Spiritual Insecurity

 In 1964 Martin Lloyd-Jones preached a series of sermons over 21 consecutive Sundays on the topic of spiritual depression, its causes and its cure as he had noticed how many Christians seemed spiritually depressed, and even the great preacher himself had dealt with a season of spiritual depression. It seems to me that in our new century we are seeing another issue that is pervasive in Christianity in our country and that is spiritual insecurity. This spiritual insecurity has become a polluting, corrupting, and paralyzing force in the life and faith of the body of Christ. Sad to say many who are insecure spiritually are so because they do not have the Spirit, but there are also many others who are believers who are struggling with being insecure in their faith.

I do believe that one of the factors contributing to this is the postmodern age in which we are now living. With its emphasis on uncertainty, its elevation of personal experience as the arbiter of truth, and its deconstruction of all truth claims, it is easy to see why those who have succumbed to this way of thinking and viewing life would be insecure. The church has always been in danger of being influenced by the surrounding culture and its accompanying philosophy, and the more immature the church the more immature the believer, the more susceptible they are to adopting the cultural mindset of the day.  

Another contributor to this spiritual insecurity is the lack of the knowledge of God. It is sad, yes, tragic that many Christians just do not know God very well. II Peter 1:2-3 tells us that grace and peace are not just given, but multiplied to us in the knowledge of God and His Son, Jesus Christ; and that we have been given everything pertaining to life and godliness through this true knowledge. In Hosea 4:6 God tells us "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge." Then in Hosea 6:3 He exhorts us, "So let us know, let us press on to know the Lord." Since the Scriptures are true, if Christians are insecure in their faith, their relationship with the living Lord, then they must not have much of the knowledge of God and His Son that multiplies grace and peace in their lives. The lack of the knowledge of God is destroying His people and His church in America today, and can be directly related to the preaching to felt needs and the therapeutic gospel that have been in the main for the last 30 years, as well. It may seem odd that self help, feel good, Jesus loves you for who you are sermons would not make people feel more secure in their relationship with God, but the key to security in any relationship is an intimate knowledge of the other party in the relationship. When preaching and church life are all about you, then how can you ever know about God?

Finally, the third contributor to this spiritual uncertainty comes from the proliferation of Arminian and Semi-Pelagian views of the role of man in his salvation and sanctification, from "getting himself saved" to "keeping himself saved." When man takes the responsibility for his salvation, and the working out of that salvation, upon his own shoulders he will never feel adequate for the task. For deep down in his soul he is all too aware of the sin that so easily entangles him, and his own lust that entices and carries him away. Without a solid foundation built on the doctrines of grace and the sovereignty of our great and merciful God in our salvation, from its beginning to its end, man is left to rely only on the strength of his own arm, the power of his own piety......and, for all of us, our faults and foibles are ever before us.

Where are you today, my friend? Are you struggling with being secure in your relationship with God and living the life of faith? Are you plagued with doubts and uncertainties? Confess this to God, cry out to Him for relief, for peace in your soul, and rest for your heart. In Jeremiah 33:3 He tells to call upon Him and He will show us great and mighty things which we do not know, which, I believe, are the things of God Himself. According to Jeremiah 9:23-24 God wants our only boast to be that we know and understand Him. If that is what He wants then He has provided the means for that to take place and those means are the Word of God and the Spirit of God. In fact, in Jeremiah 1:12, He tells us that He personally watches over His word to make sure it is fulfilled, that it is carried out to the fullest. Start your journey to spiritual security by reading the Psalms and in each Psalm mark with a colored marker each verse that tells you something about God; or read through the NT and make a list of what each book tells you about God. Meditate on these things and ask God to reveal to you deeper insight about that aspect of His nature and character. In Jeremiah 29:12-14 He has promised to be found by us when we search for Him with all our heart. Take Him up on that promise today.

Reminded by God

 He who made the Pleiades and Orion

And changes deep darkness into morning,

Who also darkens day into night,

Who calls for the waters of the sea

And pours them out on the surface of the earth,

The Lord is His name.

The Lord God of hosts,

The One who touches the land so that it melts,

And all those who dwell in it mourn,

And all of it rises up like the Nile

And subsides like the Nile of Egypt;

The One who builds His upper chambers in the heavens

And has founded His vaulted dome over the earth,

He who calls for the waters of the sea

And pours them out on the face of the earth,

The Lord is His name.

Amos 5:8, 9:6-7

Two times in the midst of His dirge against Israel, God stops and reminds the Israelites of who He is and His great power. He not only does this in Amos, but this is a pattern throughout the Old Testament.  He starts this in Genesis 17:1 when He tells Abraham, "I am God Almighty, walk before Me and be blameless." He does this in the last few chapters of Job as He confronts Job with His power and majesty and starts off by saying, "Now gird up your loins like a man, and I will ask you and you instruct Me!"  There are myriads of other times in the Old Testament where God has to remind those with whom He is dealing of exactly who He is.  

