Thought for the Day – Away from the World

~Romans 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Christ did not want us to be like the rest of the world. His ministry was consistently pointing people to their sin and encouraging them to forsake their worldliness. He did not just make a suggestion but also gave us directions as to how to accomplish this task. Renewing of our minds comes as a result of having a new nature.

~2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

Our old worldly nature can only become new if we are born into a new nature – if we are born again.

~John 3:3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

~Joh 3:7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

~1 Peter 1:23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.

God’s Word lives and abides forever and is what pierces the heart to lead us to salvation. Once we are born again, the Holy Spirit guides us to live righteously and not like the world!

~Psalm 23:3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

This isn’t to say that we will be “sinless” but after salvation we will desire to grow and “sin less.” Herein lies the difference between those who are born again and those who are not. The new nature we receive at the time of salvation nudges us, through the Holy Spirit’s leading, toward righteous living. That is why we are different from the world … we do not desire the same things we did prior to our salvation. We are now children of the King, and as any parent guides and teaches his child, so does our Heavenly Father!

~2 Corinthians 6:18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

Thought for the Day – Struggle with Sin

James 4:6-8 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. 7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.

As we read James, we can clearly see that Christians have a choice when it comes to sin. We mothers cannot possibly teach our children about these choices until we have learned it in our own spiritual lives. Our children need to learn that after they are saved, they no longer need to give in to sin.

Look at the progression in these three verses. James 4:6 teaches us that God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble. Noah Webster’s 1828 Dictionary defines “proud” to be:

Having inordinate self-esteem; possessing a high or unreasonable conceit of one’s own excellence, either of body or mind.

As we read verse 6 in context then, God will not give grace to resist sin to the one who thinks himself “spiritual” or who thinks highly of himself.  The Pharisees of today have the same prideful spirit as the Pharisees of Christ’s day. These do not need a Saviour because they believe that they can get to Heaven on their own merit. The humble in spirit, however, are those who have acknowledged their sinful ways, repented and believed on the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Children are especially open to the Gospel and this is why it is important to teach them early after they get saved.

To the humble, God gives grace to be able to accomplish James 4:7. One does not have to give in to sin! So many times we hear, “The devil made me do it!” However, James 4:7 says that if we submit to God, we can resist the devil and he will flee from us! With God’s grace (promised in verse 6 to the humble in spirit), we can say no. But how?

James 4:8 is absolutely beautiful! Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. The humble know that they can do nothing without the Lord. (Philippians 4:13) A humble heart, covered by the precious blood of the Jesus Christ, will desire to walk righteously. Purifying our hearts daily means to keep our thoughts and heart fixed on the word of God. (Philippians 4:8) Furthermore, a double minded person doesn’t have a “stand” for good or for bad! (James 1:8) To claim Christianity on Sunday and then live like the world the other six days is a double minded person. Therefore, James 4:8 tells us that when we take a stand for Christ with righteous living and purify our hearts, it is drawing nigh to God! What happens to those who draw nigh to Him? The word says that God will draw nigh to them. What better way to help our children than to have them memorize these verses so they can pull from them! This is how we can avoid sin!

1. The humble one recognizes his need for God’s grace. (Ephesians 2:8-9)
2. The humble one resists the devil when temptation rears its ugly head. (1 Corinthians 10:13)
3. The humble one will draw nigh to God through salvation in Jesus Christ. For it is impossible without His salvation. (Hebrews 7:19)
4. The humble one walks in the paths of righteousness. (Psalm 23:3)
5. The humble one purifies his heart with God’s word! (Psalm 119:9)

Today’s Christian has become so worldly and the teaching of living a godly life has now been mushed down to “legalism.” The world has entered the church and one is hard pressed to find a godly church who desires to live righteous lives. We must remember that God is still holy and He still requires us to pursue righteous living. After all, Scripture says He never changes. (Hebrews 13:8)

If one believes that he does not need to change after salvation, then that person is ignoring 2 Corinthians 5:17. Our old lifestyle (of living IN the same sins as before, day after day) should be dissipating with each passing day. If this is not happening, then repentance never took place. Godly sorrow for one’s sin causes the Christian to repent! This is where the humbleness comes in. Recognizing sin, repenting (completely turning away) from it and pursuing righteous and godly living is a sure sign that 2 Corinthians 5:17 actually occurred in your life.

Christian, we do not need to struggle with sin. We have been given this wonderful freedom and we have the ability to say no! Praise the Lord!

Thought for the Day – Denials

~Mark 14:72 And the second time the cock crew. And Peter called to mind the word that Jesus said unto him, Before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice. And when he thought thereon, he wept.

Before we get all self righteous and criticize Peter for his three denials, we need to examine ourselves – examine our own lives. Do we unknowingly deny Christ in our actions? I believe we deny Him daily when we refuse to do as He asked in the Scriptures! God tells us in His word to be holy for He is holy. We all know that unless one is born again, (John 3:3) we cannot even begin to attempt this command.

