After the Fall the Lord told the serpent that the Seed of the woman would crush his head, sealing his ultimate fate. Spiritual regeneration brings life eternal and while Satan may bruise and harass you on your pilgrimage he cannot extinguish the spiritual life which God supplies, “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life” (John 5:24).
Sword of the Spirit: the sword is both defensive and offensive and to be wielded every time the enemy releases an accusation or statement antithetical to the Word of God, “The Lord rebuke you Satan, for it is written….!”
Copyright 2009 Immutable Word Ministries ("...the word of our God stands forever." Isaiah 40:8)
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Dismaly Distant
03.11.09
J.A. Matteson
"...and God gave them over...." Romans 1:24
The people of God are called out into a distinct relationship with the Creator of all things. They are to be a peculiar people, separated unto holiness as the Lord their God is holy, “put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth” (Ephesians 4:24). While longsuffering and merciful the Lord will not strive indefinitely with sin when hearts become dismally distant from His. There exists a dreadful transition zone, a tipping point, when persistent and willful defiance results in the provocation of divine wrath.
In any generation when the heart of a people grows numb to the leaven of the Spirit by pronouncing right as ‘wrong’ and wrong as ‘right’, judgment is as certain to fall as a blind man who trips over a large stone. Judgment is progressive—recall the plagues of Egypt—, observable, and commences as a result of the suppression the Word of the Lord, “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness” (Romans 1:18). Any who turn a blind eye to biblical revelation are teetering on the ledge of a perilous hillside. When the Word of the Lord is rejected something else takes its place and the only possibility is a psudo-truth that is demonically informed, “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires” (2 Timothy 4:3).
The fruit of the initial stage of judgment is a sensual orientation where chastity and modesty are euphorically jettisoned, “Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them” (Romans 1:24). A pornographic culture with all of its trappings is the result. To what extent is the culture experiencing stage one?
The second stage is progressively worse—homosexuality becomes mainstream, “…God gave them over to degrading passions…women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural… men…burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts….” (Romans 1:26-27). On this point God’s moral law is explicit, “…do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived…nor homosexuals…” (1 Corinthians 6:9-10). Unrepentant homosexuality is categorically inconsistent with the new birth and any person professing Christ yet remaining in that lifestyle is on the wide road to destruction, hell bound, being tragically deceived by Satan. To what extent is the culture experiencing stage two?
The third stage is the loss of the general capacity to think correctly along moral lines, a spiritual dementia ensues whereby people simply cannot find their way back to the pathway of righteousness, “And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper” (Romans 1:28). The mind is now broken and no longer works as designed, professing to be wise people in this stage have become utter fools, “They profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him, being detestable and disobedient and worthless for any good deed” (Titus 1:16). To what extent is our culture experiencing stage three?
In addition to these three stages divine judgment may also include war, pestilence, and famine. Considering the forgoing, perhaps those called out by the Lord unto salvation need not look to the future for judgment, it has likely already arrived. And if so to what extent has the Church been infected by the debauchery of the culture? Has she lost her savor? Has she trimmed her lamp so low as not to be visible? Repentance in the culture begins with the household of God, “Therefore say to the house of Israel, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "Repent and turn away from your idols and turn your faces away from all your abominations” (Ezekiel 14:6).
Copyright 2009 Immutable Word Ministries ("...the word of our God stands forever." Isaiah 40:8)
J.A. Matteson
"...and God gave them over...." Romans 1:24
The people of God are called out into a distinct relationship with the Creator of all things. They are to be a peculiar people, separated unto holiness as the Lord their God is holy, “put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth” (Ephesians 4:24). While longsuffering and merciful the Lord will not strive indefinitely with sin when hearts become dismally distant from His. There exists a dreadful transition zone, a tipping point, when persistent and willful defiance results in the provocation of divine wrath.
In any generation when the heart of a people grows numb to the leaven of the Spirit by pronouncing right as ‘wrong’ and wrong as ‘right’, judgment is as certain to fall as a blind man who trips over a large stone. Judgment is progressive—recall the plagues of Egypt—, observable, and commences as a result of the suppression the Word of the Lord, “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness” (Romans 1:18). Any who turn a blind eye to biblical revelation are teetering on the ledge of a perilous hillside. When the Word of the Lord is rejected something else takes its place and the only possibility is a psudo-truth that is demonically informed, “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires” (2 Timothy 4:3).
The fruit of the initial stage of judgment is a sensual orientation where chastity and modesty are euphorically jettisoned, “Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them” (Romans 1:24). A pornographic culture with all of its trappings is the result. To what extent is the culture experiencing stage one?
The second stage is progressively worse—homosexuality becomes mainstream, “…God gave them over to degrading passions…women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural… men…burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts….” (Romans 1:26-27). On this point God’s moral law is explicit, “…do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived…nor homosexuals…” (1 Corinthians 6:9-10). Unrepentant homosexuality is categorically inconsistent with the new birth and any person professing Christ yet remaining in that lifestyle is on the wide road to destruction, hell bound, being tragically deceived by Satan. To what extent is the culture experiencing stage two?
