J.A. Matteson
Never do saints err more than when they attempt to advise the LORD in spiritual matters by devising their own means to His kingdom ends. In so doing they generally put their hand to the wrong thing in the wrong time and in the wrong way. The Lord is working out His redemptive purposes all around you. When He chooses to include you in what He is doing you will know. "The hand of the LORD was upon me, and He brought me out...." (Ezk. 37:1). The apostle Paul was constrained by the love of Christ to preach the gospel to the Gentiles, "Woe is me if I do not preach" (1 Cor. 9:16). Peter was compelled by the Spirit to travel to the house of Cornelius to preach Christ crucified (Acts 10:20). John the Baptist was led by the Spirit into the wilderness and throngs flocked to hear of the baptism of repentance from dead works (Mk. 1:4). The LORD chose to establish a nation of His own possession and called Abram out from Ur of the Chaldeans (Gen. 12:1). When your God assignment comes it will be unmistakable. His hand will be upon you and you will be constrained to a particular course of action. As with Nehemiah the shrill threatening voices of Sanballat and Tobiah will not deter you from the LORD's call (Neh. 2:19). The duty of saints is to remain pliable and willing to obey the LORD in whatever He may call you to. Be prayerful, humble, ready and seeking. His plans always come in the fullness of His time and not yours.
Copyright © 2013 Immutable Word Ministries ("…the word of our God stands forever…." Isa. 40:8).
Saturday, November 30, 2013
Friday, November 29, 2013
The Gift Within
J.A. Matteson
When a person is born again they have bestowed within them the fullness of sanctification. It is up to saints to realize that which is theirs as heirs of Jesus Christ by reverently working out the gift within them in the daily experience of living. "His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness...." (2 Pet. 1:3). The zeitgeist of contemporary western Christianity doubts the apostle at this point. God has given His children everything necessary for them to grow in grace; the power of His Spirit to know and understand Him; the power of His word through the Scriptures to exhort and correct; the power of His church to extend the good news to the farthest reaches of the planet; the power of fellow pilgrims to comfort and protect our sensibilities when suffering and temptation threaten to diminish us. It is foolishness to be beholden to anything or anyone other than Jesus Christ for life and godly living. All of the books and seminars in the world, intended for good, can ever replace the simplicity of coming directly to Jesus Christ and being taught by Him. We cannot expect others to do that work for us, we must take the initiative to come to Him and grow in Him. The saints of old had neither seminars or books, yet they grew in grace. The same power for godly living that they knew is yours today in Jesus Christ and the power of His word. The grace of God accepts us as we are, but the grace of God does not leave us as we are.
Copyright © 2013 Immutable Word Ministries ("…the word of our God stands forever." Isa. 40:8).
When a person is born again they have bestowed within them the fullness of sanctification. It is up to saints to realize that which is theirs as heirs of Jesus Christ by reverently working out the gift within them in the daily experience of living. "His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness...." (2 Pet. 1:3). The zeitgeist of contemporary western Christianity doubts the apostle at this point. God has given His children everything necessary for them to grow in grace; the power of His Spirit to know and understand Him; the power of His word through the Scriptures to exhort and correct; the power of His church to extend the good news to the farthest reaches of the planet; the power of fellow pilgrims to comfort and protect our sensibilities when suffering and temptation threaten to diminish us. It is foolishness to be beholden to anything or anyone other than Jesus Christ for life and godly living. All of the books and seminars in the world, intended for good, can ever replace the simplicity of coming directly to Jesus Christ and being taught by Him. We cannot expect others to do that work for us, we must take the initiative to come to Him and grow in Him. The saints of old had neither seminars or books, yet they grew in grace. The same power for godly living that they knew is yours today in Jesus Christ and the power of His word. The grace of God accepts us as we are, but the grace of God does not leave us as we are.
Copyright © 2013 Immutable Word Ministries ("…the word of our God stands forever." Isa. 40:8).
