05.29.09
J.A. Matteson
"And by this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments." 1 John 2:3
Prior to conversion the disposition of a man’s heart is contrary and dead to the Spirit, “But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised” (1 Cor. 2:14). In blind antipathy the unregenerate mind recoils at the ways of the pilgrim, observing and pondering them from afar, concluding that the pilgrim’s abnormal allegiance to the man from Galilee is illogical, he is unable to offer a rational explanation for it, eventually settling upon a loose and imprecise explanation as some form of naïve servitude whereby the pilgrim is viewed as a poor sap who has forfeited his autonomy of self-determination for reasons ultimately unknown.
The inclination of the unregenerate heart is independence from his Creator juxtaposed against the design of dependence. Oblivious to the senses of the unregenerate, however, is the actual spiritual bondage to which he is enslaved, thinking himself free while in the truest sense he is a doomed prisoner of Satan, “the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (2 Cor. 4:4), and “We know that we are of God, and that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one” (1 Jn. 5:19).
Possessing a sin nature, blinded by the prince of darkness, his soul is totally polluted and utterly destined for ruin. The mind, will, and emotions of the unregenerate are broken, and like a falcon which sinks its deadly talons into its prey prior to consuming it the unregenerate are held tightly under the influence of a Satan, to do his will, whose fiendish intent is their final eternal damnation, “You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him….” (Jn . 8:44).
At the moment of regeneration the mind, will, and emotions are renewed by the influence of the indwelling Holy Spirit, and the life that was once blind, hostile, and disinclined to the ways of the Spirit now willingly desires to obey, to be and do those things pleasing to his Redeemer. The three graces of faith, hope, and love characterize the new birth and their object is Jesus Christ, “…and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory” (1 Pet. 1:8). The meditations of the redeemed life center on the person and work of Jesus Christ and how to live a life pleasing to Him, “Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him” (2 Cor. 5:9), and the hallmark of a life pleasing to the Lord is one of obedience; faith and obedience are inseparable—where genuine faith exists obedience is its companion and where obedience is observed Spirit infused faith is its source. The Lord Jesus Christ inextricably links faith with obedience, “My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples. Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love” (Jn 15:8-10).
False teachers abound today who present obedience to the Savior as desirable, but optional, unnecessary for salvation, when in reality obedience is a mark of a regenerate life. Salvation is by faith alone, but saving faith is never alone. These teachers are the type to which the Scripture warns, depraved men who are deceived and deceiving, and those who follow them are unwittingly consuming spiritual cyanide as the Lord attests that disobedience is lawlessness and the end of the lawless is the lake of fire as persistent disobedience is an indication of an unregenerate life, “Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness'” (Matt. 7:22-23).
Pilgrims remain imperfect in speech, thought, and deed yet the intense desire of their heart is to obey and do those things pleasing in His sight. They do not practice sin as a willful pattern, for they cannot as His seed remains in them, and when they do sin they are grieved in spirit and repent (1 Jn. 1:9). The pilgrim sews to the spirit while the unregenerate man sews to the flesh. The pilgrim knows the Truth who is a Person—Jesus Christ, and the Truth has set him free.
Copyright 2009 Immutable Word Ministries ("...the word of our God stands forever." Isaiah 40:8)
Friday, May 29, 2009
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
The Scarlet Rope of Calvary
05.26.09
J.A. Matteson
"Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, and saying ‘Where is the promise of His coming?....’” 2 Peter 3:3-4
Spring rains bring forth a vibrant pallet of color to delight the eyes; hot dry days of summer lead multitudes to seek refuge alongside cool bodies of water; leaves that were green turn to amber, gently falling to the ground, dancing on the breeze of an autumn day; biting cold and snow of winter make the warm glow of a fireside chat with a cup of tea enticing. To the natural mind the rhythm of nature appears as an infinite loop of seasonal cycles, meandering rivers of delightful memories past tend to lull the unregenerate soul into a state of tranquility.
It is the condition of the natural mind to suppress the truth of divine revelation, to defy the self-evident design of the natural order, to suppress a fear of God by denying His existence, professing to be wise while in reality existing perilously close to divine retribution at the hands of Him whose wrath burns as a consuming fire. Such was the generation of Noah, mockers sneered, laughed, joked, and carried on in jolly merriment, eating and drinking to intoxication, frolicking about without care, until the door of the arc closed. At that moment utter destruction came upon them instantly, and there was no hiding place, no escape, “Those that entered, male and female of all flesh, entered as God had commanded him; and the LORD closed it behind him. Then the flood came….” (Gen. 7:16-17).
Redemptive history is linear and not cyclical as the ordered seasons. Providence is guiding human events to their climatic end according to the good pleasure of His will. The Scripture cannot be broken and while heaven and earth will pass away the Word of our God stands forever (Isa. 40:8). What has been was ordained and that which is to come is sure and unalterable, divine Providence will see to that. Striving in vain the fool convinces himself that he can stay the hand of the Lord from bringing to pass that which has been revealed in Scripture.
Beautiful is the Word of God for in it the simple is made wise and the wise a fool. In Jesus Christ the door of the arc remains open, today is the day of salvation, but the hour is fast approaching when the directive will be given by the Father and the trumpet blast will sound forth and the fury of the Lion of the tribe of Judah will be seen by all coming in the clouds will indescribable power and glory, and at that time the door of the arc will close and those who mocked will tremble in horror while vainly trying conceal themselves from His wrath, “Then the kings of the earth and the great men and the commanders and the rich and the strong and every slave and free man hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains; and they said to the mountains and to the rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb’” (Rev. 6:15-16).
Beloved, the last days of redemptive history began with the incarnation of the Son of God, “…in these last days has spoken to us in His Son….” (Heb. 1:2), and His coming is immanent. Today, as in the days of Noah, mockers abound, sneering, laughing, joking, and carrying on in jolly merriment, eating and drinking to intoxication, frolicking about without care, but the door will soon be shut and their opportunity for salvation past. Let not the man of God look upon the lost with contempt; but rather, let him with empathy pity his neighbors blind deluded estate and the fate that surly awaits him, pleading with him to enter the arc of salvation found in the atoning blood of Jesus Christ, that he might escape the swift currents of the coming flood of the wrath of the Lamb of God.
Let it not be said of the saints of God that those outside the arc were not warned, that they were not shown the door, that they were not privy to the narrow way, that they were not thrown the scarlet rope of Calvary. The Lord our God warned that His coming would be as a thief in the night, catching many unaware. May the bride of Christ trim her lamp for her redemption is nigh, her Prince is quickly approaching; indeed, He stands at the door.
