December, 2009
Your desire shall be for your husband, so the Bible records for us in Genesis 3:16.
These words are a part of the curse that God spoke over the woman as a penalty for her disobedience to God’s command.
The man and his wife had been warned: do not eat from this one tree, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. For, God said, in the same day, in the same hour, in the same moment that you eat of it, you shall die.
They did transgress and the consequences were immediate and terminal, they died, that is to say, their vital connection with the Source of their life, the Lord God their creator was forever severed.
Their physical existence would continue on for some time to come, but the sparkle was gone, from here on life would be little more than bare existence, it would bring trouble, discord and struggle.
Spiritual darkness descended on them and from that time on humanity would be shut up in this darkness.
Light and Life were lost due to disobedience, but humanity keeps frantically looking for it, because they know it (that Life) has got to be somewhere.
But where?
The tragedy of humanity is that they look and grope around in this thick darkness for something that is not even there, for death is absence of Life by definition.
Gen. 3:16 : “And to the woman God said: I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception, in sorrow you shall bring forth children, and your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you”.
Here we see that “….your desire shall be for your husband…” is part of the curse that God spoke over the woman.
In our meditation on this phrase we need to keep this foremost in mind, that the woman’s desire spoken of in this verse is not a blessing, but a part of the curse because of sin.
The question is: what would the woman desire from her husband? What would she be looking for in her husband?
I would submit, that her husband is looking for the same thing, not in his wife, but in other places, for instance, in his achievements.
So, what are they looking for?
The same what their descendants have looked for and are still looking for.
When any of us loose something of great value, we start looking for it to find it back. The greater the value of the loss, the more effort we put into finding it back.
By their disobedience Adam and his wife Eve lost Life, the Life of the Spirit within them, the lights had gone out, they were now cut off from the Source of light and life, the Lord God himself.
And yes, the Lord God did promise immediately that the day would come that Light and Life would return to this darkness in a day yet far in the future.
This Light and Life of the Spirit expressed itself in the garden in giving man a real sense of love, acceptance, value, peace, security, happiness, to name a few of the attributes of real Life.
But for now, man was left to his own resources to cope with life after loosing the real thing. And the search began for an acceptable substitute, something that would satisfy the longing for the real thing.
And where would the woman look for the substitute of the Life lost?
I would submit that she desired this Life from her husband, that he would give her what she was looking for: love, acceptance, value, security, etc., in short, the Life that is in the Spirit.
And she found that he could not give her much of anything and often it was conditional, you look after me and in return I will look after you.
The problem was that he, the husband no longer possessed this Life of the Spirit either and what you do not posses, you cannot share.
Besides, he was so busy trying to find these same values in his occupation, tending his crops, struggling to keep weeds and thistles under control.
He wanted so much to impress his wife with the results of his efforts, but the thistles were constantly opposing him.
What was he looking for? We know that already: love, acceptance, value, etc.
Exactly what his wife was looking for from him.
“…… Your desire shall be for your husband…….”.
Adam and Eve, our earliest ancestors and all their descendants after them have been looking for this Life that was lost on that fateful day when the fruit looked good and their appetite for it caused their downfall.
And humanity is still looking for this Life, looking for it in all the wrong places.
Man is looking for this Life everywhere, they call it something like the meaning of life, satisfaction, self-esteem, fulfillment, happiness and a number of other things.
But regardless of the term used, Life cannot be found in wealth, reputation, profession, family, or any other effort that man might engage in.
As God promised, Light and Life would one day return to this sin-darkened world in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ.
And that will be the subject of the next issue of Reflections.
St. Thomas, Dec./’09. Simon VanderKooy.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
CHRISTMAS 2009
CHRISTMAS 2009.
At this time of year we again celebrate the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
He who himself is God, who humbled himself and was made in the likeness of man, Phil.2: 7.
John 1:4, 5 : “In him was life; and that life was the light of men.
And the light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not comprehend
what it was that came to them, (free translation).
It is only by a work of the Holy Spirit in any one of us that we will begin (with emphasis on “begin”) to understand what this light of life is about.
“In him was (and is) life”.
Interesting that this message does not say: “In him was forgiveness of sin”.
Most of us believe that we need forgiveness of sin to enter heaven when we die.
The gospel of John, chapter 1: 1 – 18 speaks of “The Word of God who became like one of us, took on a human body and came to live among us”.
Why? For what reason?
Sins and forgiveness is not mentioned in this passage of Scripture at all.
What is mentioned is Light and Life and Grace and Truth.
And as many as received him, (Jesus) gave he (God) the privilege to become sons of God, born of him, not of the flesh or human will, but born of God.
Those who are born of God (born of the Spirit, John 3:5), have the Life of the Spirit.