Sometimes today, with us, He has to remind us of who He is. Sometimes it is to put us in our place as we have become a little too big for our spiritual britches, and we need to be brought back to reality.  Sometimes it is because we need to see that He is bigger than our situation, or the people we are facing.  Sometimes it is to remind us that He is more than capable of delivering what He has promised.  Sometimes it is to remind us that He is God and we are not, or that He alone is God. Sometimes it is to remind us that we are not the captain of our ship or the master of our fate, but He is, and as such we are answerable to Him. Sometimes it is for comfort and sometimes for correction. Sometimes it is to remind us that He is bigger than life and all that it holds. All the time it is to give us the proper perspective on life, His perspective. 

We are forgetful by nature, and are often deceived by sin; and sometimes we have to be reminded of what we already know. That is why daily devotionals or consistent bible study is so good for us.  Through His word He speaks to us to remind us of all that He is and all that He has done. It is refreshing to be reminded. It is soul stirring to be reminded. It is necessary to be reminded. It is good for us to be reminded. Thanks be to God that He has not forgotten that.

Pressing On and Taking Hold

Not that I have already obtained it

or have already become perfect,

but I press on so that I may lay hold

of that for which also I was laid hold

of by Christ Jesus.

Philippians 3:12

"It is the Word of Christ, loved, lived in,

abiding in us, becoming through obedience

and action part of our being, that makes us

one with Christ, that fits us spiritually for

touching, for taking hold of God."

Andrew Murray

quoted in

Transforming Prayer

by Daniel Henderson

Page 110

It is also this same abiding in the Word of Christ that is the foundation behind the promise found in Psalm 37:4 "Delight yourself in the Lord; and He will give you the desires of your heart." A heart that delights itself in the Lord is a heart that delights itself in His Word. If you do not delight yourself in His written word, you will not delight yourself in His Living Word...the Word that became flesh, the embodiment of the Word.

It is only to the extent that we abide in His written word that we also abide in Him. Jeremiah 15:16a tells us this, "Your words were found and I ate them, and Your words became for me a joy and the delight of my heart..." The Lord tells us in John 15:10 "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." 

We press on and take hold by abiding in His word. If we are abiding in His word, then we automatically will be living in obedience to that word. This is the key to the abundant spiritual life, to a close fellowship with the Father and the Son, and is a marker of our love for Him; as we see in John 14:21 "He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him." It is those who love and obey to whom Jesus will disclose Himself; and it is when we press on in loving and obeying that we touch and take hold of God. 

Pressing On for the Progress and Joy of Our Faith

In his letter to his friends in the church at Philippi, Paul was not only thanking them for their gift and love, but also addressing areas such as church unity, opposition to the gospel, and the day of Christ. These topics are addressed throughout the letter. However, Paul's addressing these topics are an aid for His accomplishing His greater goal for them in the writing of this letter, and that is their progress and joy in the faith. We see this goal stated in Philippians 1:25, which is the key verse in this book.

Ever the teacher, ever the discipler (Matthew 28:19, Ephesians 4:11-13), ever the one concerned for the welfare of the church(s) (II Corinthians 11:28), Paul was not wasting this opportunity to build up and strengthen these brethren who were dear to him. Understanding this we can see how Paul goes about this through the instructions, admonitions, and examples he gives in this letter. What Paul does in this letter to move the Philippians forward in their faith is to lay out their responsibilities as believers alongside God's resources available to them.

As believers, God wants us to progress, advance, and go further in our faith; and as such we are responsible for our part, but at the same time the Lord knows that in and of ourselves we are not adequate for the task, so He must give us the resources to do what He has laid out for us to do (II Corinthians 3:5-6). So let's look at both our responsibilities and our resource for progressing in our faith as Paul gives them in Philippians.

Our Responsibility
We progress and have joy in our faith:
1:5    by our participation in the gospel.
1:7    by our defending and confirming the gospel.
1:9    by our abounding more and more in love,
         but by a love that is guided by knowledge and discernment.
1:27  by conducting ourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel.
1:27  by being unified in the cause of the gospel.
1:27  by standing firm with others.
1:27  by our striving for the faith of the gospel.
1:29  by our suffering for His sake.
2:3-5 by not being selfish or self-promoting.
         by our looking out for the interests of others.
         by having the same attitude as Christ.
2:12  by working out our salvation,
          with the understanding of our accountability
2:14   by not having a complaining or argumentative spirit.
2:16   by holding fast to the word.
2:17   by serving and sacrificing in our faith.
2:18   by sharing our joy with others,
          especially those going through trials.
2:19   by living in a way that is an example and encourages others.
2:25   "
3:2     by being aware of those who would hinder us in our faith.
3:3     by putting no confidence in the flesh.
3:7     by not holding on to worldly possessions.
3:12   by pressing on.
3:13   We press on:
           by always forgetting what lies behind.
           by continually reaching forward to what lies ahead.
3:14   by having an eternal perspective.
          We develop an eternal perspective:
           by keeping the ultimate goal in mind.
           by keeping the ultimate/eternal reality in mind.
3:15    by keeping the right attitude.
3:16    by not regressing in our faith.
3:17    by following the right examples.
3:20    by being mindful of our citizenship.
4:1      by standing firm in all these things.