Copyright 2009 Immutable Word Ministries ("...the word of our God stands forever." Isaiah 40:8)
J.A. Matteson
"Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, and saying ‘Where is the promise of His coming?....’” 2 Peter 3:3-4
Spring rains bring forth a vibrant pallet of color to delight the eyes; hot dry days of summer lead multitudes to seek refuge alongside cool bodies of water; leaves that were green turn to amber, gently falling to the ground, dancing on the breeze of an autumn day; biting cold and snow of winter make the warm glow of a fireside chat with a cup of tea enticing. To the natural mind the rhythm of nature appears as an infinite loop of seasonal cycles, meandering rivers of delightful memories past tend to lull the unregenerate soul into a state of tranquility.
It is the condition of the natural mind to suppress the truth of divine revelation, to defy the self-evident design of the natural order, to suppress a fear of God by denying His existence, professing to be wise while in reality existing perilously close to divine retribution at the hands of Him whose wrath burns as a consuming fire. Such was the generation of Noah, mockers sneered, laughed, joked, and carried on in jolly merriment, eating and drinking to intoxication, frolicking about without care, until the door of the arc closed. At that moment utter destruction came upon them instantly, and there was no hiding place, no escape, “Those that entered, male and female of all flesh, entered as God had commanded him; and the LORD closed it behind him. Then the flood came….” (Gen. 7:16-17).
Redemptive history is linear and not cyclical as the ordered seasons. Providence is guiding human events to their climatic end according to the good pleasure of His will. The Scripture cannot be broken and while heaven and earth will pass away the Word of our God stands forever (Isa. 40:8). What has been was ordained and that which is to come is sure and unalterable, divine Providence will see to that. Striving in vain the fool convinces himself that he can stay the hand of the Lord from bringing to pass that which has been revealed in Scripture.
Beautiful is the Word of God for in it the simple is made wise and the wise a fool. In Jesus Christ the door of the arc remains open, today is the day of salvation, but the hour is fast approaching when the directive will be given by the Father and the trumpet blast will sound forth and the fury of the Lion of the tribe of Judah will be seen by all coming in the clouds will indescribable power and glory, and at that time the door of the arc will close and those who mocked will tremble in horror while vainly trying conceal themselves from His wrath, “Then the kings of the earth and the great men and the commanders and the rich and the strong and every slave and free man hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains; and they said to the mountains and to the rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb’” (Rev. 6:15-16).
Beloved, the last days of redemptive history began with the incarnation of the Son of God, “…in these last days has spoken to us in His Son….” (Heb. 1:2), and His coming is immanent. Today, as in the days of Noah, mockers abound, sneering, laughing, joking, and carrying on in jolly merriment, eating and drinking to intoxication, frolicking about without care, but the door will soon be shut and their opportunity for salvation past. Let not the man of God look upon the lost with contempt; but rather, let him with empathy pity his neighbors blind deluded estate and the fate that surly awaits him, pleading with him to enter the arc of salvation found in the atoning blood of Jesus Christ, that he might escape the swift currents of the coming flood of the wrath of the Lamb of God.
Let it not be said of the saints of God that those outside the arc were not warned, that they were not shown the door, that they were not privy to the narrow way, that they were not thrown the scarlet rope of Calvary. The Lord our God warned that His coming would be as a thief in the night, catching many unaware. May the bride of Christ trim her lamp for her redemption is nigh, her Prince is quickly approaching; indeed, He stands at the door.
Copyright 2009 Immutable Word Ministries ("...the word of our God stands forever." Isaiah 40:8)
Monday, May 25, 2009
New Dispositions
05.25.09
J.A. Matteson
“…for by what he saw and heard that righteous man, while living among them, felt his righteous soul tormented day after day by their lawless deeds.” 2 Peter 2:8
Is the wickedness in the world a perpetual source of spiritual mourning, inciting you to call down fire from heaven that justice might be vindicated? Is your heart griped with compassion for the wicked and your intercession being that the Lion of the tribe of Judah might not appear today in order that the wicked may have one more opportunity to repent?
As aliens upon the earth anguish of heart to the wickedness in the world is the spiritual address of pilgrims. Saints experience words and activities that deeply grieve their redeemed soul, those which are base and foul, indicative of unregenerate hearts. Responding to the effectual call of God grace translates the sinner from the kingdom of darkness and death to the Kingdom of God and life, transforming him into a new creation in Christ Jesus, one which possesses a new nature infused by the Holy Spirit, the Law of God being inscribed on the heart, “’This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time," declares the Lord. ‘I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people’” (Jer. 31:33).
The sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit causes the sinner, turned pilgrim, to be aghast at his former manner of life, and grace destines him to live among and behold fallen humanity, lost souls that remain in bondage to sin and death, subjects of the prince of darkness, depraved individuals who by nature engage in detestable acts, speaking blasphemous words, driven on by abominable thoughts. And lest the saint become boastful toward the wicked the Holy Spirit impresses that it is only by grace that he stands justified. Grace imparts to the pilgrim new dispositions—positive and negative—which empower him to sojourn upon the earth as an ambassador of Jesus Christ, constrained by the love of God to preach the redemption of the cross: the pilgrim is sanctified to holiness as the Lord is holy and he is not to be defiled by the world; the pilgrim is sanctified to compassion as the Lord is compassionate and he is not to become indifferent to the plight of wicked men and eternal damnation. In the Saviors stead the saint is constrained by love, seeking the good of all men, irrespective of whether or not it is appreciated. The saint remains keenly aware that wickedness will be judged, and consumed with that knowledge the love of the Savior compels him to beg men to be reconciled to God, “For Christ's love compels us….” (2 Cor. 5:14).
The regenerate spirit within the pilgrim is daily provoked by ungodliness in the world, longingly seeking a better country and the city whose foundation and walls are not made by human hands. The pilgrim patiently waits for the appearing of his Lord while seeking to faithfully carrying out that to which he is called, “Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you” (Jn. 20:21). Engaged in the work of the cross the pilgrim is well served to soberly assess his vulnerability to the ways of the old man within, “Do not be deceived; bad company corrupts good morals." (1 Cor. 15:33). In this regard the pilgrim’s tendency is to turn away from the world as an act of self-preservation, but he cannot cloister himself from the world and remain salt and light to it. And a callous heart of indifference as with Jonah is equally unfitting for children of the Lamb of God, “Should I not have compassion on Nineveh, the great city in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know the difference between their right and left hand, as well as many animals?” (Jonah 4:11).
As ambassadors of Jesus Christ it is the pilgrims destiny to live among the people from which he was redeemed—being tormented within by the sin of the world—and “to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord” (Lk. 4:19), to be in the world but not of it, to direct the hearts of men to Christ Jesus who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, the only mediator between God and men.
Copyright 2009 Immutable Word Ministries ("...the word of our God stands forever." Isaiah 40:8)
J.A. Matteson
“…for by what he saw and heard that righteous man, while living among them, felt his righteous soul tormented day after day by their lawless deeds.” 2 Peter 2:8
Is the wickedness in the world a perpetual source of spiritual mourning, inciting you to call down fire from heaven that justice might be vindicated? Is your heart griped with compassion for the wicked and your intercession being that the Lion of the tribe of Judah might not appear today in order that the wicked may have one more opportunity to repent?