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
Beware of an Attitude of Entitlement
J.A. Matteson
Beware of an attitude of entitlement that temps you to sin while suffering an injustice. "And if it is with difficulty the righteous is saved...." (1 Pet. 4:18). Satan knew the entitlements due Jesus Christ as the Son of God, tempting Him three times to illegitimately lay claim to what was His in order to bypass the ordained suffering as the Lamb of God prescribed by His Father. Faith is continually tested and refined in the furnace of external affliction and internal temptation. The pilgrims way is narrow and difficult. Along your journey there are countless temptations to overcome, a multitude of sinful passions to mortify, many sufferings to endure and difficulties to rise above. Faithfulness requires constant vigilance. As saints we must become aware of the voice of demonic temptation in our heads. We feel ill treated, abused, wronged in some way. It is in that setting Satan tempts us with a sense of entitlement to alleviate our suffering or to unjustly claim our entitlement, "I'm justified to feel this way after what he did to me!" This is the intersection where the pilgrims pathway becomes extremely difficult, increasingly narrow and steep. And then those around you chime in as Satan's instruments of unrighteousness further tempting you to claim that to which you feel entitled. Pray, beloved, pray fervently that the grace of God will uphold you to know the right and choose it. Apart from God's grace you will give way to temptation. By God 's grace nothing will be impossible for you, daily mortifying the flesh with its inclination to wickedness, working out your salvation with reverence and thankfulness. The victory is yours in Christ Jesus and in Him alone. Behold the cross and do not divert your attention from it and Christ will uphold you in your suffering.
Copyright © 2013 Immutable Word Ministries ("…the word of our God stands forever." Isa. 40:8).
Beware of an attitude of entitlement that temps you to sin while suffering an injustice. "And if it is with difficulty the righteous is saved...." (1 Pet. 4:18). Satan knew the entitlements due Jesus Christ as the Son of God, tempting Him three times to illegitimately lay claim to what was His in order to bypass the ordained suffering as the Lamb of God prescribed by His Father. Faith is continually tested and refined in the furnace of external affliction and internal temptation. The pilgrims way is narrow and difficult. Along your journey there are countless temptations to overcome, a multitude of sinful passions to mortify, many sufferings to endure and difficulties to rise above. Faithfulness requires constant vigilance. As saints we must become aware of the voice of demonic temptation in our heads. We feel ill treated, abused, wronged in some way. It is in that setting Satan tempts us with a sense of entitlement to alleviate our suffering or to unjustly claim our entitlement, "I'm justified to feel this way after what he did to me!" This is the intersection where the pilgrims pathway becomes extremely difficult, increasingly narrow and steep. And then those around you chime in as Satan's instruments of unrighteousness further tempting you to claim that to which you feel entitled. Pray, beloved, pray fervently that the grace of God will uphold you to know the right and choose it. Apart from God's grace you will give way to temptation. By God 's grace nothing will be impossible for you, daily mortifying the flesh with its inclination to wickedness, working out your salvation with reverence and thankfulness. The victory is yours in Christ Jesus and in Him alone. Behold the cross and do not divert your attention from it and Christ will uphold you in your suffering.
Copyright © 2013 Immutable Word Ministries ("…the word of our God stands forever." Isa. 40:8).
Friday, November 22, 2013
Presuming Upon Tomorrow
J.A. Matteson
Beware of the presumption of future time and events where you confidently picture yourself doing such and such, without first submitting your desires to God. "Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow…." (Jas. 4:14).
On the one hand we quickly confess the doctrine of God's sovereignty, but in our routine experience we deny it through our presumption of actually being here tomorrow and, additionally, we confidently assume particular tasks will be accomplished. All such presumption is brazen arrogance before the LORD who governs the times and seasons of our lives. Delightful before the LORD is a contrite submission to His providential hand. The aim for saints is to walk in the Spirit with childlike wonder of His providential dealings with us. Never consider your circumstances and lot as odd, but see in them divine graces intended to further your sanctification. Yesterday is history and tomorrow belongs to God, you have no claim on it. The LORD's will determines your participation in tomorrow, or not. Rejoice, therefore, in today and give thanks for His many blessings given to you. And regardless of what today holds recognize His sovereignty over your brief tenancy on the earth, submit to it, and in so doing avoid the sin of presuming upon tomorrow and what you plan to accomplish in it.