Denying to be born again, to have a newness of life the biblical way, is to deny Christ. Salvation is not through a church, or through an “experience.” God shows us in His word how salvation can be attained. To try to earn/achieve salvation any other way will result in a life filled with trying to be holy, attempting to live a religious life but failing daily. The guilt from this daily failure will be such a heavy weight. I personally know because I was one of these who carried an enormous weight of guilt. No amount of “good works” lessened my weight. One can go to church daily, say rosaries daily, have communion daily, but none of that counts for anything if one doesn’t have the new nature that comes with newness of life in Christ Jesus. (Isaiah 64:6)

Let’s read what Peter had to say:

1 Peter 1:13-25 Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; 14 As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: 15 But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; 16 Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy. 17 And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man’s work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear: 18 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; 19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: 20 Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, 21 Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God. 22 Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently: 23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever. 24 For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: 25 But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.

Now concentrate on the underlined portions of these verses. Peter clearly outlines the plan of salvation and the results of the new life – the natural progression of the born-again nature. Verse 13 says the revelation of Jesus Christ – this is the Gospel that draws us to God. The Gospel is just this: Christ (God in the flesh) left Heaven to become a man. He was born of a virgin and walked this earth, experiencing everything man experiences. He lived a sinless life and became our sinless offering to the Father. He died on the cross and shed His own blood for the remission of our sins. He arose three days later and is now in Heaven awaiting His return. Glory! God knew man could not abide by all the Laws – man could not keep them. But sin cannot be allowed into Heaven. Therefore, a perfect sacrifice – a sinless sacrifice – was provided so God’s creation would have the opportunity.

How? Well, verse 14 states that in obedience to the word of God (John 3:3), we must shed the old nature (our former lusts) and put on the new nature (II Corinthians 5:17). Do you see the progression? First was the Gospel, then the repentance and acceptance, then the new nature. Verse 15 states that now that we have this new nature, we are exhorted to live holy lives. This can only be done (I Corinthians 10:13) through the power of the Holy Spirit who now resides in the one with the new nature. One doesn’t have new life if one doesn’t repent from the former lusts of the flesh and believe on the Lord Jesus (Mark 1:15). The two go hand-in-hand! On a side note: Too many so-called ‘born-again Christians’ are out there living in sin with no desire to remove themselves from it. They claim to be saved but yet they continue to live with another person outside the bonds of marriage. They claim to be saved but continue in a sodomite life. They claim to be saved but they curse, drink, and party like they did before. Really? Does this sound like what Peter is speaking of in today’s text? There’s something wrong if you are reading this and are guilty of those thing I just wrote.

Verse 18 shows us that we were not redeemed by someone who has sinned and who provides a salvation that we can lose (corruptible). No, we have been redeemed by God Himself, Jesus Christ the Messiah, and His work is incorruptible. His blood cleanses us from all unrighteousness (I John 1:9). Because our salvation was not provided by us, there is nothing we can do to earn it or keep it. It was not our work (Ephesians 2:8-9) but Christ’s work on the cross. The Righteous Judge is the only one who can forgive our sins (I John 1:19) and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Verses 23 and 25 reveal that our salvation is from God through His word. When we are truly saved, we cannot lose what He has given to us. There is only one way – the word of God reveals this. (John 14:6) Jesus is the only way to Heaven. God’s word endures forever. When we are born again by the word of God, it is incorruptible because it is now man’s (who is corruptible) but God’s (who is incorruptible). The Lord gave us the scriptures so we can find Him, fellowship with Him and look forward to His return! Amen!!

The Sacraments Do Not Save

The catholic church teaches that there are seven sacraments, according to their catechism. They go so far as to say that these sacraments are necessary for salvation:

“There are seven sacraments in the Church: Baptism, Confirmation or Chrismation, Eucharist, Penance, Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders, and Matrimony.” Pg. 289, #1113

“The Church affirms that for believers the sacraments of the New Covenant are necessary for salvation.” Pg. 292, #1129

These are not my words, dear catholic, but those of your catechism.

The Bible gives us a clear outline on what we must do to be saved. All the sacraments reflect man’s works – man’s ability to achieve salvation through doing something rather than solely trusting on the Lord Jesus Christ’s shed blood on the cross for complete remission of sins. Nothing we do to achieve salvation will ever benefit us or save us. The sacraments, or any works, are man’s attempt to justify himself before God.

~Romans 3:20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

Cain tried to justify himself before God by the works of his own hands and God did not accept his offering (~Genesis 4:3-5). Abel offered a firstling of his flock as God commanded of him – of which our Lord Jesus Christ is a symbol (the Lamb of God). But the fruit of Cain’s garden was not pleasing to God – this is a symbol of man’s works – this was Cain’s idea of how he could come to God. Things have not changed in these thousands of years. It did not work with Cain and it will not work for us today either. God will look upon your works with the same disgust as He did on Cain’s.