As aliens upon the earth anguish of heart to the wickedness in the world is the spiritual address of pilgrims. Saints experience words and activities that deeply grieve their redeemed soul, those which are base and foul, indicative of unregenerate hearts. Responding to the effectual call of God grace translates the sinner from the kingdom of darkness and death to the Kingdom of God and life, transforming him into a new creation in Christ Jesus, one which possesses a new nature infused by the Holy Spirit, the Law of God being inscribed on the heart, “’This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time," declares the Lord. ‘I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people’” (Jer. 31:33).
The sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit causes the sinner, turned pilgrim, to be aghast at his former manner of life, and grace destines him to live among and behold fallen humanity, lost souls that remain in bondage to sin and death, subjects of the prince of darkness, depraved individuals who by nature engage in detestable acts, speaking blasphemous words, driven on by abominable thoughts. And lest the saint become boastful toward the wicked the Holy Spirit impresses that it is only by grace that he stands justified. Grace imparts to the pilgrim new dispositions—positive and negative—which empower him to sojourn upon the earth as an ambassador of Jesus Christ, constrained by the love of God to preach the redemption of the cross: the pilgrim is sanctified to holiness as the Lord is holy and he is not to be defiled by the world; the pilgrim is sanctified to compassion as the Lord is compassionate and he is not to become indifferent to the plight of wicked men and eternal damnation. In the Saviors stead the saint is constrained by love, seeking the good of all men, irrespective of whether or not it is appreciated. The saint remains keenly aware that wickedness will be judged, and consumed with that knowledge the love of the Savior compels him to beg men to be reconciled to God, “For Christ's love compels us….” (2 Cor. 5:14).
The regenerate spirit within the pilgrim is daily provoked by ungodliness in the world, longingly seeking a better country and the city whose foundation and walls are not made by human hands. The pilgrim patiently waits for the appearing of his Lord while seeking to faithfully carrying out that to which he is called, “Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you” (Jn. 20:21). Engaged in the work of the cross the pilgrim is well served to soberly assess his vulnerability to the ways of the old man within, “Do not be deceived; bad company corrupts good morals." (1 Cor. 15:33). In this regard the pilgrim’s tendency is to turn away from the world as an act of self-preservation, but he cannot cloister himself from the world and remain salt and light to it. And a callous heart of indifference as with Jonah is equally unfitting for children of the Lamb of God, “Should I not have compassion on Nineveh, the great city in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know the difference between their right and left hand, as well as many animals?” (Jonah 4:11).
As ambassadors of Jesus Christ it is the pilgrims destiny to live among the people from which he was redeemed—being tormented within by the sin of the world—and “to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord” (Lk. 4:19), to be in the world but not of it, to direct the hearts of men to Christ Jesus who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, the only mediator between God and men.
Copyright 2009 Immutable Word Ministries ("...the word of our God stands forever." Isaiah 40:8)
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Move Off The Reservation
05.19.09
J.A. Matteson
"If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you." 1 Peter 4:14
The Christ of Scripture publically confronted unbelief, condemned religious hypocrisy, characterized the present generation with forceful adjectives such as adulterous, evil, sinful, perverted, and wicked, all with a view toward reconciliation. The Lamb of God came into the world speaking spiritual truth, seeking that which was lost. And unlike some in the present time that suggest He came to enter into a “conversation” with His opponents—to find common ground, Scripture reveals the Son of God directly condemning unbelief and spiritual error.
The issue of spiritual life or death comes down to a simple pass/fail test, “that 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” (Rom. 10:9). The Savior was reviled because He testified that the world’s deeds were evil. He came to His own and His own rejected Him. Darkness prefers hidden places, cloistered recesses in secret, and like a serpent under a rock can violently strike when exposed by the light of truth. Saints will experience reviling for the name of Jesus Christ, “all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Tim. 3:12).
Pilgrims, like their Savior, engage the culture, confront spiritual darkness, expose sin, call for repentance, and exhibit zeal for the living word of the Lord. The Church in the industrialized west has allowed herself to be relegated by the culture to a reservation: her meeting places. Increasingly barred from public is the Gospel, and the Church has accommodated public sentiment by merely preaching to its own each Lord’s Day. The world has effectively dictated to the Church, “You can have your Jesus, your Scriptures, your Gospel, and your manner of living, just keep them within the confines of the reservation we have assigned to you and we will all live in peace.” And the Church by its silence and fear of man has agreed as the world becomes more sinful by the day.
By comparison how did the early Church respond to threats if it did not cease from preaching the name of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God? Did not the Apostles and disciples joyfully endure suffering for the name of Jesus Christ? What about pilgrims in church history, did they not suffer for their unrelenting preaching and steadfast resolve? The writer to the Hebrews informs the saints in every generation that there is a great cloud of witnesses watching them, serving as an example of perseverance, encouraging and admonishing each generation to run its course with endurance, to win the prize.
Could it be the Church in the west has lost her nerve, fearing man over God, while growing spiritually soft as a result of material wealth and prosperity? In developing nations the Church is undergoing sever suffering as she has not been confined to the reservation, and she is enduring magnificently to the praise and glory of God. But in the developed nations of west the Church has for the most part become a caricature of her former glory. Is there a tipping point when the Church in the west will take a bold stand and declare, “We must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29), and move off the reservation?
There is a cost to obedience to the Lord, many will be publically reviled and humiliated, many will loose their employment, still others will be incarcerated for “hate speech”, while some will be physically beaten and others killed. And to all these things how does the Apostle respond?, “If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.” Pilgrim, the time is now and the choice is yours, will you remain on the reservation of intimidation and insignificance, or will you courageously take your stand and walk into the public square of discourse, unashamed of the Gospel, bearing your cross and the Name above all names? Consider Him who called you and to that which you have been called, life is not a dress rehearsal, fear God and not men.
Copyright 2009 Immutable Word Ministries ("...the word of our God stands forever" Isaiah 40:8)
J.A. Matteson
"If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you." 1 Peter 4:14
The Christ of Scripture publically confronted unbelief, condemned religious hypocrisy, characterized the present generation with forceful adjectives such as adulterous, evil, sinful, perverted, and wicked, all with a view toward reconciliation. The Lamb of God came into the world speaking spiritual truth, seeking that which was lost. And unlike some in the present time that suggest He came to enter into a “conversation” with His opponents—to find common ground, Scripture reveals the Son of God directly condemning unbelief and spiritual error.
The issue of spiritual life or death comes down to a simple pass/fail test, “that 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” (Rom. 10:9). The Savior was reviled because He testified that the world’s deeds were evil. He came to His own and His own rejected Him. Darkness prefers hidden places, cloistered recesses in secret, and like a serpent under a rock can violently strike when exposed by the light of truth. Saints will experience reviling for the name of Jesus Christ, “all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Tim. 3:12).