4:6      by having a robust prayer life.
4:6      by being thankful.
4:8      by training our mind to think properly.
4:9      by living out what we have learned to be true,
4:9      by living out what we have seen to be true.
4:15    by generously and sacrificially supporting the gospel.

Our Resources
We can progress in our faith because:
1:6     We have God Himself, as what God began, God will finish.
1:7     We have been made partakers of grace.
1:11   We are already filled with the fruit of the righteousness of Christ.
1:19   We have the provision of the Spirit of Christ.
2:1     We have the encouragement of Christ.
2:1     We have the consolation of love.
2:1     We have the fellowship of the Spirit.
2:1     We have the affection and compassion of Christ.
2:13   We have God working in us to accomplish His good pleasure.
2:16   We have the word of life.
2:19   We have the encouragement and example of others

2:25    "
3:1     We have the safeguarding of the word.
3:12   We have been laid hold of by Christ Himself.
3:20   We have the knowledge of His returning for us.
4:7     We have a heart and mind that are guarded by the peace of God.
4:9     We have the God of peace, Himself, with us.
4:13   We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.
4:19   We have a God who will supply all our needs,
           based on His riches.

What Paul is laying out for us to see in this book, is the working of man and the working of God in the spiritual life. How they work together is a bit of a mystery, as God has not given us a formula to follow, but principles to be lived out. It is in our going and our doing that the grace and power of God meet us and work through us. It is in our obedience that we tap into the resources of God.  It is in our working out what the Lord has worked within that we appropriate all the means He has made available to us to accomplish His will in our life.

So my friends,  today let us progress, let us advance, let us press on in our faith, for He will meet us there in the midst of our going and doing.

 
 

Collision of Wills

Jonah, what an enlightening, delightful, powerful, compelling, and convicting book. Immediately in Jonah 1:2-3 we see a collision of wills between God and Jonah and we see this highlighted in the call of God to Jonah, "Arise, go to Nineveh the great city and cry against it." and Jonah's response...He rose up................to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. Jonah was not being reluctant, he was being rebellious. His disagreement with God (Jonah 4:1-2) turned into disobedience to God, and he fled just as far in the opposite direction of Nineveh as he knew to go.

Jonah's fleeing from God was his way of avoiding God because he did not want to do what God had called him to do. God's call to Jonah exposed an area of Jonah's life that needed to be brought into submission to the Lord, and the limits of his obedience were exposed. This is an object lesson for us. Why?.....There are many times when we have a collision of wills with God, and every collision of our will and His will reveals the limits of our obedience. The limits of our obedience are always being exposed and tested, just like Jonah.

In times like these when our will has collided with God, and we are wrestling with God and ourselves, there are some things we need to remember, things that we observe in the book of Jonah:

1. That God's will is always perfect and pure....ours is neither.

2. When our will is not lined up with God's will, it will always be selfish and self-seeking.

3. The imagined cost of obedience is always overshadowed by the real cost of disobedience.

4. Disobedience is always more costly and the consequences are more severe.

5. While obedience may cause some distress, disobedience leads to disaster.

6. Your disobedience does not happen in a vacuum, but will always affect those around you, those whom you are connected to.

7. When you are being disobedient don't be beguiled by the "providential" escape provided by the circumstances.

8. Most often the means of escape our circumstances seem to supply is actually the means of God's discipline, God's chastening.

9. When we are being disobedient our paradise becomes purgatory and our pleasure becomes pain.

10. It is always better to trust the Word of God rather than to trust your own heart.

Blessed are the Gentle

                                             Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me,

for I am gentle and humble in heart...

Matthew 11:29a

...In the world you have tribulation, but

take courage; I have overcome the world.

John 16:33b

Gentle…praus…meek, mild, fair, a blend of spiritual poise and strength, a quiet and friendly composure that does not become embittered or angry at what is unpleasant. First, it is a disposition toward God in which we accept all His dealings with us as good and therefore accept them without disputing and resisting. Secondly, it is a disposition toward man that is without self-assertiveness or self-interest. It stems from trust in God’s goodness and control over the situation. 

It is not meekness as we typically think of meekness. It is not timidness, or cowardice, or a sissiness, or an avoidance of conflict. In the ancient times it was used to describe an animal that had been tamed, a stallion that was now able to be led by a small child with only a bridle. It is the picture of power under control. It is not a passive gentleness, it is not a timid gentleness, but a deliberate and determined gentleness. Therefore in it we see the strength of gentleness, a gentle strength, a tamed strength.

Spiritually, it is a tamed spirit. It is a spirit under control, a spirit controlled and subservient to the Holy Spirit, a spirit that does not quench the Holy Spirit, but yields to the Holy Spirit. It is a spirit that yields itself to God and restrains itself with men.