The third stage is the loss of the general capacity to think correctly along moral lines, a spiritual dementia ensues whereby people simply cannot find their way back to the pathway of righteousness, “And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper” (Romans 1:28). The mind is now broken and no longer works as designed, professing to be wise people in this stage have become utter fools, “They profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him, being detestable and disobedient and worthless for any good deed” (Titus 1:16). To what extent is our culture experiencing stage three?
In addition to these three stages divine judgment may also include war, pestilence, and famine. Considering the forgoing, perhaps those called out by the Lord unto salvation need not look to the future for judgment, it has likely already arrived. And if so to what extent has the Church been infected by the debauchery of the culture? Has she lost her savor? Has she trimmed her lamp so low as not to be visible? Repentance in the culture begins with the household of God, “Therefore say to the house of Israel, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "Repent and turn away from your idols and turn your faces away from all your abominations” (Ezekiel 14:6).
Copyright 2009 Immutable Word Ministries ("...the word of our God stands forever." Isaiah 40:8)
Monday, March 9, 2009
The Spippery Precipice
03.09.09
J.A. Matteson
"I will write on the tablets the words that were on the former tablets which you shattered." Deuteronomy 10:2
Intimacy between the Lord and His bond-servant can place the servant on the slippery precipice of selfrighteousness. Indignation at sin is a fruit of the Spirit, to hate what God hates is praise worthy; however, assuming the seat of divine judgment is of the flesh, “Moses' anger burned, and he threw the tablets from his hands and shattered them at the foot of the mountain” (Exodus 32:19).
It was not due to any inherent worthiness that Israel received the Law, to the contrary, it was due to transgressions, “Why the Law then? It was added because of transgressions….” (Galatians 3:19). Shattering the tablets before the people may have served as a theatrical visual illustration of their breaking the covenant of the Lord, yet the reality is that as Adam’s progeny their breach of the Law occurred prior to it being written. The Lord did not command Moses to shatter the tablets—he took that bit upon himself. Moses’ display of human anger was raw emotion and it did not further the redemptive purposes of the Lord, “for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God” (James 1:20).
Moses withheld the Law of the Lord from the people due to sin when the Lord intended for them to have it because of their sin. The Word of the Lord to sinners is given by grace and not merit and it serves to: reveal the holy character of God, man’s inability to live up to God’s standard of perfection, and to drive sinners by faith to Christ for eternal salvation. As with Moses the temptation of the Lord’s bond-servant is to withhold the Word of the Lord from the Lord’s people due to transgressions when the Lord would have His Word proclaimed to turn wayward hearts back to Him, “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16). To be “profitable for” is to be beneficial and helpful; to be administered “for correction” is to bring to light faults contrary to the Word of the Lord.
The manner by which the Word is to be presented is with humiliation lest the Lord’s bond-servant be caught-up in the sin of presumption with regard to his own spiritual condition, “Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?” (Matthew 7:3). Let the ambassador of the Lord proclaim His Word in the darkest places, in the face of ramped degradation and licentiousness, amidst hostile opposition and competing views. It is the Word of the Lord that pierces the secret places and of the heart and reveals the things contrary to it. By it sinners are made righteous by faith and saints grow in grace as Christ if formed in them. It is the Word of the Lord that endures while all else eventually comes to not, it is reflective of His perfect love which does not diminish, “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.” (Isaiah 40:8).
The servant of the Lord may in anger be tempted to withhold God’s Word from his people due to their sin, but to do so is contrary to His will and demonstrates a lack of understanding by the preacher. It is through the agency of the Word as tutor that sinners are brought to repentance by the Spirit. Let not the man of God presume upon the Lord by withholding that which brings life, “… the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life” (John 6:63).
The servant of the Lord must once and for all rid his mind of any notion that the dissemination of the Word of the Lord is predicated upon righteous deeds by the saints. They are saints by calling and not merit and it is not the preachers business to withhold their spiritual rations due them, “preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction” (2 Timothy 4:2). The man who faithfully labors in plowing and sewing the Word will in due season reap with great joy, “Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary” (Galatians 6:9).
Copyright 2009 Immutable Word Ministries ("...the word of our God stands forever." Isaiah 40:8)
J.A. Matteson
"I will write on the tablets the words that were on the former tablets which you shattered." Deuteronomy 10:2
Intimacy between the Lord and His bond-servant can place the servant on the slippery precipice of selfrighteousness. Indignation at sin is a fruit of the Spirit, to hate what God hates is praise worthy; however, assuming the seat of divine judgment is of the flesh, “Moses' anger burned, and he threw the tablets from his hands and shattered them at the foot of the mountain” (Exodus 32:19).
It was not due to any inherent worthiness that Israel received the Law, to the contrary, it was due to transgressions, “Why the Law then? It was added because of transgressions….” (Galatians 3:19). Shattering the tablets before the people may have served as a theatrical visual illustration of their breaking the covenant of the Lord, yet the reality is that as Adam’s progeny their breach of the Law occurred prior to it being written. The Lord did not command Moses to shatter the tablets—he took that bit upon himself. Moses’ display of human anger was raw emotion and it did not further the redemptive purposes of the Lord, “for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God” (James 1:20).