Pilgrims, like their Savior, engage the culture, confront spiritual darkness, expose sin, call for repentance, and exhibit zeal for the living word of the Lord. The Church in the industrialized west has allowed herself to be relegated by the culture to a reservation: her meeting places. Increasingly barred from public is the Gospel, and the Church has accommodated public sentiment by merely preaching to its own each Lord’s Day. The world has effectively dictated to the Church, “You can have your Jesus, your Scriptures, your Gospel, and your manner of living, just keep them within the confines of the reservation we have assigned to you and we will all live in peace.” And the Church by its silence and fear of man has agreed as the world becomes more sinful by the day.
By comparison how did the early Church respond to threats if it did not cease from preaching the name of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God? Did not the Apostles and disciples joyfully endure suffering for the name of Jesus Christ? What about pilgrims in church history, did they not suffer for their unrelenting preaching and steadfast resolve? The writer to the Hebrews informs the saints in every generation that there is a great cloud of witnesses watching them, serving as an example of perseverance, encouraging and admonishing each generation to run its course with endurance, to win the prize.
Could it be the Church in the west has lost her nerve, fearing man over God, while growing spiritually soft as a result of material wealth and prosperity? In developing nations the Church is undergoing sever suffering as she has not been confined to the reservation, and she is enduring magnificently to the praise and glory of God. But in the developed nations of west the Church has for the most part become a caricature of her former glory. Is there a tipping point when the Church in the west will take a bold stand and declare, “We must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29), and move off the reservation?
There is a cost to obedience to the Lord, many will be publically reviled and humiliated, many will loose their employment, still others will be incarcerated for “hate speech”, while some will be physically beaten and others killed. And to all these things how does the Apostle respond?, “If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.” Pilgrim, the time is now and the choice is yours, will you remain on the reservation of intimidation and insignificance, or will you courageously take your stand and walk into the public square of discourse, unashamed of the Gospel, bearing your cross and the Name above all names? Consider Him who called you and to that which you have been called, life is not a dress rehearsal, fear God and not men.
Copyright 2009 Immutable Word Ministries ("...the word of our God stands forever" Isaiah 40:8)
Monday, May 18, 2009
The Object and Curator
05.14.09
J.A. Matteson
…who through Him are believers in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God. 1 Peter 1:21
The God who effectually calls also sanctifies and upholds the pilgrim unto glorification. Jesus Christ is the Author and Perfector of your faith; those who call upon the name of the Lord are His workmanship through and through, placing no confidence in the flesh; by grace pilgrims gaze upon the beauty of the Savior who supplies and nourishes faith, abiding in Him while rejoicing in the bedrock assurance that He will complete in them that which He began, unto the glory of God the Father. The grace of the Savior welcomes all who come to Him by faith, He turns none away who cry out to Him with sincerity of heart, “…the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out" (Jn. 6:37).
What is the object of your hope for salvation? Perhaps it is the memory of a rousing evangelistic appeal made during a sermon that cut you to the quick, filling your heart with sorrow for offending the mercies of the Lord, thus redirecting your life towards the cross? Or is it a crisis turning point in your past whereby you confessed Jesus as Lord, believing in your heart that God raised Him from the dead? Then again it may be your present strivings to please the One who saves from irrevocable condemnation in hell. Beloved, these are all secondary effects to faith and are indicative of the primary cause of it; viz., regeneration purposed by the Father, secured by the Son of God, and applied to your heart by the Holy Spirit, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God” (Eph. 2:8).
Note the Apostle’s Spirit inspired explanation, “…who through Him are believers in God….” The faith you possess is precious in the sight of the Lord as it finds its origin in Jesus Christ who is its Author, for He who bestowed it is faithful and will sustain and nurture it unto your glorification, “…so that your faith and hope are in God.” While likely riveting and impacting it is not the events of the past surrounding your conversion in that you look to as the basis of your hope, for that would be a misplaced hope, a hope which puts confidence in the flesh; rather your hope is in the God who supernaturally called you and gave you life, sealing you with the Holy Spirit of promise in the Beloved, so that your humble declaration before men is, “I once was blind but now I see.” And in your heart you know that this is so, for you would never assert that the basis of your spiritual sight and hope of salvation finds its origin in something resonating from within yourself, and to this end the Apostle is unambiguous, “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 Pet. 1:3).
Hidden in God is the faith you exercise and the hope of your heart to spend eternity in the blessed presence of your Redeemer and Friend, for “your faith and hope are in God” who is the object and curator of both. The divine power which brought you to faith will keep you in faith securely until the Lord’s return or until He calls you home, “This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast….” (Heb. 6:19).
Rest, beloved, in the grace of your Lord who will never allow you to be plucked out of His hand; rest in His loving kindness towards you that endures forever; rest in His providences designed to further your sanctification as you sojourn upon the earth; rest in the redemption which He purchased for you on the cross; rest in His resurrection power knowing that as His seed abides in you your future glorification is assured, and rejoice that your faith and hope are hidden in Christ Jesus who is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow, forever blessed. Amen!
J.A. Matteson
…who through Him are believers in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God. 1 Peter 1:21
The God who effectually calls also sanctifies and upholds the pilgrim unto glorification. Jesus Christ is the Author and Perfector of your faith; those who call upon the name of the Lord are His workmanship through and through, placing no confidence in the flesh; by grace pilgrims gaze upon the beauty of the Savior who supplies and nourishes faith, abiding in Him while rejoicing in the bedrock assurance that He will complete in them that which He began, unto the glory of God the Father. The grace of the Savior welcomes all who come to Him by faith, He turns none away who cry out to Him with sincerity of heart, “…the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out" (Jn. 6:37).
What is the object of your hope for salvation? Perhaps it is the memory of a rousing evangelistic appeal made during a sermon that cut you to the quick, filling your heart with sorrow for offending the mercies of the Lord, thus redirecting your life towards the cross? Or is it a crisis turning point in your past whereby you confessed Jesus as Lord, believing in your heart that God raised Him from the dead? Then again it may be your present strivings to please the One who saves from irrevocable condemnation in hell. Beloved, these are all secondary effects to faith and are indicative of the primary cause of it; viz., regeneration purposed by the Father, secured by the Son of God, and applied to your heart by the Holy Spirit, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God” (Eph. 2:8).
Note the Apostle’s Spirit inspired explanation, “…who through Him are believers in God….” The faith you possess is precious in the sight of the Lord as it finds its origin in Jesus Christ who is its Author, for He who bestowed it is faithful and will sustain and nurture it unto your glorification, “…so that your faith and hope are in God.” While likely riveting and impacting it is not the events of the past surrounding your conversion in that you look to as the basis of your hope, for that would be a misplaced hope, a hope which puts confidence in the flesh; rather your hope is in the God who supernaturally called you and gave you life, sealing you with the Holy Spirit of promise in the Beloved, so that your humble declaration before men is, “I once was blind but now I see.” And in your heart you know that this is so, for you would never assert that the basis of your spiritual sight and hope of salvation finds its origin in something resonating from within yourself, and to this end the Apostle is unambiguous, “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 Pet. 1:3).