The same Life that was lost when man first sinned in the garden of Eden.
This is the reason why Jesus came into the world, to bring Life where there was only death, death in sin and condemnation.
To bring Light where only darkness existed.
To restore relationship between God and the people he created.
Christmas must lead to Golgotha where the death of Jesus on the cross and his subsequent resurrection secured eternal Life for all those of us who received him.
And yes, the cross also dealt with the sin question, once for all.
The Life of the Spirit mentioned earlier, what does it look like?
Being born again, raised with Jesus to newness of life, (Rom.6: 4), what is that resurrection life, that Life in the Spirit, what is it like in daily experience?
Some random observations:
Resurrection Life is a present reality available for every believer, to experience it on a daily basis is dependent on what the child of God chooses to do, trust Father and his Word explicitly, or trust his/her own intelligence and ability more.
Resurrection Life flows from believing that I am joined spiritually to the Source of Life – God himself.
Resurrection Life flows from believing what God says, period.
Resurrection Life, this new Life is embodied in a Person, his name is Jesus Christ.
Resurrection Life is to know that in Jesus I am loved and accepted and that I have value.
Resurrection Life is to experience living by and out of the Father’s provision.
Resurrection Life is to know and to trust that victory over sin and self cannot be achieved, it can only be received from his Father hand, it is there for the asking.
Resurrection Life is living by and out of God’s grace, there are no pre-conditions except that I choose to accept his grace, after that there are no expectations to live up to or duties that I must fulfill.
Resurrection Life is like soaring on eagle’s wings above my circumstances, for I know and may trust that all these circumstances work for my good.
Resurrection Life is to rejoice in the assurance that I am in my Father’s presence all the time and that without fear. Or that he will never leave me or abandon me.
Resurrection Life is knowing and trusting that the evil One cannot touch me, my Father who rescued me, will always be my Shield and Protector.
Resurrection Life is to know and trust that it is God who sanctifies himself in me.
Resurrection Life is to have no expectations about life in heaven, except being in the physical presence of Jesus, the One who loves me and gave his life to make me his bride.
Father has planned a wedding day when his Son shall be joined to his bride, Halleluiah!
Resurrection Life is being dead, dead to the law of sin and dead to the world and alive to Jesus Christ who is my Life.
Resurrection Life is the freedom of knowing that in the day of judgment nothing will be laid to my charge, for the penalty for all my sin and sinfulness has been paid in full in my Lord Jesus Christ.
Resurrection Life is also the freedom of knowing that in that day there will be nothing to receive credit for, for there is not any good that I could have done except it had been done through Jesus Christ who is my Strength (my Life).
This Resurrection Life is characterized by peace, His peace, for He is our peace. Peace about hurts and guilt for sins in days gone by, peace in he challenges of today and peace for the uncertainties of tomorrow. Peace that is beyond human understanding or explanation.
This resurrection Life is beyond our comprehension, we can observe it in others, or experience its effect in our own life, but we cannot rationally explain it.
It remains a mystery, even to us to whom God has revealed the riches and the glory of this mystery, the mystery of “Christ in us, our hope (sure expectation) of glory”.
St.Thomas, Dec./’09. Simon VanderKooy.
At this time of year we again celebrate the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
He who himself is God, who humbled himself and was made in the likeness of man, Phil.2: 7.
John 1:4, 5 : “In him was life; and that life was the light of men.
And the light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not comprehend
what it was that came to them, (free translation).
It is only by a work of the Holy Spirit in any one of us that we will begin (with emphasis on “begin”) to understand what this light of life is about.
“In him was (and is) life”.
Interesting that this message does not say: “In him was forgiveness of sin”.
Most of us believe that we need forgiveness of sin to enter heaven when we die.
The gospel of John, chapter 1: 1 – 18 speaks of “The Word of God who became like one of us, took on a human body and came to live among us”.
Why? For what reason?
Sins and forgiveness is not mentioned in this passage of Scripture at all.
What is mentioned is Light and Life and Grace and Truth.
And as many as received him, (Jesus) gave he (God) the privilege to become sons of God, born of him, not of the flesh or human will, but born of God.
Those who are born of God (born of the Spirit, John 3:5), have the Life of the Spirit.
The same Life that was lost when man first sinned in the garden of Eden.
This is the reason why Jesus came into the world, to bring Life where there was only death, death in sin and condemnation.
To bring Light where only darkness existed.
To restore relationship between God and the people he created.
Christmas must lead to Golgotha where the death of Jesus on the cross and his subsequent resurrection secured eternal Life for all those of us who received him.
And yes, the cross also dealt with the sin question, once for all.
The Life of the Spirit mentioned earlier, what does it look like?