Moses withheld the Law of the Lord from the people due to sin when the Lord intended for them to have it because of their sin. The Word of the Lord to sinners is given by grace and not merit and it serves to: reveal the holy character of God, man’s inability to live up to God’s standard of perfection, and to drive sinners by faith to Christ for eternal salvation. As with Moses the temptation of the Lord’s bond-servant is to withhold the Word of the Lord from the Lord’s people due to transgressions when the Lord would have His Word proclaimed to turn wayward hearts back to Him, “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16). To be “profitable for” is to be beneficial and helpful; to be administered “for correction” is to bring to light faults contrary to the Word of the Lord.
The manner by which the Word is to be presented is with humiliation lest the Lord’s bond-servant be caught-up in the sin of presumption with regard to his own spiritual condition, “Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?” (Matthew 7:3). Let the ambassador of the Lord proclaim His Word in the darkest places, in the face of ramped degradation and licentiousness, amidst hostile opposition and competing views. It is the Word of the Lord that pierces the secret places and of the heart and reveals the things contrary to it. By it sinners are made righteous by faith and saints grow in grace as Christ if formed in them. It is the Word of the Lord that endures while all else eventually comes to not, it is reflective of His perfect love which does not diminish, “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.” (Isaiah 40:8).
The servant of the Lord may in anger be tempted to withhold God’s Word from his people due to their sin, but to do so is contrary to His will and demonstrates a lack of understanding by the preacher. It is through the agency of the Word as tutor that sinners are brought to repentance by the Spirit. Let not the man of God presume upon the Lord by withholding that which brings life, “… the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life” (John 6:63).
The servant of the Lord must once and for all rid his mind of any notion that the dissemination of the Word of the Lord is predicated upon righteous deeds by the saints. They are saints by calling and not merit and it is not the preachers business to withhold their spiritual rations due them, “preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction” (2 Timothy 4:2). The man who faithfully labors in plowing and sewing the Word will in due season reap with great joy, “Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary” (Galatians 6:9).
Copyright 2009 Immutable Word Ministries ("...the word of our God stands forever." Isaiah 40:8)
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Privileged Access
03.08.09
J.A. Matteson
"In whom we have boldness and confident access through faith in Him." Ephesians 3:12
Spiritual pettiness displays a diminished comprehension of intercession by exhibiting a preoccupation with the temporal over the eternal, “When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures” (James 4:3). The veracity of intercession is grace, its means is faith, and its end is the privileged access behind the veil into the most holy place for the redemption of sinners and sanctification of saints.
Let not a man presume upon the grace of the Lord by pursuing access before Him recklessly. Only by the atoning blood of Christ is a man able to come before the holy presence of El Shaddai, “since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand” (Romans 5:1-2).
Presumption upon the grace of the Lord can result in tragic consequences, as was the case with Nadab and Abihu who were struck down for their brash arrogance. Intercession affords the man of God manifold opportunities to give glory to the Lord for the redemptive activity of the Spirit: by giving thanks for those being saved, “many who heard the message believed, and the number of men grew to about five thousand...all the people were praising God for what had happened” (Acts 4:4, 21); recognizing the sanctifying work of grace in the saints, “We give thanks to God always for all of you, making mention of you in our prayers” (1 Thessalonians 1:2); pleading for mercy on behalf of sinners to quell divine wrath, “O Lord GOD, do not destroy Your people….” (Deuteronomy 9:26); and requesting that spiritual wisdom and insight may be granted to believers, “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints” (Ephesians 1:18).
Through intercession the Lord reveals Himself to His servant; the servant speaks to God about men, and subsequently speaks to men about God. Unlike Moses who wore a veil over his face lest the children of Israel should behold the fading refracted glory of the Lord upon his face, the Spirit’s presence within the Christian does not diminish, “And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory” (2 Corinthians 3:18).
The Apostle confidently yet cautiously measured his access to the throne of the Lord in respectful submission and adoration, “I bow my knees before the Father” (Ephesians 3:14), soberly aware that he came before the King of kings and Lord of lords. The Spirit works within the saint to reorient him to intercede along the line of divine redemptive priorities. And grace persists until the will is conquered and brought into alignment with heaven and it is at that place where heaven is moved through the intercessor, “Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years” (James 5:17). Submission produces requests from the saint that find their origin in the heart of the Lord, “This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us” (1 John 5:14).
Effective intercessors restrain from entertaining fleshly speculations as to the will of the Lord, by virtue of their time in His presence they know his mind along a particular line and are readily brought into conformity with it, “For who has known the mind of the Lord, that we will instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:16). From the Father the divine will concerning men finds its genesis; the Son is the medium through whom the intercessor is received by grace, and the Spirit supplies unction and heavenly insight so that the intercessors prayers are effectual. The high priest was granted access into the holy of holies once a year on the Day of Atonement. The once and for all atonement of Christ rendered the temple veil of separation torn and obsolete, permitting direct access the Lord—“I AM”—for all who believe, by grace through faith. Unlike the high priest of old the believer now comes confidently and boldly before the throne of grace without a safety line tied to his body, to speak to God about men, and then men about God—as Moses and Christ. Let the servant of the Lord remain faithful to and diligent in intercession, cherishing it as a most sacred privilege and responsibility.
