Thy Word is Truth!
"Sanctify them through Thy truth; Thy word is truth." John 17:17
I don't understand the all resistance by God's people to God's Word. Ok, maybe I do: our sinful, rebellious nature is the root cause, enflamed by hellish powers. So maybe more accurately, I'm saddened by it. I'm saddened by the tooth and nail fight instead of the childlike acceptance when Scripture is read. I'm saddened by our censorship of many Passages because of our cultural idolatry. I'm saddened by it first in my own life (I'm a rebel at heart) and deeply hurt by the pain the refusal to obey God's precepts causes so many families and churches.
William MacDonald wrote:
To sanctify means to set apart. The Word of God has a sanctifying effect on believers. As they read it and obey it, they are set apart as vessels suitable for the Master's use. That is exactly what the Lord Jesus was praying for here. He wanted a people who were set apart to God from the world, and usable by God. “Your word is truth,” Jesus said. He did not say, as so many do today, “Your word contains truth,” but “Your word IS truth.”
Amen! Through a life of studying and applying Holy Scripture, God's people ARE SUPPOSED TO CHANGE! We SHOULD NOT be the same as when we first believed. Our thirsts, thoughts, appearance, character, disciplines, love...our everything...should become and more Christ-like.
Why does this bother us so? What are we afraid of?
There seems to be a deeply rooted resistance to changing and bringing our lives in alignment with Scripture. Our sin nature fights God. Yet the great promise is our sanctification via the Word of God if we would, with the Spirit's help, obey! Our great joy should be to become more and more as unto our Lord!
Oh the wonder of the Word of God! Oh the love of God that He would reveal Himself via the Scriptures! Oh that we would live, not by bread alone, but my EVERY WORD that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. (Matt 4:4)
The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward. (Psalm 19:7-11)
Sanctify us oh Lord, by Thy holy Truth. Give us a humble heart to obey. There is NO other path worth following.
In Jesus' Name.
Reestablishing Holiness: The Lifestyle of the Kingdom
In our book, The Playbook, we wrote:
"Holiness. Such a scary word in today’s times. In the progressive, afraid-to-death-of-being-called-a-legalist modern churchgoer’s mind, it might conjure up images of frumpy looks, sad faces, wooden chairs, mean men with beards, being in church every day, horse- drawn buggies, and basically, boring lives. Don’t laugh. You know it’s true! About the last thing we want to do is examine our lives for those things that might not please God and remove them. Anyone who has studied the Bible even a little bit with reasonable interpretive skill, knows that we cannot do, think, say, wear or watch whatever we want. God is holy and He calls us to be holy. We can fuss all day about legalism, but holiness is not legalism. Striving to obey God is an honor and privilege. The antinomianism of today’s culture, and sadly, segments of the church as well, is crippling not only to a well-ordered society, but also to the preaching of the Gospel itself. Again, it is the declaring of the Law of God that makes way for the good news and grace God offers in Jesus."
Friends, the need to return to the Scriptures in every area of life, including our practical, day-to-day pursuit of holiness is off the scale. How did we get to the point where sin and blatant disobedience to Scripture became okay because of grace? Does grace mean we forgo the pursuit of holiness?
For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. (Titus 2:11-14, KJV)
Grace teaches! The mercy of God should make us WANT to live in righteousness. How our lives would be different if we feared God!
I would encourage the reader, "...he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy." (1 Pet 1:15-16, KJV)
God's ways are best. His ways are wise, and as a result, "they are the ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace." (Pro 3:17)
Want more pleasantness and peace? Reestablish holiness. It is the Kingdom Lifestyle.
Guard Your Ears!
Isa 6:8-10 And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" Then I said, "Here I am! Send me. And he said, "Go, and say to this people: "'Keep on hearing, but do not understand; keep on seeing, but do not perceive.' Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and blind their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed." (Also Acts 28:27)
Mat 13:13 This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.
Mat 13:43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.
Mar 4:9 And he said, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."
Mar 4:23 If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear."
Mar 8:18 Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear? And do you not remember?
Luk 8:8 And some fell into good soil and grew and yielded a hundredfold." As he said these things, he called out, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."
Luk 14:35 It is of no use either for the soil or for the manure pile. It is thrown away. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
Heb 5:11 About this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing.
Rev 2:7 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.'
Rev 2:11 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death.'
Rev 2:17 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, with a new name written on the stone that no one knows except the one who receives it.'
Rev 2:29 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.'
Rev 3:6 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.'
Rev 3:13 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.'
Rev 3:22 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.'"
Rev 13:9 If anyone has an ear, let him hear...
Given the preponderance of scriptural evidence that God's people often become hard of hearing, I beg you...GUARD YOUR EARS.
In Jesus' Name. Amen.