It is sometimes used as a synonym for humility, but it is really not. Humility is a lowliness of mind that considers others more important than itself. Gentleness is a condition of the soul that because it has yielded or submitted itself to God, it then reins itself in and restrains itself in its dealings with others. It doesn’t assert itself even though it has the power and ability to do so. However, humility and gentleness are close companions and go hand in hand or arm in arm with each other.

The reality is that Jesus has overcome the the world, the One who was gentle and humble in heart, the One who would not hurt a bruised reed, the One who entered Jerusalem, not on the conqueror's white steed, but on a donkey, and, actually, the foal (young and not full grown) of a donkey.  

This is not the picture of a world conqueror that would be drawn up in one's imagination, or portrayed in books or movies. He did not come in power and might, with a mighty army or legions of cavalry, or with shock and awe; but He came gently and in meekness and humility and submission to the Father's will; and, in doing so, overcame the world and all of its evil. In overcoming the world He has set free from the dominion of the world and its ruler all who would come to Him in repentance and faith.  

It is those who exercise this same spirit of gentleness who overcome sin, Satan, and the world. It is those who exercise this same gentleness of spirit that will inherit the earth (Matthew 5:5), and not just the earth of the millennial reign, but the new heavens and earth where righteousness reigns forever and ever.

Is this you my friend? Have you been tamed by the Spirit? Do you live under the Spirit's control?  Are you submissive to God and restrained towards men?  If not, repent of your rebellion and untamed spirit, and by faith submit yourself to Christ as your Lord.

A Christian Perspective on Death

Sometimes a death seems senseless and tragic. Such was the case of the young Southern Baptist pastor, John Powell, who was killed last Saturday evening while trying to help stranded motorists on a freeway north of Dallas. It brought back to my mind the death of Mary Gardner on March 23rd, 2011. Miss Gardner was a Wycliff Bible translator who had lived in Togo, West Africa, translating the New Testament into the Ife language. She was in Jerusalem for six months learning Hebrew so she could return to Togo and start on the translation of the Old Testament. She was at a bus station when a terrorist's suicide bomb took her life. John Powell left a wife and four young children, and although Mary was never married and had no children, she did have family and friends that were left to mourn her loss.

I was thinking about these two deaths, young Christians in the prime of their lives, zealous for the Lord and actively working for him, and also about the death of J I Packer last week. Jim Packer died at age  ninety three after a fruitful and prolific life for the Lord. The responses to their deaths were so much different. The responses to the deaths of Mary and John were focused on the tragedy of their deaths, while the responses to the death of Jim Packer were focused on his home going and eternal reward. Regardless of the age and the circumstances, there is a sense in which all deaths are tragic; and for every Christian our death is a home going in anticipation of that day when we will receive our eternal reward. Death is certain for us all. The mystery is in the Lord's timing and purpose of our death.

Death itself is the enemy of man and we have been dealing with its awful consequences since Adam and Eve. Death plays no favorites. It brings its suffering to us all. However, those of us who are Christians can look at death from a different perspective, God's perspective; and gain insight and comfort from how He views it, and how He works it for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).  Here are a few ways for a Christian to consider death.

1. We need to understand God's sovereignty over death.

Death is not a random event, as God is sovereign in the timing, circumstance, and purpose of our death. Psalm 103:19 tells us that His throne is established in the heavens and His sovereignty rules over all. God is sovereign over all things, even the timing and circumstances of our death, whether it is young and in the prime of life, or after a long and fruitful life, whether tragic or peaceful. We tend to gloss over God's sovereignty in death; and death, in its timing and circumstance, falls within the bounds of His eternal purpose. The Lord has said this about our time here on earth:  

Psalm 139:16"...And in Your book were all written the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there was not one of them." 

Job 14:5 "Since his days are determined, the number of his months is with You; and his limits You have set so that he cannot pass." 

Ecclesiastes 3:1-2a "There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven--A time to give birth and a time to die." 

So we see that before we were born, our time here on earth was already established.

We also need to consider Ephesians 1:11..".having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will." We need to understand, especially in light of the verses above that God has predestined our time here upon the earth, both its beginning and its end; and this very time is in accordance with His eternal purpose. So birth and death are not random events, but events that happen in the working out of the eternal purpose of God. This is a mystery, but one that we will understand on the day when God reveals all things to us. 

2. We need to look at the death of a Christian from God's perspective.

Psalm 116:15 "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His godly ones (His saints)". Italics mine. 

This word for precious in the Hebrew is yaqar, and it means precious because of its value or its worth.  As saints our death is precious to God because of the price He paid for us in the death of His Son (I Peter 1:18-19). You always know the value or preciousness of an object by what a person is willing to pay for it. God has rescued us from death, through the death of His Son, so that we can spend eternity with Him and He with us (Ephesians 2:4-8, Revelation 21:3-4). Also, our death is precious and valuable to God, because we will be with Him from that moment on throughout eternity. We are no longer separated from Him, but are with Him forever, and our fellowship with Him is fully completed and will be forever unbroken.

3. We need to consider death from the perspective of Christians who have died.

Philippians 1:21,23 "For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better." 

II Corinthians 5:6,8 "Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord...we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord." 