Being born again, raised with Jesus to newness of life, (Rom.6: 4), what is that resurrection life, that Life in the Spirit, what is it like in daily experience?
Some random observations:
Resurrection Life is a present reality available for every believer, to experience it on a daily basis is dependent on what the child of God chooses to do, trust Father and his Word explicitly, or trust his/her own intelligence and ability more.
Resurrection Life flows from believing that I am joined spiritually to the Source of Life – God himself.
Resurrection Life flows from believing what God says, period.
Resurrection Life, this new Life is embodied in a Person, his name is Jesus Christ.
Resurrection Life is to know that in Jesus I am loved and accepted and that I have value.
Resurrection Life is to experience living by and out of the Father’s provision.
Resurrection Life is to know and to trust that victory over sin and self cannot be achieved, it can only be received from his Father hand, it is there for the asking.
Resurrection Life is living by and out of God’s grace, there are no pre-conditions except that I choose to accept his grace, after that there are no expectations to live up to or duties that I must fulfill.
Resurrection Life is like soaring on eagle’s wings above my circumstances, for I know and may trust that all these circumstances work for my good.
Resurrection Life is to rejoice in the assurance that I am in my Father’s presence all the time and that without fear. Or that he will never leave me or abandon me.
Resurrection Life is knowing and trusting that the evil One cannot touch me, my Father who rescued me, will always be my Shield and Protector.
Resurrection Life is to know and trust that it is God who sanctifies himself in me.
Resurrection Life is to have no expectations about life in heaven, except being in the physical presence of Jesus, the One who loves me and gave his life to make me his bride.
Father has planned a wedding day when his Son shall be joined to his bride, Halleluiah!
Resurrection Life is being dead, dead to the law of sin and dead to the world and alive to Jesus Christ who is my Life.
Resurrection Life is the freedom of knowing that in the day of judgment nothing will be laid to my charge, for the penalty for all my sin and sinfulness has been paid in full in my Lord Jesus Christ.
Resurrection Life is also the freedom of knowing that in that day there will be nothing to receive credit for, for there is not any good that I could have done except it had been done through Jesus Christ who is my Strength (my Life).
This Resurrection Life is characterized by peace, His peace, for He is our peace. Peace about hurts and guilt for sins in days gone by, peace in he challenges of today and peace for the uncertainties of tomorrow. Peace that is beyond human understanding or explanation.
This resurrection Life is beyond our comprehension, we can observe it in others, or experience its effect in our own life, but we cannot rationally explain it.
It remains a mystery, even to us to whom God has revealed the riches and the glory of this mystery, the mystery of “Christ in us, our hope (sure expectation) of glory”.
St.Thomas, Dec./’09. Simon VanderKooy.
SPIRITUAL WARFARE II, or LIVING VICTORIOUSLY
November, 2009
Ephesians 6:10-12. Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. (NIV).
Finally my brethren, be strong in the Lord and the power of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you might be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of this dark world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. (KJV).
First, a couple of observations. The NIV Bible translation speaks of the “schemes” of the devil.
“Scheme” is defined in the dictionary as “a carefully arranged and systematic plan”.
The KJV Bible uses the word “wiles”, a clever trick or words intended to lure or deceive.
( I believe that the word “wiles” is more consistent with the overall tense of Scripture.)
II Chronicles 20:15 says that the battle is not ours, but the Lord’s and I Cor. 15:57 says this: Thanks be to God who GIVES us the victory THROUGH our Lord Jesus Christ.
Or in Isaiah 30:15, “For thus says the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel: In returning and rest shall you be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength…..”.
All this clearly indicates that Jesus the Lord is the one who fights our battles and he would have us receive victory, rather than that we would achieve victory by our efforts.
Which brings us to the all important question: “Would we, God’s children allow him to actually fight our battles and rest in his almighty ability”?
First, we will attempt to define the enemy from this Scripture passage, then define our spiritual armor and then how to use this armor in order to “receive” the victory.
The “enemy”, principalities, powers and rulers of this dark world are generally believed to be demonic forces controlled by the devil.
Few of us have met and wrestled with demonic entities in the heavenly realms, so let us in this study focus on powers and rulers of this dark world.
Anyone who has been faced with depression, covert or overt rejection, un-forgiveness, anger, insecurity, the hurts of loosing a parent or child or spouse through death, the lasting effects of having been abused as a child, marriage or business failure, (to name a few), knows that these emotional wounds are powers and rulers in our lives that many sincere believers desperately wish to be free from, but they do not know how.
It is true that time heals many wounds, we also know that time makes other wounds worse. The cycle of un-forgiveness leads to being delivered to tormentors, according to Matt.18:34.