Copyright 2009 Immutable Word Ministries ("...the word of our God stands forever." Isaiah 40:8)
J.A. Matteson
"In whom we have boldness and confident access through faith in Him." Ephesians 3:12
Spiritual pettiness displays a diminished comprehension of intercession by exhibiting a preoccupation with the temporal over the eternal, “When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures” (James 4:3). The veracity of intercession is grace, its means is faith, and its end is the privileged access behind the veil into the most holy place for the redemption of sinners and sanctification of saints.
Let not a man presume upon the grace of the Lord by pursuing access before Him recklessly. Only by the atoning blood of Christ is a man able to come before the holy presence of El Shaddai, “since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand” (Romans 5:1-2).
Presumption upon the grace of the Lord can result in tragic consequences, as was the case with Nadab and Abihu who were struck down for their brash arrogance. Intercession affords the man of God manifold opportunities to give glory to the Lord for the redemptive activity of the Spirit: by giving thanks for those being saved, “many who heard the message believed, and the number of men grew to about five thousand...all the people were praising God for what had happened” (Acts 4:4, 21); recognizing the sanctifying work of grace in the saints, “We give thanks to God always for all of you, making mention of you in our prayers” (1 Thessalonians 1:2); pleading for mercy on behalf of sinners to quell divine wrath, “O Lord GOD, do not destroy Your people….” (Deuteronomy 9:26); and requesting that spiritual wisdom and insight may be granted to believers, “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints” (Ephesians 1:18).
Through intercession the Lord reveals Himself to His servant; the servant speaks to God about men, and subsequently speaks to men about God. Unlike Moses who wore a veil over his face lest the children of Israel should behold the fading refracted glory of the Lord upon his face, the Spirit’s presence within the Christian does not diminish, “And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory” (2 Corinthians 3:18).
The Apostle confidently yet cautiously measured his access to the throne of the Lord in respectful submission and adoration, “I bow my knees before the Father” (Ephesians 3:14), soberly aware that he came before the King of kings and Lord of lords. The Spirit works within the saint to reorient him to intercede along the line of divine redemptive priorities. And grace persists until the will is conquered and brought into alignment with heaven and it is at that place where heaven is moved through the intercessor, “Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years” (James 5:17). Submission produces requests from the saint that find their origin in the heart of the Lord, “This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us” (1 John 5:14).
Effective intercessors restrain from entertaining fleshly speculations as to the will of the Lord, by virtue of their time in His presence they know his mind along a particular line and are readily brought into conformity with it, “For who has known the mind of the Lord, that we will instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:16). From the Father the divine will concerning men finds its genesis; the Son is the medium through whom the intercessor is received by grace, and the Spirit supplies unction and heavenly insight so that the intercessors prayers are effectual. The high priest was granted access into the holy of holies once a year on the Day of Atonement. The once and for all atonement of Christ rendered the temple veil of separation torn and obsolete, permitting direct access the Lord—“I AM”—for all who believe, by grace through faith. Unlike the high priest of old the believer now comes confidently and boldly before the throne of grace without a safety line tied to his body, to speak to God about men, and then men about God—as Moses and Christ. Let the servant of the Lord remain faithful to and diligent in intercession, cherishing it as a most sacred privilege and responsibility.
Copyright 2009 Immutable Word Ministries ("...the word of our God stands forever." Isaiah 40:8)
Friday, March 6, 2009
Towards Simplicity
03.06.09
J.A. Matteson
"Yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake." Philippians 1:24
By sojourning with the Lord in faithful obedience the manifest outcome for the Apostle was simplicity. Spiritual discernment entails distinguishing between the simple and the complex, cultivating the former while mortifying the later. The tendency of the flesh is to interpret life through the prism of complexity which distresses the mind and dilutes spiritual fruitfulness. The orientation of simplicity is always towards the cross while complexity redirects the mind to the cares of the flesh and the world, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me” (Matthew 16:24). Inherent to the fallen nature is complexity and the saint finds himself frustrated in his progress towards simplicity, “For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man, but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members” (Romans 7:22-23).
Simplicity perceives that the Lord’s bond-servant functions in the world as His conduit of grace and that His Master strategically places him in settings in accordance to His purposes of redemption, “my imprisonment in the cause of Christ has become well known throughout the whole praetorian guard and to everyone else” (Philippians 1:13). Simplicity does not consider strange the circumstances of Providence, but rejoices in the knowledge that the redemptive current of grace engineered by the Lord is apt to flow through the life that remains in the Vine, “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you” (1 Peter 4:12). Simplicity is Christo-centric while complexity is ego-centric; simplicity joyfully endures temporal harsh earthly realities with a view towards the surpassing eternal benefit of things not seen; simplicity reckons time immortal a precious jewel and considers the gain of this world as muck, “eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love Him” (1 Corinthians 2:9). Complexity is innate and instantaneous to the Adamic nature, simplicity is counterintuitive to the flesh and progressive in its development, “for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am” (Philippians 4:11).
Complexity hungers for glory from men; simplicity delights in honor from God. Complexity is prideful and persuaded it is entitled to be served; simplicity serves others as unto the Lord. Complexity filters decisions through the rubric of a personal cost-benefit analysis; simplicity is consumed with pleasing the Lord, “Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him” (2 Corinthians 5:9). Grace is tenacious and Providence lovingly affords unique twists and turns in each saint’s pilgrimage, lovingly designed to yoke his constitution to simplicity by breaking the bonds of complexity. The Apostle in personal reflection displays the simplicity which the Spirit cultivates, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21). The bond-servant of the Lord who engenders simplicity will yield much fruit for his Master. And its characteristic concern is that the fruit of simplicity be developed in others through the Gospel, “Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory” (2 Timothy 2:10).