Hidden in God is the faith you exercise and the hope of your heart to spend eternity in the blessed presence of your Redeemer and Friend, for “your faith and hope are in God” who is the object and curator of both. The divine power which brought you to faith will keep you in faith securely until the Lord’s return or until He calls you home, “This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast….” (Heb. 6:19).
Rest, beloved, in the grace of your Lord who will never allow you to be plucked out of His hand; rest in His loving kindness towards you that endures forever; rest in His providences designed to further your sanctification as you sojourn upon the earth; rest in the redemption which He purchased for you on the cross; rest in His resurrection power knowing that as His seed abides in you your future glorification is assured, and rejoice that your faith and hope are hidden in Christ Jesus who is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow, forever blessed. Amen!
Spiritual Nourishment
05.15.09
J.A. Matteson
…like newborn babes long for the pure milk of the word, that by it you may grow in respect to salvation. 1 Peter 2:2
It is unimaginable that a newborn infant should lack a natural hunger for physical nourishment from his mother’s breast. The instance where this would be so is when a child is stillborn and without life.
The Apostle’s comment is instructive and reflective. It is instructive: those born of the Spirit are alerted to the importance of regularly ingesting spiritual food found in the Word of God so that they might grow in sanctification, living a holy life pleasing to God, “Your word I have treasured in my heart, that I may not sin against You” (Ps. 119:11). It is reflective: revealing that an innate hunger for spiritual truth exists in those who have experienced regeneration. A new born infant requires no external stimulus or command to seek his mother’s milk; biological life instinctively seeks after that which sustains life. Similarly those born of the Spirit instinctively seek out the spiritual nourishment found in the Word of God, “My soul languishes for Your salvation; I wait for Your word” (Ps. 119:81).
Beloved, if you find yourself in a fellowship where there is a famine in the clear expositional teaching of the Word of God, where the truth has been compromised to conform to political correctness, where inspired Scripture has been replaced by fallible and uninspired paraphrases concocted by men, where Christian edification has been supplanted by worldly entertainment, where the clear directives of the Word of God are subject to endless debate and speculation as to their contemporary authority and sufficiency, then by all means and with all the haste you can muster, flee, run for your life!
Prior to regeneration fallen sinners posses no hunger for the Word of God; indeed, most either are indifferent to it or exhibit hostility towards it. To the unregenerate the Word of God is static and unintelligible. To the regenerate it is the living Word of Truth and Life, refreshing the soul and directing ones path. While the unregenerate chafe at the commands of the Word the regenerate life longs to meditate upon them, obey, and in so doing please his Lord, [Elijah's Prayer] “At the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, Elijah the prophet came near and said, ‘O LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, today let it be known that You are God in Israel and that I am Your servant and I have done all these things at Your word” (1 Kgs. 18:36). To the unregenerate the Word of God is subjective truth authored by men of old and viewed as merely one source of wisdom literature from which a man may choose. To the regenerate soul it is the objective truth of the one and only true God to which all other worldly systems of so called “truth” must submit.
In that the unregenerate are often indifferent or hostile to the Word of God, not so with the regenerate as zeal characterizes his allegiance to, and defense of, the Word, “My zeal has consumed me, because my adversaries have forgotten Your words” (Ps. 119:139). And that the saints are sons of God who seek peace with all men they will not do so at the expense of forsaking the Word of God and the truth it contains, “Peace if possible, truth at all costs” (Martin Luther). That an instinctive hunger for the Word of God is normative for the regenerate life—as evidenced in Scripture and in the lives of saints throughout Church history—its absence is, therefore, reason for spiritual concern for any man professing the Lord Jesus Christ, “I look on the faithless with loathing, for they do not obey your word” (Ps. 119:158). The regenerate soul affirms the Word of God as truth and craves for its impartation within, growing from grace to grace, “Nobody ever outgrows Scripture; the Book widens and deepens with our years” (Charles H. Spurgeon).
If you possess and abiding hunger for the Word of the Lord you are blessed for His seed abides within you. If you are indifferent to the Word of God you are either backslidden or unregenerate. In either case seek the Lord at once while He may be found, taste and see that the Word of the Lord is good.
Copyright 2009 Immutable Word Minsitries
J.A. Matteson
…like newborn babes long for the pure milk of the word, that by it you may grow in respect to salvation. 1 Peter 2:2
It is unimaginable that a newborn infant should lack a natural hunger for physical nourishment from his mother’s breast. The instance where this would be so is when a child is stillborn and without life.
The Apostle’s comment is instructive and reflective. It is instructive: those born of the Spirit are alerted to the importance of regularly ingesting spiritual food found in the Word of God so that they might grow in sanctification, living a holy life pleasing to God, “Your word I have treasured in my heart, that I may not sin against You” (Ps. 119:11). It is reflective: revealing that an innate hunger for spiritual truth exists in those who have experienced regeneration. A new born infant requires no external stimulus or command to seek his mother’s milk; biological life instinctively seeks after that which sustains life. Similarly those born of the Spirit instinctively seek out the spiritual nourishment found in the Word of God, “My soul languishes for Your salvation; I wait for Your word” (Ps. 119:81).
Beloved, if you find yourself in a fellowship where there is a famine in the clear expositional teaching of the Word of God, where the truth has been compromised to conform to political correctness, where inspired Scripture has been replaced by fallible and uninspired paraphrases concocted by men, where Christian edification has been supplanted by worldly entertainment, where the clear directives of the Word of God are subject to endless debate and speculation as to their contemporary authority and sufficiency, then by all means and with all the haste you can muster, flee, run for your life!
Prior to regeneration fallen sinners posses no hunger for the Word of God; indeed, most either are indifferent to it or exhibit hostility towards it. To the unregenerate the Word of God is static and unintelligible. To the regenerate it is the living Word of Truth and Life, refreshing the soul and directing ones path. While the unregenerate chafe at the commands of the Word the regenerate life longs to meditate upon them, obey, and in so doing please his Lord, [Elijah's Prayer] “At the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, Elijah the prophet came near and said, ‘O LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, today let it be known that You are God in Israel and that I am Your servant and I have done all these things at Your word” (1 Kgs. 18:36). To the unregenerate the Word of God is subjective truth authored by men of old and viewed as merely one source of wisdom literature from which a man may choose. To the regenerate soul it is the objective truth of the one and only true God to which all other worldly systems of so called “truth” must submit.