For the Christian death is the door that opens into the arms of Christ; and, for those who belong to Him, He is waiting to receive them to Himself. First of all, what joy it must be for Him to receive into His arms those for whom He died, to receive unto Himself those whom had been given to Him by the Father in eternity past; and to be with them and to receive their joy at their being with Him face to face. Secondly, for the saint, what a joy it will be to be face to face with the One whom we have loved, the One who has walked with us through the ups and downs of life, the One who gave His life for us to ransom us from the dominion of sin and death, and to finally see His face and hear His voice and experience Him fully; for then we shall know fully, just as we have been fully known (I Corinthians 13:12)

Isaiah 57:1-2 "The righteous man perishes, and no man takes it to heart; and devout men are taken away, while no one understands. For the righteous man is taken away from evil, He enters into peace; they rest in their beds, each one who walked in his upright way." 

When I read this verse, the verse about Lot's righteous soul being tormented day after day by the sin around him comes to mind. For the believer, death takes us away from all evil into the peace of righteousness; it takes us from being surrounded by evil on every side to the very presence of righteousness incarnate; it takes us out of this body of flesh, in which sin, filthiness, and wickedness remain, to a state of awaiting our glorified bodies; it takes us from a state of torment because of the overwhelming presence and dominion of sin and its evil and wickedness in this world to a state of bliss and blessedness because of the ubiquitous and all encompassing presence of righteousness. For the saint God turns the horrors of death into a blessing, and it is His way of taking us away from evil to experience it no more. It is the rest from the weariness of fighting against the sin that is in our own lives and the world around us. It liberates us from the oppressive presence of sin, and transports us into the freedom and joy of righteousness.

“Death comes to the ungodly man, as a punishment.

Death comes to the godly man, as a summons to his Father's palace! 

To the lost sinner, death is an execution.

To the saint, death is removal of his sins and infirmities!

Death to the wicked, is the "King of terrors". 

Death to the saint, is the end of terrors and the commencement of glory!" 

Charles Spurgeon

4. There is hope, comfort, and purpose for friends and family.

Since the Lord works all things according to His purpose through the counsel of His will, there is a purpose in the timing and circumstances of death for the surviving family and friends as well. Oh, that we could see it and understand it, but until that time when we know fully, we must rest in Him and His sovereignty. We know the promise in Romans 8:28 that He is able to work all things together for good for those that love Him, who are called according to His purpose. We must take Him up on His promise.

God is compassionate and merciful, and in the time of our distress and pain will provide His comfort to us. We see this in II Corinthians 1:3-5 "Blessed be the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ the Father of mercies and God of all comfort who comforts us in all our afflictions....For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ." In Christ there is a special comfort and generous mercy for those who lose friends and loved ones; and the deeper the wound, the greater the comfort. This is there for those who throw themselves upon Christ, who call upon Him for the comfort that only He can give. He Himself has said that He would never desert us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5), and that He would be a father to the fatherless and a support for the widows (Psalm 68:5, 146:9). 

Finally, in the gospel our hope is anchored. Our hope is a sure and confident expectation that our Christian loved one is in the arms of God, that their death is not a permanent separation, and that God has a purpose not only for the life they lived, but also for the death they died. Their life and death and our trial and suffering are not in vain, but have meaning and a place in the eternal purpose of God.    

Well done, Mary Gardner, John Powell, and Jim Packer, faithful to the end. You have entered into the joy of your Master, you have been received into the bosom of Your Savior. You have entered into the rest from your striving against sin, both yours and the world's. You have entered into the eternal peace of righteousness. Rest well precious saints.

Father, we come to you with a sober joy and a full heart. There are so many times when what we have in our heart and our spirit is unspeakable, and we are thankful that not only do You know all things, but You send Your Spirit to intercede for us with utterings and groanings too deep for words. Thank you for redeeming death for us through the death and resurrection of Your Son, and therefore denying sin and death their victory. Thank You for laying claim on us. Only You could do this, only You would do this. 

O how great a love you have bestowed upon us that we should be called the children of God. Bless Your name forever and ever.  Amen.

How to Finish Well

There have been some events of late that have reminded me of the necessity of finishing well. I believe it is important for us as believers not just to finish, but to finish well. In track they teach you to finish the race and to run all the way through the tape, to continue your stride until you are past the finish line. As Christians, for us to finish well requires that we are still in full stride when we hit the finish line.

I am sure that all of us want to finish well, to be able to say, along with Paul, I have kept the faith and finished the course. I think it is important that on that day we know that we have done all we could for as long as we could, so that there will be no shrinking back at His appearance. Let's look at some key things we can do to finish well.

1. Have the desire to finish well.
Finishing well is not accidental, but intentional. We need to understand that our living our Christian life is not just for the here and now, but also for the life to come. As R.C. Sproul says, "Right now counts forever." Paul was one who finished well. In II Timothy 4:6-7 he shares this with us, "For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith." Paul finished his life in full stride, serving the Lord right up until the end; and not only did Paul understand that it was important, he had the desire to do just that. 