While on pilgrimage the saint’s heart rests in green pastures alongside still waters, and on that Day the fruit of his life—evidence of the indwelling Spirit—will bring praise, glory, and honor from the Author of simplicity, “Well done, good and faithful slave…enter into the joy of your master” (Matthew 25:21).
Copyright 2009 Immutable Word Ministries ("...the word of our God stands forever." Isaiah 40:8)
J.A. Matteson
"Yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake." Philippians 1:24
By sojourning with the Lord in faithful obedience the manifest outcome for the Apostle was simplicity. Spiritual discernment entails distinguishing between the simple and the complex, cultivating the former while mortifying the later. The tendency of the flesh is to interpret life through the prism of complexity which distresses the mind and dilutes spiritual fruitfulness. The orientation of simplicity is always towards the cross while complexity redirects the mind to the cares of the flesh and the world, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me” (Matthew 16:24). Inherent to the fallen nature is complexity and the saint finds himself frustrated in his progress towards simplicity, “For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man, but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members” (Romans 7:22-23).
Simplicity perceives that the Lord’s bond-servant functions in the world as His conduit of grace and that His Master strategically places him in settings in accordance to His purposes of redemption, “my imprisonment in the cause of Christ has become well known throughout the whole praetorian guard and to everyone else” (Philippians 1:13). Simplicity does not consider strange the circumstances of Providence, but rejoices in the knowledge that the redemptive current of grace engineered by the Lord is apt to flow through the life that remains in the Vine, “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you” (1 Peter 4:12). Simplicity is Christo-centric while complexity is ego-centric; simplicity joyfully endures temporal harsh earthly realities with a view towards the surpassing eternal benefit of things not seen; simplicity reckons time immortal a precious jewel and considers the gain of this world as muck, “eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love Him” (1 Corinthians 2:9). Complexity is innate and instantaneous to the Adamic nature, simplicity is counterintuitive to the flesh and progressive in its development, “for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am” (Philippians 4:11).
Complexity hungers for glory from men; simplicity delights in honor from God. Complexity is prideful and persuaded it is entitled to be served; simplicity serves others as unto the Lord. Complexity filters decisions through the rubric of a personal cost-benefit analysis; simplicity is consumed with pleasing the Lord, “Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him” (2 Corinthians 5:9). Grace is tenacious and Providence lovingly affords unique twists and turns in each saint’s pilgrimage, lovingly designed to yoke his constitution to simplicity by breaking the bonds of complexity. The Apostle in personal reflection displays the simplicity which the Spirit cultivates, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21). The bond-servant of the Lord who engenders simplicity will yield much fruit for his Master. And its characteristic concern is that the fruit of simplicity be developed in others through the Gospel, “Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory” (2 Timothy 2:10).
While on pilgrimage the saint’s heart rests in green pastures alongside still waters, and on that Day the fruit of his life—evidence of the indwelling Spirit—will bring praise, glory, and honor from the Author of simplicity, “Well done, good and faithful slave…enter into the joy of your master” (Matthew 25:21).
Copyright 2009 Immutable Word Ministries ("...the word of our God stands forever." Isaiah 40:8)
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
On Foreign Soil
03.04.09
J.A. Matteson
"For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ." Philippians 3:20
Slumbering soldiers on foreign soil behind enemy lines quickly find themselves in mortal peril. The life of faith requires that the saint press on toward the goal of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus and be constantly on guard against temporal sidetracks that hinder progress in grace. The realization of desired attainments in grace appears elusive for the weary pilgrim, yet the Lord in His goodness has ordained that grace be extended towards His saints ensuring their progress in their travels towards the New Jerusalem, for the Apostle confidently asserts, “I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6).
Human governments and citizenships are instituted by God and are a shadowy representation of a supreme heavenly reality. All earthly authority is delegated and subject to the Creator who upholds all things by the power of His word. To be a citizen of a human government is to enjoy particular protections and provisions that are withheld to aliens. The Bill of Rights to the Constitution of the United States of America extends privileges to its citizens. And unlike earthly citizenships which may be acquired either by birth or immigration, citizenship in the kingdom of heaven can only be acquired by rebirth, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Peter 1:3).
The outworking of the heavenly citizenship within the saints is Christlikeness. Pilgrims trod the battlefields of the mind, remaining in mortal combat against the desires of the flesh, while at the same time faithfully endeavoring to pluck from the flames through the agency of the Gospel the living dead. The battlefield on which the pilgrim finds himself is a perpetual place of violence and horror where endurance remains a continual plea. The Lord has extended to the pilgrim positive graces so that he may not loose heart; viz., purification, protection, and provision. Providences, in that the citizen of heaven is to interpret every circumstance—from the largest to the smallest—as lovingly engineered for the purpose of transforming him into the likeness of his Lord, “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28); purification, in that fleshly lusts are being daily mortified by the power of the indwelling Spirit, yielding increasing fruitfulness to the Lord, “For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust…For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:4, 8); protection, for the armies of heaven are sentinels against the frontal assaults of Satan and his fallen world system, “The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear Him, and rescues them” (Psalm 34:7); the provision of spiritual and natural graces, “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you” (John 14:18), and “seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33).