In that the unregenerate are often indifferent or hostile to the Word of God, not so with the regenerate as zeal characterizes his allegiance to, and defense of, the Word, “My zeal has consumed me, because my adversaries have forgotten Your words” (Ps. 119:139). And that the saints are sons of God who seek peace with all men they will not do so at the expense of forsaking the Word of God and the truth it contains, “Peace if possible, truth at all costs” (Martin Luther). That an instinctive hunger for the Word of God is normative for the regenerate life—as evidenced in Scripture and in the lives of saints throughout Church history—its absence is, therefore, reason for spiritual concern for any man professing the Lord Jesus Christ, “I look on the faithless with loathing, for they do not obey your word” (Ps. 119:158). The regenerate soul affirms the Word of God as truth and craves for its impartation within, growing from grace to grace, “Nobody ever outgrows Scripture; the Book widens and deepens with our years” (Charles H. Spurgeon).
If you possess and abiding hunger for the Word of the Lord you are blessed for His seed abides within you. If you are indifferent to the Word of God you are either backslidden or unregenerate. In either case seek the Lord at once while He may be found, taste and see that the Word of the Lord is good.
Copyright 2009 Immutable Word Minsitries
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Prescribe and Administer
05.12.09
J.A. Matteson
"As an example, brethren, of suffering and patience, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord." James 5:10
On pilgrimage grace affords heirs of the Lord Jesus Christ continuous opportunities to develop the fruit of patience; a familiar means is the prince of darkness who directs the hearts of fallen men to detest the children of light—(for what fellowship does light have with darkness?) through manifold afflictions at their hands. To remain steadfast while suffering unjustly for the sake of righteousness requires grace, and in as much as grace supplies and directs all the mercies of God toward the saint—it is sufficient for every occasion—holding within it the promise of victory, “… If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Rom. 8:31).
And grace supplies divine unction whereby the saint is afforded insight into the supernatural unseen battlefield on which he contends. Grace engenders spiritual perception and perception produces the fruit of patience in the face of protracted affliction. While forty years of wandering in the desert by the children of Israel serves as a perpetual warning of the peril of unbelief, so too is the example of the prophets who did not acquiesce to the taunts of depraved men to be silent, but who remained faithful ambassadors and delivered their message under threats of death. Grace infuses the heart with compassion towards those who reject the message of the King and His Kingdom, the mind is illumined to the reality that it is not fallen men who are the enemy of the Gospel, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Eph. 6:12).
The Lord of Hosts is redeeming to Himself a people—the Church—who previously were partakers in the fallen human race. The saint can placate a man’s depraved soul with false words of peace or risk enraging him by a dire warning of condemnation due to sin accompanied with a plea to repentance, that by God’s grace he may be saved and escape the wrath to come. The prophets were vessels in the hand of the Lord bringing either judgment as a result of unbelief or justification by faith, often being informed beforehand that their preaching would likely fall on deaf ears, “The people to whom I am sending you are obstinate and stubborn. Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says.’ And whether they listen or fail to listen--for they are a rebellious house--they will know that a prophet has been among them. And you, son of man, do not be afraid of them or their words. Do not be afraid, though briers and thorns are all around you and you live among scorpions. Do not be afraid of what they say or terrified by them, though they are a rebellious house. You must speak my words to them, whether they listen or fail to listen, for they are rebellious” (Ezk. 2:4-7).
Nevertheless, in light of this reality they preached faithfully. The proclamation of the Gospel is the saint’s obligation and privilege; the outcome of his evangelistic enterprises is Lord’s imperative and he need not concern himself with it other than to rejoice when the gift of repentance and faith are bestowed and to continue engaging all who reject the word of life in the hope that they might yet be saved. To alter the Gospel in the slightest fashion in the expectation of blunting its jolting and offensive declarations, to aim at appeasing the desires of the flesh so that peace with depraved men may be maintained, to do these things is not to love ones neighbor as commanded by the Lord Jesus Christ, rather it is to hate him, to reveal inner disdain for him, to advance self-preservation at the expense of redemption for the man in bondage to sin and in danger of hell. As the children of Israel who were bitten by vipers in the wilderness were urged to look upon the bronze serpent by faith for healing, so too the sons of Adam this day must in faith look up and gaze upon the Savior, Christ Jesus, and thus appropriate His shed blood for the remission of their sin and be healed, “He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed” (1 Pet. 2:24).
The poison of sin is terminal and the pilgrim possesses the only life saving antidote to it—Jesus Christ. Let the saints of the Good Shepherd be moved with His compassion and love to boldly and without shame prescribe and administer to a dying world the Gospel of Life, heralding all men to look upon the Savior, Christ Jesus, to the glory of God the Father.
Copyright 2009 Immutable Word Ministries ("...the word of our God stands forever." Isaiah 40:8)
J.A. Matteson
"As an example, brethren, of suffering and patience, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord." James 5:10
On pilgrimage grace affords heirs of the Lord Jesus Christ continuous opportunities to develop the fruit of patience; a familiar means is the prince of darkness who directs the hearts of fallen men to detest the children of light—(for what fellowship does light have with darkness?) through manifold afflictions at their hands. To remain steadfast while suffering unjustly for the sake of righteousness requires grace, and in as much as grace supplies and directs all the mercies of God toward the saint—it is sufficient for every occasion—holding within it the promise of victory, “… If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Rom. 8:31).
And grace supplies divine unction whereby the saint is afforded insight into the supernatural unseen battlefield on which he contends. Grace engenders spiritual perception and perception produces the fruit of patience in the face of protracted affliction. While forty years of wandering in the desert by the children of Israel serves as a perpetual warning of the peril of unbelief, so too is the example of the prophets who did not acquiesce to the taunts of depraved men to be silent, but who remained faithful ambassadors and delivered their message under threats of death. Grace infuses the heart with compassion towards those who reject the message of the King and His Kingdom, the mind is illumined to the reality that it is not fallen men who are the enemy of the Gospel, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Eph. 6:12).
The Lord of Hosts is redeeming to Himself a people—the Church—who previously were partakers in the fallen human race. The saint can placate a man’s depraved soul with false words of peace or risk enraging him by a dire warning of condemnation due to sin accompanied with a plea to repentance, that by God’s grace he may be saved and escape the wrath to come. The prophets were vessels in the hand of the Lord bringing either judgment as a result of unbelief or justification by faith, often being informed beforehand that their preaching would likely fall on deaf ears, “The people to whom I am sending you are obstinate and stubborn. Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says.’ And whether they listen or fail to listen--for they are a rebellious house--they will know that a prophet has been among them. And you, son of man, do not be afraid of them or their words. Do not be afraid, though briers and thorns are all around you and you live among scorpions. Do not be afraid of what they say or terrified by them, though they are a rebellious house. You must speak my words to them, whether they listen or fail to listen, for they are rebellious” (Ezk. 2:4-7).