2. Avoid a sense of entitlement.
Paul again demonstrates the proper attitude here as we see his words in Philippians 3:13-14, "Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do; forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." Like Paul, we need to not rest on our spiritual laurels, on what we have done or the years we have served, like somehow that entitles us to coast, or has earned us spiritual  points with the Lord. The Lord also show us how he views our service to Him in Luke 17:7-10 "Which of you, having a slave plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, 'Come immediately and sit down to eat'? "But will he not say to him, 'Prepare something for me to eat and drink; and afterward you may eat and drink'? He does not thank the slave because he did the things which were commanded, does he? So you too, when you do all the things which are commanded you, say, "We are unworthy slaves; we have done only that which we ought to have done.' " Listen, when we have served the Lord, by serving His people and His church, we have done only that which we ought to have done; in other words, the bare minimum. Ephesians 2:10 tells us that God has prepared works beforehand for us to do, so doing those works is only doing what has been laid out for us to do.  Understanding these things should eliminate any sense of entitlement that we have. 

3. Avoid being careless or letting your guard down.
In Luke 22:31 Jesus tells Peter that Satan has demanded permission to sift him like wheat. In I Peter 5:8 Peter reminds us that we have an adversary (someone that is not friendly towards us and seeks to do us harm), and this adversary is Satan and he is prowling about seeking someone to devour. Peter's admonition to us is to be alert, to be on our guard, to be wary and ready. As Paul says in II Corinthians 2:11, we should not be ignorant of his schemes; for, after all, he left our Lord after tempting him the wilderness to seek a more opportune time. Satan is not called the tempter for no reason as he knows the weakness of men, knows just how to tempt us, and knows just when to tempt us. This is why we must pay attention to the admonition of Paul in I Timothy 4:6 to pay attention to our life and our teaching and to persevere in them as this will ensure our salvation. 

4.  Maintain spiritual self-discipline.  

Look at Paul's example as Paul also understood what was required to finish the race well. Listen to him in I Corinthians 9:24-27, "Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself may not be disqualified." Self-control and perseverance are an integral part of our spiritual walk; and we are to apply every effort in putting them into practice, for by doing so we will not stumble.
 
5. Avoid apathy.
Apathy is sneaky and creeping problem as it usually develops slowly, almost imperceptibly. A good example of apathy is found in Revelation 3:15-16. Listen to our Lord as He rebukes these people, "I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth." Apathy always sets in when we quit growing as a Christian, when we start taking our Christianity, our relationship with the Lord, for granted. These people did not intend to grow apathetic, but they did not guard their heart, and they did not continue to grow. In II Peter 1 there is a list of seven spiritual qualities. The exhortation Peter gives here is that we we are to continually apply diligence in order keep these qualities supplied in our faith, and if these qualities are ours and are increasing, then we will continue to be fruitful and useful. There is an old axiom that the minute you quit growing you start dying. Apathy is a slow death, and it renders you useless and unfruitful.

Friends, let us press on together to finish well! Will it involve work until the end? Yes. Will it require self-sacrifice? Yes. Will it take time and thought and care and effort? Yes, of course. But it will be worth it, because the Lord is worth it. After all, it is the Lord Jesus Christ whom we serve. I am reminded of the statement made to Daniel in the book that bears his name. It came toward the end of his life, when he was already an old man and after spending the night in the lions den, the king called out to him in Daniel 6:20, "Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you constantly serve, been able to deliver you from the lions? Here is Daniel, in at least his seventies, not only serving the Lord, but being known for serving the Lord. 

Would that we would finish like a Daniel or a Paul. Let us make that our goal and pray to our Lord for His strength and power to do just that.

Spiritual Fruit

One of the most poignant metaphors to describe the life of a true Christian, and therefore describing a true Christian, is bearing fruit. This metaphor is used by John the Baptist to describe true repentance. This metaphor is also used by Christ throughout his ministry and therefore is used throughout the synoptic gospels. We also see this metaphor used by Christ with His disciples in John 15, in his final discourse only a few hours before His crucifixion.

In the synoptic gospels, Christ tells us this in regard to false teachers, "You shall know them by their fruit." In regards to the difference between professors of Christ and possessors of Christ He says, "Good trees produce good fruit, and bad trees produce bad fruit." In the parable of the four soils, He tells us that only the good soil produces fruit, and that the other three don't. Immediately following we have a parable concerning the kingdom of heaven, in which Christ tells us that there will be tares sown among the wheat by the enemy. What is the difference between a tare and a stalk of wheat?  The wheat produces the fruit of the grain, the tare does not. Later Jesus curses a fig tree because it should be producing figs and is not...it only looks the part. He goes on to tell the Jews, "Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing the fruit of it." See (Matthew 7:15-20; 13:3-8, 18-23, 24-30; 21:19, 41-43), and there are parallel passages in Mark and Luke.

In John 15 Jesus tells His disciples that bearing much fruit proves that they are His disciples and brings glory to God; and that the Father prunes the true believer so that He will bear much fruit. In this chapter He also tells us that it is only those that abide in Him who can bear fruit, and that those who truly abide in Him will bear much fruit.