God views our own works as filthy and putrid, my friend!

~Isaiah 64:6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

Nothing we can do is clean enough of God’s eyes. Can’t you see that? Notice how Isaiah says that all of our righteousnesses are as filthy rags? This means that anything good that we try to do for God appears like a filthy rag to God. This means that praying a thousand rosaries, attending mass every day, or even working at a nursing home to help the elderly will be of no benefit to you.
The Hebrew word for filthy is:

H5708

עד

‛êd
ayd
From an unused root meaning to set a period (compare H5710 and H5749); the menstrual flux (as periodical); by implication (in plural) soiling: – filthy.

Just reading this description is disgusting to me. When we look at the difference between this disgusting type of blood and the precious blood of Jesus Christ, we can see a vast difference. If you read in Leviticus 15:19-33 and 20:18, you will see what was required when dealing with this type of blood – the cleaning ceremonies were intense. The leper was also linked with this type of uncleanness (Leviticus 13:45) and his rags were considered just as filthy. I once heard a sermon about lepers. The preacher said that before the leper could enter a city, he had to take a rag from the top of a post (that other lepers had used) and rub hard over his leperous sores. He would then return the filthy rag back to the top of the post for the next leper to use. Is this not disgusting to you? Isaiah says that God views our good works in the same manner He views this filthy rag!

God compares our own works to this putrid type of filthy rag! There is nothing that we can do that will even come close to the precious blood of Jesus Christ.

Everything you do in order to get closer to God will fall short of what God requires of us. This includes the sacraments required by the catholic church. Here is what the Bible has to say on this subject:

~Ecclesiastes 7:20 For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.

Notice that this verse uses the words just man. This Hebrew word for just is:

H6662

צדּיק
tsaddîyq
tsad-deek’
From H6663; just: – just, lawful, righteous (man).

This includes anyone who thinks he is “just,” “lawful,” or “religious.” That even includes the good religious catholic, Jew or anyone who thinks himself a “good” person. God views every act of a “good” person as unrighteous because of our fallen sinful nature. He sees the pridefulness behind our good works.

We are sinners because we have the fallen nature of Adam. The good person does not have genuine repentance. The catholic’s penance lacks true sincerity and it is reflected in his prayers to God. Furthermore, his prayer life is routine – it is repetitious. He thinks God will hear him because he has prayed a hundred prayers in chapel that morning (~Matthew 6:7).

Because of his pride, he secretly desires that others see his public prayer and his good deeds. He secretly desires to be known for his good works rather than letting God receive the glory for them. A good man’s holiness can only be viewed as putrid sin when compared to that of the holiness of God. In fact, the good person’s religious worship and acts contain enough sin in them all to condemn him to a million hells.

How then can the catholic say that obeying the sacraments assures salvation? The Bible says:

~Acts 5:29 Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.

If the sacraments are to be obeyed, and if the sacraments are of God, then they would be found in the Bible. They are not found there but instead, they are recorded in the traditions of men, the catholic church’s sacred tradition and magisterium – attempting to reach God through religion. But God cannot be reached in this manner. There is nothing we can do in this flesh that will ever please God. We can only reach God through salvation in Jesus Christ and after doing so, we receive the Holy Spirit of God and can now say that we can truly worship God with the same obedience that Abel worshipped God with his sacrifice – because we are covered by the Perfect Sacrifice, Jesus Christ and His blood!

~John 4:23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.

~John 4:24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

~Philippians 3:3 For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.

Jesus is the only way to God, my dear catholic.

~John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

This does not say that you can reach the Father through the sacraments or even just one of the sacraments, like baptism for example. You can only come to God when you acknowledge that you can do nothing yourself (like Cain) to earn salvation. All God will see is your filthy rags. You must acknowledge that Christ’s shed blood is the only righteousness there is to cover your filthy rags of good works. Once you have repented of your filthy sin and accept Christ’s perfect righteous blood as the only worthy sacrifice, you can be seen by the Father as righteous – not because of your own righteousness but because of Christ’s righteousness! Christ’s blood is the only thing that the Father wishes to see and Jesus’ blood is the only thing that the Father will accept, just as He did with Cain.

No amount of keeping the sacraments, praying a thousand rosaries, going to confession daily, doing daily penance, repeated flaggellations, climbing the stairs of a cathedral on your knees, wearing rough clothing against your skin, working in the soup kitchen, – NOTHING can cause God to view your good works in any other way than as that putrid dirty bloody rag mentioned in Isaiah 64:6. The Father sees only His Son’s righteous blood. Won’t you finally acknowledge that it is only the blood of Jesus that can set you free?

~John 8:36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.