Let the man on pilgrimage to the New Jerusalem rejoice that the end of his sojourning is glory on high. Pilgrims sojourning upon the earth are foreigners keeping a watchful gaze heavenward, eagerly awaiting their Savior and the fist glimpse of the City whose foundation and walls are not made by human hands. And as the ocean mist and Autumn flower are momentary their weary pilgrimage will soon conclude and they will be at the City gate.
Copyright 2009 Immutable Word Ministries ("...the word of our God stands forever." Isaiah 40:8)
J.A. Matteson
"For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ." Philippians 3:20
Slumbering soldiers on foreign soil behind enemy lines quickly find themselves in mortal peril. The life of faith requires that the saint press on toward the goal of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus and be constantly on guard against temporal sidetracks that hinder progress in grace. The realization of desired attainments in grace appears elusive for the weary pilgrim, yet the Lord in His goodness has ordained that grace be extended towards His saints ensuring their progress in their travels towards the New Jerusalem, for the Apostle confidently asserts, “I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6).
Human governments and citizenships are instituted by God and are a shadowy representation of a supreme heavenly reality. All earthly authority is delegated and subject to the Creator who upholds all things by the power of His word. To be a citizen of a human government is to enjoy particular protections and provisions that are withheld to aliens. The Bill of Rights to the Constitution of the United States of America extends privileges to its citizens. And unlike earthly citizenships which may be acquired either by birth or immigration, citizenship in the kingdom of heaven can only be acquired by rebirth, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Peter 1:3).
The outworking of the heavenly citizenship within the saints is Christlikeness. Pilgrims trod the battlefields of the mind, remaining in mortal combat against the desires of the flesh, while at the same time faithfully endeavoring to pluck from the flames through the agency of the Gospel the living dead. The battlefield on which the pilgrim finds himself is a perpetual place of violence and horror where endurance remains a continual plea. The Lord has extended to the pilgrim positive graces so that he may not loose heart; viz., purification, protection, and provision. Providences, in that the citizen of heaven is to interpret every circumstance—from the largest to the smallest—as lovingly engineered for the purpose of transforming him into the likeness of his Lord, “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28); purification, in that fleshly lusts are being daily mortified by the power of the indwelling Spirit, yielding increasing fruitfulness to the Lord, “For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust…For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:4, 8); protection, for the armies of heaven are sentinels against the frontal assaults of Satan and his fallen world system, “The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear Him, and rescues them” (Psalm 34:7); the provision of spiritual and natural graces, “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you” (John 14:18), and “seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33).
Let the man on pilgrimage to the New Jerusalem rejoice that the end of his sojourning is glory on high. Pilgrims sojourning upon the earth are foreigners keeping a watchful gaze heavenward, eagerly awaiting their Savior and the fist glimpse of the City whose foundation and walls are not made by human hands. And as the ocean mist and Autumn flower are momentary their weary pilgrimage will soon conclude and they will be at the City gate.
Copyright 2009 Immutable Word Ministries ("...the word of our God stands forever." Isaiah 40:8)
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
A Proper Reckoning
03.03.09
J.A. Matteson
"And you were dead in your trespasses and sins...." Ephesians 2:1
The incomprehensive aspect of grace is the object of its affection. The holy One who transcends all things and who upholds all things is, has been, and forever will be perfect light and life in His person. The Lord’s natural and just response to anything unholy is to eliminate it as pollution. The essence of sin is cosmic treason against the Creator and its due penalty is death. Sin is as an odious plague in God’s universe which justice demands must be quarantined and utterly annihilated, like a lethal virus in the body, and the sons of Adam are sinners by nature putting them in a perilous position before their Creator, “Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest” (Ephesians 2:3).
The Hebrew sacrificial system highlighted God’s perfect life in contract to the state of death found in sinners. No sacrifice that had a defect was a permissible offering as it was symbolic of a life short of divine perfection, thus leading to death. Similarly no diseased person was permitted in the camp—near the presence of the Lord—for the same reason. Per the Law pious Hebrews would not touch or approach a dead body and avoided the sick so as not to become ritually unclean. To head off any possibility of boasting in the flesh the Apostle reminds his readers of their natural state of hopelessness and helplessness, nothing meritorious being found in them. They, as with the rest, were three times dead: dead in their bodies through observable decay eventually leading to the grave; dead in their minds through the outward workings of the corrupt desires of their thinking, their wills, and emotions; dead in their spirits being destitute, cut off, totally blind, and deaf to God. Their lives were marked as insurrectionists and an utter abomination before the Lord.
That they now find themselves in a state of grace is a genuine miracle and the Apostle underscores the wonder of it, “even when we were dead in our transgressions…we were made alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)” (Ephesians 2:5). To be dead is to be unresponsive along the natural order of things. The dead have no ability to respond to external stimuli, they cannot see, they cannot hear, think, or move; all of their senses have been rendered useless. The dead can do only two things: occupy space and stink. The Apostle’s use of the term “dead” to describe the unregenerate is not a clever literary exercise; rather, it is a sober theological description of the unregenerate human condition born into the bondage of sin and at enmity against God, “There is none righteous, not even one; there is none who understands, there is none who seeks for God” (Romans 3:10-11). As children of Abraham—children of promise—the Apostle enlightens his readers by informing them that they were enabled by the power of the Spirit with eyes to see, ears to hear, and a will to respond positively to the Gospel so as to be saved; except for grace they would not have responded to God’s call, “For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Corinthians 1:18). Lazarus, dead four days in the tomb and in a state of decay, had no natural ability to hear and respond to the call of Christ; the Living Word quickened him, enabling him to come forth.