Of those who do not bear fruit, here is what is said about them: They shall be cut down. They shall be taken away. They shall be gathered together and burned. They are cursed. They are workers of lawlessness (bad fruit, sin). He has never known them. They shall not be part of the kingdom of God.

Wow, pretty telling isn't it?  Christ isn't waffling here when He uses this metaphor. There is no salvation shuffle going on, just plain and to the point, in language that paints a picture that we can understand.  Why? Because salvation is at stake! So there should not be any waffling or shuffling going on when eternal destiny is on the line. Just as Christ does throughout the gospels, He draws a distinct line in the sand so that we can see which side we are standing on. And as blunt as it seems, and is, it is the grace of God to be this direct and this black and white. As I have said many times, "A proper presentation of the gospel should always leave people with the understanding of which side of the fence they are on."

The questions, though, that would be logical here are: Okay, what is spiritual fruit? What does it look like? How would I know it if I saw it, and how do I know if I am producing it?

Fortunately, as is always the case with spiritual questions, the answers are in the Scriptures. Let's take a look at what the Bible tells us about spiritual fruit.

• It is the result of the gospel, and is the obedience of faith.

Colossians 1:5-6 because of the hope laid up for you in heaven, of which you previously heard in the word of truth, the gospel which has come to you, just as in all the world also it is constantly bearing fruit and increasing, even as it has been doing in you also since the day you heard of it and understood the grace of God in truth.

The key here is that the gospel is constantly, consistently, bearing fruit and increasing. And this is taking place in the life of the believer.  Remember the parable of the seeds in Matthew 13. The seeds represented the word of God (the gospel) and when the seeds fell in the good soil they produced fruit...some thirty, some sixty, some one hundred fold. The word of God is the seed from which spiritual fruit is born.

Romans 1:5-6, 13 through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among the Gentiles for His name's sake, among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ...I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that I have planned to come to you (and have been prevented so far) so that I may obtain some fruit among you also, even as among the rest of the Gentiles.

What is this fruit that Paul is wanting to obtain among the church at Rome. It is the obedience of faith.  The basket in which all spiritual fruit is gathered is the obedience of faith. All spiritual fruit is a result of obedience. So when we as believers grieve or quench the Spirit, we are not producing spiritual fruit. Being obedient to the faith is being obedient to the revealed word of God, and out of this obedience comes spiritual fruit. See also (Isaiah 55:10-11; James 1:18,21; Mark 4:26-29)

• It is the fruit of the indwelling Spirit.

Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control...

Notice how each aspect, each facet, of the fruit of the Spirit is an inner quality, a settled disposition of the soul. Each of these facets will manifest themselves in a myriad of ways as we go about our daily lives (See Luke 6:43-45). They stand in sharp contrast to the claims of those who are clamoring to get into heaven in Matthew 7:21-23 "Not everyone who say to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter (remember the obedience of faith). 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.' " It is easy to get caught up in what people "do" for the Lord,  their religious activities, versus being mindful of the fruit they actually manifest. It is the manifestation and working out of what is dwelling within in which we see true spiritual fruit.

• It is the opposite of deeds of the flesh.

We can get a more complete picture of spiritual fruit by knowing what it is not, and obviously what is listed here would be considered bad fruit.

Galatians 5:19-21 Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are:  immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these...(so this is not a complete list). But Paul adds to that list in Ephesians 4. They are: greediness, lusts of deceit, falsehood, stealing, unwholesome words, bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, slander, and malice.

And these verses still do not contain an entire list, but are enough to give us a picture of what bad fruit looks like. And who produces bad fruit? Not the good tree!

• It is born out of the dynamic qualities of faith.

II Peter 2:5-8 Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing , they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

So if these qualities are ours and we are growing in them, maturing in them, then we will be fruitful in our Christian life.  We will be bearing mature fruit, rich fruit, and more fruit; just as a mature tree produces more abundant and richer fruit than a young tree.

• It is good works

Ephesians 2:10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.
Hebrews 13:20-21 Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord, equip (katartizo--to render fit, to fully train, to furnish completely) in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

Colossians 1:9-10 For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.

Remember, in John 15 we learn that our producing much fruit proves we are Christ's disciples, but is also brings glory to God the Father.  So following the logic in the verses above....

1. God has prepared beforehand good works for us to do.
2. He equips us to do these good things that please Him.
3. In these good works, good things, fruit is born...manifested.
4. In the producing of spiritual fruit God is thus glorified.

Follow the trail of good deeds in Titus 1:16, 2:7, 2:14, 3:1 3:5 3:8...to verse 3:14 where we learn "Our people must also learn to engage in good deeds to meet pressing needs, so that they will not be unfruitful." Good deeds, deeds that bear spiritual fruit, are important to God, and they should be important to us. The good deeds talked about in this short epistle to Titus result in the confirmation and adornment of the gospel. They give validity to the gospel, and in many instances pave the way for the gospel.