Copyright © 2013 Immutable Word Ministries ("…the word of our God stands forever." Isa. 40:8).
Beware of the presumption of future time and events where you confidently picture yourself doing such and such, without first submitting your desires to God. "Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow…." (Jas. 4:14).
On the one hand we quickly confess the doctrine of God's sovereignty, but in our routine experience we deny it through our presumption of actually being here tomorrow and, additionally, we confidently assume particular tasks will be accomplished. All such presumption is brazen arrogance before the LORD who governs the times and seasons of our lives. Delightful before the LORD is a contrite submission to His providential hand. The aim for saints is to walk in the Spirit with childlike wonder of His providential dealings with us. Never consider your circumstances and lot as odd, but see in them divine graces intended to further your sanctification. Yesterday is history and tomorrow belongs to God, you have no claim on it. The LORD's will determines your participation in tomorrow, or not. Rejoice, therefore, in today and give thanks for His many blessings given to you. And regardless of what today holds recognize His sovereignty over your brief tenancy on the earth, submit to it, and in so doing avoid the sin of presuming upon tomorrow and what you plan to accomplish in it.
Copyright © 2013 Immutable Word Ministries ("…the word of our God stands forever." Isa. 40:8).
Thursday, November 21, 2013
Honorable Speech
Forget about your exhilarating private devotional times and your wondrous thoughts about the majesty and glory of God, for by these you may deceive yourself as to the true state of your soul. The actual barometer of spiritual health is how we speak of other people, those who we find our selves at odds with. "With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God" (Jas. 3:9). Consistency in honorable speech is the Spirits fruit within, and apart from grace inconsistency characterizes our speech. Examine your speech toward the Lord and your adversary, are they similar or a contradiction? If you find inconsistency pray that the Lord root it out until the words of your mouth and the meditations of your heart are consistent in offering honorable speech to both God and those made in His image.
Copyright © 2013 Immutable Word Ministries ("…the word of our God stands forever." Isa. 40:8).
Copyright © 2013 Immutable Word Ministries ("…the word of our God stands forever." Isa. 40:8).
Thursday, November 14, 2013
The Disobedience of Doubt
J.A. Matteson
As a saint it is vital that you settle in your mind God's love toward you. Otherwise when trouble comes you will sin through the disobedience of doubt. "'The LORD is my portion,' says my soul, 'therefore I have hope in Him'"(Jer. 3:24). The Lord Jesus Christ promised that in this world you will have trouble, so why are you repeatedly surprised when it knocks on your door? Forget the notion that life is predictable or that you are able to direct outcomes and circumstances. Beware of the exasperation that mutters, "What do you want from me?" This is the will of God for you, your sanctification (1 Thess. 4:3). Trouble comes at times because of our sin, at other times due to the sin of those around us, and in other occasions not due to sin but in connection to God's refining purposes of good. As a saint you are the LORD's and He is yours, your inheritance as a child of God. When trouble comes look to Him as your hope, rejecting the wisdom of the world to look elsewhere. All who place their trust in Him will never be disappointed. He is the pearl of great price and He has given you the most precious gift there is, Himself.
Copyright © 2013 Immutable Word Ministries ("…the word of our God stands forever." Isa. 40:8).
As a saint it is vital that you settle in your mind God's love toward you. Otherwise when trouble comes you will sin through the disobedience of doubt. "'The LORD is my portion,' says my soul, 'therefore I have hope in Him'"(Jer. 3:24). The Lord Jesus Christ promised that in this world you will have trouble, so why are you repeatedly surprised when it knocks on your door? Forget the notion that life is predictable or that you are able to direct outcomes and circumstances. Beware of the exasperation that mutters, "What do you want from me?" This is the will of God for you, your sanctification (1 Thess. 4:3). Trouble comes at times because of our sin, at other times due to the sin of those around us, and in other occasions not due to sin but in connection to God's refining purposes of good. As a saint you are the LORD's and He is yours, your inheritance as a child of God. When trouble comes look to Him as your hope, rejecting the wisdom of the world to look elsewhere. All who place their trust in Him will never be disappointed. He is the pearl of great price and He has given you the most precious gift there is, Himself.