So to the Living Word quickens sinners to new life leaving no basis for boasting except in the Lord, “But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved) and raised us up with Him…” (Ephesians 2:4-6). The wombs of Sarah, Rebecca, and Elizabeth were dead and God performed a miracle by bringing forth life from death. In like manner His wondrous love and power toward the children of Abraham—those who in the likeness of him have been justified by faith—supernaturally deliverers them from death, calling them forth by name to Life, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me” (John 10:27). Where then is boasting of being in Christ? It is left at the foot of the cross as we are His workmanship; by his amazing grace He gave us new life and not we ourselves.
Copyright 2009 Immutable Word Ministries ("...the word of our God stands forever." Isaiah 40:8)
J.A. Matteson
"And you were dead in your trespasses and sins...." Ephesians 2:1
The incomprehensive aspect of grace is the object of its affection. The holy One who transcends all things and who upholds all things is, has been, and forever will be perfect light and life in His person. The Lord’s natural and just response to anything unholy is to eliminate it as pollution. The essence of sin is cosmic treason against the Creator and its due penalty is death. Sin is as an odious plague in God’s universe which justice demands must be quarantined and utterly annihilated, like a lethal virus in the body, and the sons of Adam are sinners by nature putting them in a perilous position before their Creator, “Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest” (Ephesians 2:3).
The Hebrew sacrificial system highlighted God’s perfect life in contract to the state of death found in sinners. No sacrifice that had a defect was a permissible offering as it was symbolic of a life short of divine perfection, thus leading to death. Similarly no diseased person was permitted in the camp—near the presence of the Lord—for the same reason. Per the Law pious Hebrews would not touch or approach a dead body and avoided the sick so as not to become ritually unclean. To head off any possibility of boasting in the flesh the Apostle reminds his readers of their natural state of hopelessness and helplessness, nothing meritorious being found in them. They, as with the rest, were three times dead: dead in their bodies through observable decay eventually leading to the grave; dead in their minds through the outward workings of the corrupt desires of their thinking, their wills, and emotions; dead in their spirits being destitute, cut off, totally blind, and deaf to God. Their lives were marked as insurrectionists and an utter abomination before the Lord.
That they now find themselves in a state of grace is a genuine miracle and the Apostle underscores the wonder of it, “even when we were dead in our transgressions…we were made alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)” (Ephesians 2:5). To be dead is to be unresponsive along the natural order of things. The dead have no ability to respond to external stimuli, they cannot see, they cannot hear, think, or move; all of their senses have been rendered useless. The dead can do only two things: occupy space and stink. The Apostle’s use of the term “dead” to describe the unregenerate is not a clever literary exercise; rather, it is a sober theological description of the unregenerate human condition born into the bondage of sin and at enmity against God, “There is none righteous, not even one; there is none who understands, there is none who seeks for God” (Romans 3:10-11). As children of Abraham—children of promise—the Apostle enlightens his readers by informing them that they were enabled by the power of the Spirit with eyes to see, ears to hear, and a will to respond positively to the Gospel so as to be saved; except for grace they would not have responded to God’s call, “For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Corinthians 1:18). Lazarus, dead four days in the tomb and in a state of decay, had no natural ability to hear and respond to the call of Christ; the Living Word quickened him, enabling him to come forth.
So to the Living Word quickens sinners to new life leaving no basis for boasting except in the Lord, “But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved) and raised us up with Him…” (Ephesians 2:4-6). The wombs of Sarah, Rebecca, and Elizabeth were dead and God performed a miracle by bringing forth life from death. In like manner His wondrous love and power toward the children of Abraham—those who in the likeness of him have been justified by faith—supernaturally deliverers them from death, calling them forth by name to Life, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me” (John 10:27). Where then is boasting of being in Christ? It is left at the foot of the cross as we are His workmanship; by his amazing grace He gave us new life and not we ourselves.
Copyright 2009 Immutable Word Ministries ("...the word of our God stands forever." Isaiah 40:8)
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Rescued From Evil
03.01.09
J.A. Matteson
"Who gave Himself for our sins so that He might rescue us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father." Galatians 1:4
There exists today a dreadful, deceitful, diabolical, and deadly delusion; viz. a man can be justified by faith and remain unchanged in his nature. In this errant paradigm atonement and sanctification are divorced from one another; however, Scripture forcefully refutes the assertion. Justification is by faith alone, but justifying faith is never alone.
Surrendering up his spirit on the cross Christ declared, “It is finished.” Concise was the utterance and cosmically profound the implication. His was the quintessential emancipation proclamation to heaven and hell that the work His Father had commissioned Him to perform had been completed; atonement had been made for the elect sheep given to the Son by the Father, “…and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins" (Matthew 1:21).