Nevertheless, in light of this reality they preached faithfully. The proclamation of the Gospel is the saint’s obligation and privilege; the outcome of his evangelistic enterprises is Lord’s imperative and he need not concern himself with it other than to rejoice when the gift of repentance and faith are bestowed and to continue engaging all who reject the word of life in the hope that they might yet be saved. To alter the Gospel in the slightest fashion in the expectation of blunting its jolting and offensive declarations, to aim at appeasing the desires of the flesh so that peace with depraved men may be maintained, to do these things is not to love ones neighbor as commanded by the Lord Jesus Christ, rather it is to hate him, to reveal inner disdain for him, to advance self-preservation at the expense of redemption for the man in bondage to sin and in danger of hell. As the children of Israel who were bitten by vipers in the wilderness were urged to look upon the bronze serpent by faith for healing, so too the sons of Adam this day must in faith look up and gaze upon the Savior, Christ Jesus, and thus appropriate His shed blood for the remission of their sin and be healed, “He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed” (1 Pet. 2:24).
The poison of sin is terminal and the pilgrim possesses the only life saving antidote to it—Jesus Christ. Let the saints of the Good Shepherd be moved with His compassion and love to boldly and without shame prescribe and administer to a dying world the Gospel of Life, heralding all men to look upon the Savior, Christ Jesus, to the glory of God the Father.
Copyright 2009 Immutable Word Ministries ("...the word of our God stands forever." Isaiah 40:8)
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Tangible Grit
05.06.09
J.A. Matteson
"For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead." James 2:26
As the spirit supplies biological expression to the body, good works testify of regeneration by the Spirit, supplying tangible grit to professed faith. Good works and faith cannot be separated as each gives expression to the other, neither exists apart from the other any more than fire can exist without heat, where one is found the other accompanies. Justification is by faith alone, but justifying faith is never found alone and is always accompanied by good works.
All Scripture bares witness to the inseparable relationship between faith and good works. Abel’s offering was esteemed by the Lord while Cain’s was not, one expression found its inception to action by genuine faith while the other did not. Moses fled from the presence of Pharaoh enduring suffering, forsaking the passing pleasures of Egypt, for he believed Him who is unseen. Ten men spied out the land of Canaan and only Joshua and Caleb brought back a favorable report while the majority did not; two men believed the Word of the Lord previously spoken while the others doubted, “It shall be when the LORD brings you to the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Hivite and the Jebusite, which He swore to your fathers to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey…” (Ex. 13:5). The just recompense of their unbelief was to perish in the wilderness. Stephen lifted his eyes towards heaven as the rocks hurled at him crushed his bones, entrusting himself to Him who judges rightly, eagerly anticipating the bestowment of his inheritance as an heir of the King, that which does not perish or suffer corruption.
Faith is intrinsically kinetic and not static, finding its expression in forward movement, “I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:14). The good works of faith find their origin in Him who calls, being ordained before the foundation of the world was established. Circulating today is a contrary definition of faith from that found in Scripture, a faith that is fundamentally cognitive in nature, divorced from the substance of good works, being analogous to fire without heat, or sight without perception, or hearing without audibility, or speech without sound. It is in fact the pseudo-faith the apostle warned of repackaged, “You believe that God is one. You do well, the demons also believe, and shudder” (Jas. 2:19). This reconstituted pseudo-faith can be readily observed by its deficiency in kinetic progress in grace. The cognitive information about the Christ and His Kingdom is recited perfectly, a positive affirmation about Christ and the Kingdom is expressed; but, perilously lacking is Spirit infused trust in Him in the face of uncertainty and danger. Confronted with trials Spirit generated faith continues to move forward in childlike trust, while counterfeit faith stops or retreats in fear and doubt. While the saints in the face of adversity may experience moments of hesitation, even faltering, their trajectory in grace and trust is ultimately forward, “Here is the perseverance of the saints who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus” (Rev. 14:12).
The pseudo-faith Scripture warns of assists in understanding the perplexing disconnect in the culture, where Jesus Christ is fashionably professed but the fruit of the lives of many claiming allegiance to Him is indistinct from the bitter fruit of unrighteousness found in the world; to this end the exhortation of the Apostle is warranted, “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Cor. 6:9-10). And in as much as it is the Spirit who causes the saint to delight in performing that which is pleasing to Him, the Spirit also warms the heart in the midst of difficulty to press on, exulting in His marvelous promises, looking forward to His glorious appearing.
Copyright 2009 Immutable Word Ministries ("...the word of our God stands forever." Isaiah 40:8)
J.A. Matteson
"For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead." James 2:26
As the spirit supplies biological expression to the body, good works testify of regeneration by the Spirit, supplying tangible grit to professed faith. Good works and faith cannot be separated as each gives expression to the other, neither exists apart from the other any more than fire can exist without heat, where one is found the other accompanies. Justification is by faith alone, but justifying faith is never found alone and is always accompanied by good works.
All Scripture bares witness to the inseparable relationship between faith and good works. Abel’s offering was esteemed by the Lord while Cain’s was not, one expression found its inception to action by genuine faith while the other did not. Moses fled from the presence of Pharaoh enduring suffering, forsaking the passing pleasures of Egypt, for he believed Him who is unseen. Ten men spied out the land of Canaan and only Joshua and Caleb brought back a favorable report while the majority did not; two men believed the Word of the Lord previously spoken while the others doubted, “It shall be when the LORD brings you to the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Hivite and the Jebusite, which He swore to your fathers to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey…” (Ex. 13:5). The just recompense of their unbelief was to perish in the wilderness. Stephen lifted his eyes towards heaven as the rocks hurled at him crushed his bones, entrusting himself to Him who judges rightly, eagerly anticipating the bestowment of his inheritance as an heir of the King, that which does not perish or suffer corruption.
Faith is intrinsically kinetic and not static, finding its expression in forward movement, “I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:14). The good works of faith find their origin in Him who calls, being ordained before the foundation of the world was established. Circulating today is a contrary definition of faith from that found in Scripture, a faith that is fundamentally cognitive in nature, divorced from the substance of good works, being analogous to fire without heat, or sight without perception, or hearing without audibility, or speech without sound. It is in fact the pseudo-faith the apostle warned of repackaged, “You believe that God is one. You do well, the demons also believe, and shudder” (Jas. 2:19). This reconstituted pseudo-faith can be readily observed by its deficiency in kinetic progress in grace. The cognitive information about the Christ and His Kingdom is recited perfectly, a positive affirmation about Christ and the Kingdom is expressed; but, perilously lacking is Spirit infused trust in Him in the face of uncertainty and danger. Confronted with trials Spirit generated faith continues to move forward in childlike trust, while counterfeit faith stops or retreats in fear and doubt. While the saints in the face of adversity may experience moments of hesitation, even faltering, their trajectory in grace and trust is ultimately forward, “Here is the perseverance of the saints who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus” (Rev. 14:12).