Copyright © 2013 Immutable Word Ministries ("…the word of our God stands forever." Isa. 40:8).
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
In Grave Peril
J.A. Matteson
To spurn God's free gift of forgiveness in Christ invokes His eternal wrath. "For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins" (Heb. 10:26). Saints sin, and yet they have an Advocate, the Lord Jesus Christ, who intercedes for them when they confess their sin. In view here is the sin of unbelief, not the daily stumbling of imperfect souls grieved by sin. To confess Christ and later retract that confession places the soul in grave peril. There is nowhere else to turn for pardon, the old covenant sacrificial system being abolished in Christ; the fearful assurance of damnation is sealed. Who are these souls to which the writer refers? They are those of the false circumcision, not having received the washing of the word and the Spirit of promise, impostors, tears among the wheat of God's harvest. For a little while they spring forth, appearing radiant, but when difficulty and persecution come in response to the word and the name of Christ they fall away, preferring the praise of men over God. Saints are of the true circumcision, that of the heart, recipients of grace resulting in regeneration. These persevere in the face of persecution to the saving of the soul, refusing to deny Him who did not deny them. And He who promised is faithful, completing in them what He promised. With great joy saints rest assured that the same power that awakened them to Christ is able to keep them in Christ. They have ceased from working, finding and enjoying their rest in Him now and for eternity.
Copyright © Immutable Word Ministries 2013 ("…the word of our God stands forever." Isa. 40:8).
To spurn God's free gift of forgiveness in Christ invokes His eternal wrath. "For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins" (Heb. 10:26). Saints sin, and yet they have an Advocate, the Lord Jesus Christ, who intercedes for them when they confess their sin. In view here is the sin of unbelief, not the daily stumbling of imperfect souls grieved by sin. To confess Christ and later retract that confession places the soul in grave peril. There is nowhere else to turn for pardon, the old covenant sacrificial system being abolished in Christ; the fearful assurance of damnation is sealed. Who are these souls to which the writer refers? They are those of the false circumcision, not having received the washing of the word and the Spirit of promise, impostors, tears among the wheat of God's harvest. For a little while they spring forth, appearing radiant, but when difficulty and persecution come in response to the word and the name of Christ they fall away, preferring the praise of men over God. Saints are of the true circumcision, that of the heart, recipients of grace resulting in regeneration. These persevere in the face of persecution to the saving of the soul, refusing to deny Him who did not deny them. And He who promised is faithful, completing in them what He promised. With great joy saints rest assured that the same power that awakened them to Christ is able to keep them in Christ. They have ceased from working, finding and enjoying their rest in Him now and for eternity.
Copyright © Immutable Word Ministries 2013 ("…the word of our God stands forever." Isa. 40:8).
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
Behold the Cross
J.A. Matteson
When we come to Jesus we come to the cross. For in the cross the fearsome wrath and overflowing grace of God are revealed. It is imperative that we behold His passion and suffering, that we remain there, intensely staring at His bloodied body until the full force of His atoning sacrifice is felt. "He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death.... (Heb. 9:15). We will not live for Christ until we behold the awfulness of the cross and look upon the marque above His head and see our name inscribed. When we allow the terror of the cross to penetrate our heart, grace awakens us to the love of God extended through it. And our love returned to Him empowers us to obediently endure suffering for His names sake, knowing that our Redeemer lives and that our eternal inheritance in Christ is secure. If we will die for Christ, let us also live for Him.
Copyright (c) Immutable Word Ministries 2013, (...for the word of our God stands forever." Isa. 40:8).