Inextricably intertwined with the atonement is sanctification; the atonement ensures a positional and practical sanctification. To have ones sins atoned for is to enjoy the imputed righteousness of Christ and a right standing before the Father, no longer an object of divine wrath. To enjoy intimacy with the Father by means of justification is to be the recipient of grace which finds its ultimate expression in Calvary. Behold how marvelous is the promise of the Apostle, “that He might rescue us from this present evil age.” Allow the full impact of the atonement to overwhelm you: for it delivered (a completed action), is delivering (a continuing action), and will deliver (a future action) the saints from “this present evil.”
The promise is to the saints of all generations and is indicative of the personified object which assaults them; i.e., Satan. “This present evil” is also experienced by the saints in the fallen world system and individually by way of the flesh which wages war against the Spirit. Positional sanctification takes place at conversion (a completed action) at which time His Spirit indwells the renewed life so that the saint is compelled toward practical sanctification, mortifying the flesh by the power of the Spirit (a continuing action), and finding its fulfillment in glory at death (a future action), “And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified” (Romans 8:30). An atonement divorced from practical sanctification is a ruse and the devil’s counterfeit, “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come” (2 Corinthians 5:17).
The redeemed life is not a reformed life, it is a new life. The new does not come until the old dies and the seal of the Spirit is the guarantee of fruitfulness unto God, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10). The life that professes love for Christ but is void of His fruit is miserably self-deceived because His seed does not indwell him. Let the man who continues in wanton sin take stock in the affections of his heart for he is traversing the wide and perilous road to utter destruction, “And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure…No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God” (1 John 3:3, 9).
Keenly aware of this premise the Apostle concludes, “…but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified” (1 Corinthians 9:27). Positional and practical sanctification is recognized, then, not by profession alone, but by the fruit of righteousness which the Spirit produces. The Lord Jesus Christ underscores the unbreakable link of justification and sanctification, “My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples” (John 15:8). The man who professes Christ to the world in word will find validation in his deeds, proving himself a disciple.
The man who professes Christ in word but whose life is an arid wasteland of unrighteousness displays empty rhetoric. Unless he repents and throws himself down at the foot of the cross certain destruction awaits him, “behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2).
Copyright 2009 Immutable Word Ministries ("...the word of our God stands forever." Isaiah 40:8)
J.A. Matteson
"Who gave Himself for our sins so that He might rescue us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father." Galatians 1:4
There exists today a dreadful, deceitful, diabolical, and deadly delusion; viz. a man can be justified by faith and remain unchanged in his nature. In this errant paradigm atonement and sanctification are divorced from one another; however, Scripture forcefully refutes the assertion. Justification is by faith alone, but justifying faith is never alone.
Surrendering up his spirit on the cross Christ declared, “It is finished.” Concise was the utterance and cosmically profound the implication. His was the quintessential emancipation proclamation to heaven and hell that the work His Father had commissioned Him to perform had been completed; atonement had been made for the elect sheep given to the Son by the Father, “…and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins" (Matthew 1:21).
Inextricably intertwined with the atonement is sanctification; the atonement ensures a positional and practical sanctification. To have ones sins atoned for is to enjoy the imputed righteousness of Christ and a right standing before the Father, no longer an object of divine wrath. To enjoy intimacy with the Father by means of justification is to be the recipient of grace which finds its ultimate expression in Calvary. Behold how marvelous is the promise of the Apostle, “that He might rescue us from this present evil age.” Allow the full impact of the atonement to overwhelm you: for it delivered (a completed action), is delivering (a continuing action), and will deliver (a future action) the saints from “this present evil.”
The promise is to the saints of all generations and is indicative of the personified object which assaults them; i.e., Satan. “This present evil” is also experienced by the saints in the fallen world system and individually by way of the flesh which wages war against the Spirit. Positional sanctification takes place at conversion (a completed action) at which time His Spirit indwells the renewed life so that the saint is compelled toward practical sanctification, mortifying the flesh by the power of the Spirit (a continuing action), and finding its fulfillment in glory at death (a future action), “And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified” (Romans 8:30). An atonement divorced from practical sanctification is a ruse and the devil’s counterfeit, “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come” (2 Corinthians 5:17).
The redeemed life is not a reformed life, it is a new life. The new does not come until the old dies and the seal of the Spirit is the guarantee of fruitfulness unto God, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10). The life that professes love for Christ but is void of His fruit is miserably self-deceived because His seed does not indwell him. Let the man who continues in wanton sin take stock in the affections of his heart for he is traversing the wide and perilous road to utter destruction, “And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure…No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God” (1 John 3:3, 9).
Keenly aware of this premise the Apostle concludes, “…but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified” (1 Corinthians 9:27). Positional and practical sanctification is recognized, then, not by profession alone, but by the fruit of righteousness which the Spirit produces. The Lord Jesus Christ underscores the unbreakable link of justification and sanctification, “My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples” (John 15:8). The man who professes Christ to the world in word will find validation in his deeds, proving himself a disciple.
The man who professes Christ in word but whose life is an arid wasteland of unrighteousness displays empty rhetoric. Unless he repents and throws himself down at the foot of the cross certain destruction awaits him, “behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2).
Copyright 2009 Immutable Word Ministries ("...the word of our God stands forever." Isaiah 40:8)
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