The pseudo-faith Scripture warns of assists in understanding the perplexing disconnect in the culture, where Jesus Christ is fashionably professed but the fruit of the lives of many claiming allegiance to Him is indistinct from the bitter fruit of unrighteousness found in the world; to this end the exhortation of the Apostle is warranted, “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Cor. 6:9-10). And in as much as it is the Spirit who causes the saint to delight in performing that which is pleasing to Him, the Spirit also warms the heart in the midst of difficulty to press on, exulting in His marvelous promises, looking forward to His glorious appearing.
Copyright 2009 Immutable Word Ministries ("...the word of our God stands forever." Isaiah 40:8)
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Outside The Camp
05.05.09
J.A. Matteson
"Let us go out to Him outside the camp, bearing His reproach." Hebrews 13:13
The Lamb of God is led outside the camp to die as a propitiation for sin and His followers are once again put to the test. To remain inside the camp is revealing and utter folly, “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it” (Matt. 16:25). To follow Him outside the city walls is to publically stress an involvement with Him and to risk assault by association. The lure of anonymity covers as a warm blanket, the temptation of the flesh is to evade association with the inflammatory Christ who forcefully blistered religious charlatans, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!” (Matt. 23:29).
To deny personal dealings with the Lord by remaining inside the camp, reasoning that to do so will enable one to avoid personal suffering, is ominously perilous, “Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matt. 10:28). Let the professor of Christ bear in mind the Lord’s dreadful forewarning should he find himself inclined to remain inside the camp when the winds of public sentiment become contrary, “But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven” (Matt. 10:33).
Following Jesus Christ outside the camp is to trod in the path of His dripping blood as a result of severe scourging, by doing so you publically identify with His reproach, intentionally placing yourself at a loggerhead with the guardians of religion and the outcome is the invocation of their fury as they in earnest determination seek to silence you as they sought to silence Him. Purveyors of religion remain inside the camp; they are content to watch from a distance as the Lord is led away to slaughter. And as He is escorted out of the gate some exhibit distain for the Savior before men, these never having confessed Him; others have confessed Him but for appearances sake calculate that they will not risk compromising their esteem before men to follow Him; it is a fearful thing to deny Him, “There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death” (Prov. 16:25).
Inside the camp religion takes on the appearance of prudence, expediency, pragmatism, tolerance, and compromise. What was it that contributed to the Lord’s eviction outside the camp? Beyond His bold claim to deity as the Son of God and charges of insurrection by human tribunals, was it not His persistent abandonment to the will of His Father, His unwavering adherence to Kingdom realities, His foregoing of that which seemed respectable to depraved minds, His rejection of rationalism in exchange for divine revelation, His stubborn insistence upon personal righteousness over human acceptance, His tenacious adherence to the pathway of holiness and obedience at the expense of fleeting popularity? To remain inside the camp is to be religious, to insulate oneself from conspicuous identification with the Galilean, to play it safe, to avoid controversy by compromising divine truth, to pander to human sensibilities, to seek to save your own skin from persecution and possibly death, to all this the Savior asks, “For what will a man give in exchange for his soul? (Mk. 8:37).
In the eyes of depraved men Jesus Christ will always remain a problem, His sole focus was to please His Father irrespective of the consequences by sinful men, true pilgrims abandon themselves to His cause, joyfully accepting the consequences which follow, “Peter and the other apostles replied: ‘We must obey God rather than men!’” (Acts 5:29). The present hour affords the opportunity to follow the Savior outside the camp. Genuineness of a profession is known by its association, to profess Christ is to be aligned with the King, to be religious is to remain silent inside the camp. The Apostle consoles obedience, “But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. And do not fear their intimidation, and do not be troubled, but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts….” (1 Pet. 3:14-15).
Copyright 2009 Immutable Word Ministries ("...the word of our God stands forever." Isaiah 40:8)
J.A. Matteson
"Let us go out to Him outside the camp, bearing His reproach." Hebrews 13:13
The Lamb of God is led outside the camp to die as a propitiation for sin and His followers are once again put to the test. To remain inside the camp is revealing and utter folly, “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it” (Matt. 16:25). To follow Him outside the city walls is to publically stress an involvement with Him and to risk assault by association. The lure of anonymity covers as a warm blanket, the temptation of the flesh is to evade association with the inflammatory Christ who forcefully blistered religious charlatans, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!” (Matt. 23:29).
To deny personal dealings with the Lord by remaining inside the camp, reasoning that to do so will enable one to avoid personal suffering, is ominously perilous, “Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matt. 10:28). Let the professor of Christ bear in mind the Lord’s dreadful forewarning should he find himself inclined to remain inside the camp when the winds of public sentiment become contrary, “But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven” (Matt. 10:33).
Following Jesus Christ outside the camp is to trod in the path of His dripping blood as a result of severe scourging, by doing so you publically identify with His reproach, intentionally placing yourself at a loggerhead with the guardians of religion and the outcome is the invocation of their fury as they in earnest determination seek to silence you as they sought to silence Him. Purveyors of religion remain inside the camp; they are content to watch from a distance as the Lord is led away to slaughter. And as He is escorted out of the gate some exhibit distain for the Savior before men, these never having confessed Him; others have confessed Him but for appearances sake calculate that they will not risk compromising their esteem before men to follow Him; it is a fearful thing to deny Him, “There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death” (Prov. 16:25).
Inside the camp religion takes on the appearance of prudence, expediency, pragmatism, tolerance, and compromise. What was it that contributed to the Lord’s eviction outside the camp? Beyond His bold claim to deity as the Son of God and charges of insurrection by human tribunals, was it not His persistent abandonment to the will of His Father, His unwavering adherence to Kingdom realities, His foregoing of that which seemed respectable to depraved minds, His rejection of rationalism in exchange for divine revelation, His stubborn insistence upon personal righteousness over human acceptance, His tenacious adherence to the pathway of holiness and obedience at the expense of fleeting popularity? To remain inside the camp is to be religious, to insulate oneself from conspicuous identification with the Galilean, to play it safe, to avoid controversy by compromising divine truth, to pander to human sensibilities, to seek to save your own skin from persecution and possibly death, to all this the Savior asks, “For what will a man give in exchange for his soul? (Mk. 8:37).
In the eyes of depraved men Jesus Christ will always remain a problem, His sole focus was to please His Father irrespective of the consequences by sinful men, true pilgrims abandon themselves to His cause, joyfully accepting the consequences which follow, “Peter and the other apostles replied: ‘We must obey God rather than men!’” (Acts 5:29). The present hour affords the opportunity to follow the Savior outside the camp. Genuineness of a profession is known by its association, to profess Christ is to be aligned with the King, to be religious is to remain silent inside the camp. The Apostle consoles obedience, “But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. And do not fear their intimidation, and do not be troubled, but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts….” (1 Pet. 3:14-15).
Copyright 2009 Immutable Word Ministries ("...the word of our God stands forever." Isaiah 40:8)
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