• It is the fruit of the Light

Ephesians 5:8-9 for you were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light (for the fruit of the Light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth).

Goodness, righteousness, and truth all go together, they walk hand in hand. So when our light is shining before men, our walk (manner of life/way of life) will be characterized by all three. The goodness here is not a passive or meek goodness, but an active goodness, a desire for goodness that compels one to action. It is also the zeal behind righteous indignation. This is the zeal behind Christ driving out the moneychangers, in order to protect the righteousness of His Father's house. It is goodness in action, and it is a prevailing goodness. It is an infectious goodness that influences others around it. This kind of lifestyle is one that brings glory to God, for it is obvious that God is the power, and it will point men to Him.

• It is righteousness

Philippians 1:11 having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.  (See also James 3:18, Hebrews 12:11)

In I John 2:1 our Lord is called Jesus Christ, the Righteous. So the fruit we bear will be righteous as He is righteous. In fact, it is His righteousness that we are producing, not our own. It is the righteousness whose foundation is faith in Christ. Faith in all that He is and all He has done to secure our salvation. In fact, we are most righteous when we are living as Christ would live (Again, referring back to the obedience of faith).

• It is Godly wisdom

James 3:17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy.

Godly wisdom is the mind of Christ (which all true Christian's have) applied to the situations and circumstances of life in the world, and life in the church. It comes from a knowledge of the Scriptures, it comes from prayer, it is the result of knowing Christ, and comes out of a desire to be like Him in all of life.

• It is caring for the brethren

Romans 15:26, 28 For Macedonia and Achaia have been pleased to make a contribution for the poor among the saints in Jerusalem....Therefore, when I have finished this, and have put my seal on this fruit of theirs, I will go on by way of you to Spain.

We also see this in the letter to the Philippians as Paul commends them for their support for him over the years (approximately 11 years); in II Corinthians as well, as Paul talks about fully supplying the needs of the saints.

The Scriptures tell us to do good and be ready to share, and we are to be particularly sensitive to the needs of those within the family of God, our brethren in Christ. This sensitivity to, and desire to provide for the needs of the saints is a particular fruit of the Spirit, and gives testimony to the world of God's love and care for His own.

• It is the outworking of the three core components of the Christian life

I Corinthians 13:13 But faith, hope, and love, abide these three....

We should see these three distinctives manifested in not only the lives of the individuals, but also in the life of each church. If you look at the letters to the churches in Revelation, they are commended for their manifestation of these distinctives or rebuked for their lack of them. Also, the church at Thessalonica was commended for their work of faith, their labor of love, and the steadfastness of their hope; and for the church at Colossae; the object of their faith was Jesus Christ, their love was directed towards all the saints, and their hope was laid up in heaven.

Again, as the people go, so goes the church. So each church will manifest fruit in relation to the fruit produced by its people; and to the extent that faith, hope, and love are manifested in the lives of its members, they will be manifested in the life in that church.  This is what makes the churches at Thessalonica and Colossae stand out. So the question for all of us is how much of faith, hope, and love do we bring to our church?

• It is the result of our conduct

Hebrews 13:7 Remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you, and considering the result of their conduct (the outcome of their way of life), imitate their faith.

Remember, Jesus said we shall know them by their fruit, or, in other words, you personally will be known by your fruit. You know, you really do live what you believe. Therefore your life will bear out what is actually on the inside. God has constructed life in such a way that our fruit is made known/evident through what life brings about. We see this fruit, not only in the behavior itself, but also in its consequences. This is true for all of us whether a believer or a non-believer, but is particularly crucial for leaders in the church. We should be able to see spiritual fruit in the lives those who are spiritual leaders. Again, it is not about talking a good game, but it is about the totality of our life.

• It is the life of Christ lived out in us

Romans 8:29 For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren.
Galatians 4:19 My children, with whom I am again in labor until Christ is formed in you--
Philippians 1:6 For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.
Colossians 1:28 We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ.

Since Christ is the vine from which the branches draw their life and sustenance, it is His life that will be reproduced in and through the branch. It is Christ who is our life, and therefore His life is being lived out through us. The essence of Christianity is not becoming a better person, but becoming more and more like Christ. He lived the life that we were supposed to live, but could not; and now lives that life out through each and every one who is truly a Christian.

So when we bear fruit, that fruit is a manifestation of Christ, His character and His attributes. This gives a richer meaning to the term Christlike. As we mature, as we grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior, we will become more like Him; and in becoming more like Him we will not only produce more fruit, but the fruit we produce will be richer and sweeter and more luxurious. It will be pleasing to the eye, flavorful to the taste, and give off an aromatic smell. It will be a delight and appealing to the spiritual senses of those who are true Christians, but will be the odor of death, and therefore offensive, to those who are not.

Our bearing fruit, and much of it, will prove that we are true disciples; and in the proving to be true disciples, God will be glorified. So, let us focus on becoming more like Christ, for in doing so we will bear much rich fruit, our Father and God will be glorified, and we will have truly done something on this earth that is not only worthwhile, but will count for eternity.