When we come to Jesus we come to the cross. For in the cross the fearsome wrath and overflowing grace of God are revealed. It is imperative that we behold His passion and suffering, that we remain there, intensely staring at His bloodied body until the full force of His atoning sacrifice is felt. "He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death.... (Heb. 9:15). We will not live for Christ until we behold the awfulness of the cross and look upon the marque above His head and see our name inscribed. When we allow the terror of the cross to penetrate our heart, grace awakens us to the love of God extended through it. And our love returned to Him empowers us to obediently endure suffering for His names sake, knowing that our Redeemer lives and that our eternal inheritance in Christ is secure. If we will die for Christ, let us also live for Him.
Copyright (c) Immutable Word Ministries 2013, (...for the word of our God stands forever." Isa. 40:8).
Friday, November 8, 2013
Choosing Obedience
J.A. Matteson
How we perceive suffering determines our response to it and our progress in sanctification. "Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered" (Heb. 5:8). Unless the test comes righteous virtues remain academic, and God's aim is to make the intellectual intensely practical. The Lord calls disciples to pray for their enemies, to return good for evil. It is in the midst of rejection and persecution that the command is codified in our thinking and behavior. Suffering is our tutor unto righteousness, infusing our faith into tangible good works. The Lord declared that His disciples would be known by their fruit, grace softens the redeemed soul undergoing suffering, making it increasingly pliable to the hands of the Potter. The apostle Paul observed that he had learned to be content in all things; the process of suffering he experienced is no different for you. Every godly virtue displayed in a mans life is learned in the furnace of suffering. It is in the heat of suffering your will affirms its love for Christ, choosing obedience over disobedience. The Lord moves you from grace to grace and from faith to faith through suffering, culminating in the transformation of your outlook whereby God's perspective becomes yours. When at first in the midst of suffering you obeyed hesitantly, you now joyfully endure the trial with great patience, knowing that your Father is conforming you more and more into the image of His Son.
Copyright © 2013, Immutable Word Ministries ("…the word of our God stands forever" Isa. 40:8).
How we perceive suffering determines our response to it and our progress in sanctification. "Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered" (Heb. 5:8). Unless the test comes righteous virtues remain academic, and God's aim is to make the intellectual intensely practical. The Lord calls disciples to pray for their enemies, to return good for evil. It is in the midst of rejection and persecution that the command is codified in our thinking and behavior. Suffering is our tutor unto righteousness, infusing our faith into tangible good works. The Lord declared that His disciples would be known by their fruit, grace softens the redeemed soul undergoing suffering, making it increasingly pliable to the hands of the Potter. The apostle Paul observed that he had learned to be content in all things; the process of suffering he experienced is no different for you. Every godly virtue displayed in a mans life is learned in the furnace of suffering. It is in the heat of suffering your will affirms its love for Christ, choosing obedience over disobedience. The Lord moves you from grace to grace and from faith to faith through suffering, culminating in the transformation of your outlook whereby God's perspective becomes yours. When at first in the midst of suffering you obeyed hesitantly, you now joyfully endure the trial with great patience, knowing that your Father is conforming you more and more into the image of His Son.
Copyright © 2013, Immutable Word Ministries ("…the word of our God stands forever" Isa. 40:8).
Thursday, November 7, 2013
Faith in the Hearer
J.A. Matteson
A symbiotic effect between a hearer of the word and the word itself governs the redemptive work of God. "For indeed we have had good news preached to us, just as they also; but the word they heard did not profit them, because it was not united by faith in those who heard" (Heb. 4:2). The word preached is not mixed with faith subsequent to its declaration, so as to contemplate its truth and give ascent to it, implying that faith resides within all and may be switched on and off as a light switch. What does the apostle say? Namely, that faith in the hearer supersedes the word heard; it is there in some, latent, ready to be released by the hearing of the living word. How do we account for this? Grace accounts for the possession of latent faith that positively responds to the word, being the gift of regeneration. You heard the word and instantly you were refreshed by it, encouraged in it, filled with hope through it. Apart from the latent gift the word falls on deaf ears and is unprofitable. Rejoice, brethren, that the word you heard was united with faith, and give thanks to the Lord most high from whom it was given.
Copyright © 2013, Immutable Word Ministries ("…for the word of our God stands forever." Isa. 40:8).
A symbiotic effect between a hearer of the word and the word itself governs the redemptive work of God. "For indeed we have had good news preached to us, just as they also; but the word they heard did not profit them, because it was not united by faith in those who heard" (Heb. 4:2). The word preached is not mixed with faith subsequent to its declaration, so as to contemplate its truth and give ascent to it, implying that faith resides within all and may be switched on and off as a light switch. What does the apostle say? Namely, that faith in the hearer supersedes the word heard; it is there in some, latent, ready to be released by the hearing of the living word. How do we account for this? Grace accounts for the possession of latent faith that positively responds to the word, being the gift of regeneration. You heard the word and instantly you were refreshed by it, encouraged in it, filled with hope through it. Apart from the latent gift the word falls on deaf ears and is unprofitable. Rejoice, brethren, that the word you heard was united with faith, and give thanks to the Lord most high from whom it was given.
Copyright © 2013, Immutable Word Ministries ("…for the word of our God stands forever." Isa. 40:8).
Friday, November 1, 2013
Proclaim it Faithfully
J.A. Matteson
Characteristic of sin is its intense, and at times violent, inclination to self-preservation. "When Jeremiah finished speaking all that the LORD had commanded him to speak to all the people, the priests and the prophets and all the people seized him, saying, 'You must die!'" (Jer. 26:8). There is one judge and lawgiver, the Lord Jesus Christ. It is not the Christians place to pass judgement, leave that to God. It is enough to faithfully proclaim His excellent word preserved in Scripture. In it the Holy Spirit applies to individual hearts what is needed. Resist your inclination to presume what people need, your judgement will generally be in error, for all you can do is draw conclusions from outward appearances, it is the LORD who examines the heart. Scripture us a gift of the LORD to His people while a tool of condemnation to those who do not believe. It is sufficient to prepare God's people for every good work. As it is taught and preached some will hear it and embrace it. Others will seem unphased by it. Still others will be outwardly incensed by it, angered that the inward condition of their heart has been exposed. It is not your place to obsess over how Scripture is received; it is your duty to proclaim it faithfully and boldly with conviction and love. Commit the message of the LORD and your welfare into His hands as a good and faithful servant. And in all your preaching and teaching keep a watchful eye on the blessed hope of His immanent return.
Copyright (c) 2013 Immutable Word Ministries ("...the word of our God stands forever." Isa. 40:8)
Characteristic of sin is its intense, and at times violent, inclination to self-preservation. "When Jeremiah finished speaking all that the LORD had commanded him to speak to all the people, the priests and the prophets and all the people seized him, saying, 'You must die!'" (Jer. 26:8). There is one judge and lawgiver, the Lord Jesus Christ. It is not the Christians place to pass judgement, leave that to God. It is enough to faithfully proclaim His excellent word preserved in Scripture. In it the Holy Spirit applies to individual hearts what is needed. Resist your inclination to presume what people need, your judgement will generally be in error, for all you can do is draw conclusions from outward appearances, it is the LORD who examines the heart. Scripture us a gift of the LORD to His people while a tool of condemnation to those who do not believe. It is sufficient to prepare God's people for every good work. As it is taught and preached some will hear it and embrace it. Others will seem unphased by it. Still others will be outwardly incensed by it, angered that the inward condition of their heart has been exposed. It is not your place to obsess over how Scripture is received; it is your duty to proclaim it faithfully and boldly with conviction and love. Commit the message of the LORD and your welfare into His hands as a good and faithful servant. And in all your preaching and teaching keep a watchful eye on the blessed hope of His immanent return.
Copyright (c) 2013 Immutable Word Ministries ("...the word of our God stands forever." Isa. 40:8)
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