We must recognize that these wounds are the result of sin, sometimes our own sins, sometimes the sins of others who have victimized us and sometimes just living in a sin-scarred world. Whatever the origin of these rulers , it is all the result of sin.
Eph.6:13 “…..therefore, put on the full armor of God, so that, when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand, (take it, without being overwhelmed).
The day of evil: those days when we tend to be overwhelmed by our hurts, guilt feelings, bitterness, sense of loss, etc.
Therefore, this passage tells us, be prepared for those days by being clothed with the full armor of God all the time, preparedness is not a part-time occupation.
Preparation takes place during the times when all is well. It is too late to buy fire insurance when the house is going up in flames.
Our armor consists of the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, shoes of the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit.
Everything taken from the metaphor of a Roman soldier’s armor.
It is a metaphor, nothing more, a figure of speech.
What then, is the real message?
Jesus said in John 14:6 “ I am the Way, the TRUTH and the Life”. I Cor. 1:30 “…..But of Him (God) are you in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom and RIGHTEOUSNESS and sanctification”.
Or Gal.2:20..”…..it is no longer I that live, but Christ, who lives in me…..”.
Our spiritual armor is a PERSON, his name is JESUS.
That is that way because He is our LIFE, He is our TRUTH, He is our RIGHTEOUSNESS, He is our PEACE (Eph.2:14) , He is our SHIELD (Ps.3:3), He is the Author and Finisher of our faith (Hebr.12:2), He is our salvation and also our SWORD of the Spirit (Hebr.4:12).
And the way to “put on” our spiritual armor is to be conciously aware at all times, even moment by moment that Jesus is all of these attributes in each one of us at all times.
The term “spiritual warfare”, as it is mostly understood, focuses on sin and the devil.
The Word of God teaches us to keep our eyes focussed on Jesus at ALL times.
There was a time when the apostle Peter was actually walking on water, when suddenly he became aware of his circumstances and in so doing he took his eyes off Jesus.
And at that moment he began to sink, which caused him to re-focus his attention almost instantly to where it should have remained in the first place: on Jesus.
Christians have a tendency to adopt the “whiles” of the devil by letting circumstances overwhelm them, take their eyes off Jesus and “take charge” of the situation.
The schemes or the wiles of the devil that our human nature (flesh) would adopt and use against ourselves is to doubt that Jesus is really trustworthy in every circumstance.
Eph. 6:12 also says that we wrestle against spiritual wickedness in high (or heavenly) places. Wickedness is sinfulness, or more specific when a believer is living after the flesh. When a believer is trusting in his own wisdom, craftiness and ability to live his (or her) life as a Christian.
And even though believers are spiritually seated with Christ in heavenly (high) places, such behavior will have a profound effect on their fellowship with Jesus when they prefer to try to live this life from the basis of their own resources and abilities, rather than trusting Jesus to live this life through them.
We believers constantly wrestle with self and it’s propensity to do our own thing, do what we think works best and we will make it work, somehow.
That, I believe is spiritual wickedness in high or heavenly places.
Eph. 2:6 says that God’s children are seated with him in heavenly places.
Consider Hebr. 12:2, Looking unto Jesus, who is not only the Authort and the Finisher of our faith, he is our very life and the source of living a life that pleases God.
“Being strong in the Lord and the power of his might” and not be trusting in our own abilities for being obedient.
A Christian displayes great wisdom when he/she gives up on themselves and admit to their Father in heaven that they are a failure at trying to please him and would he take over from this day on and cause them to live the Christian life by his supreme ability.
Becoming strong in trusting the Lord and depending on his ability.
Phil 2:13, “For it is God who works in you to will and to do of his good pleasure”.
Again the question: “Are we willing to let him take over?”
Do we trust him sufficiently?
And how do we find healing for the wounds we mentioned earlier?
Sadly, churches usually refer hurting Christians to professionals who seldom deal with the root problem which is sin.
And Jesus is God’s answer for sin and sinfulness.
When Jesus says: “Seek and you will find, ask and it shall be done unto you”, He is always referring to the abundant life that He promises in John 10:10.
When we ask our Father to give us spiritual and emotional healing of wounds, it also means that we surrender, yes, abandon ourselves to his mercy.
Something like: “Lord do with me whatever you desire and let me find grace to accept my circumstances”.
He may also ask from us a willingness to forgive others. Willingness is a necessary choice, but that is all He will ask. The rest He will do in us.
Believing is trusting, trusting in Father’s supreme willingness and ability to do as we ask.
And the day will come when the memory of the hurt will come back to us, like untold other times, but the pain of it will not be there any more.
That is what it means to be strong in the Lord and His mighty power, vs.10.
Always being aware of Phil. 1: 6 “Being confident of this very thing that he that began a good work in you, will perform (or complete) it until the day of Jesus Christ.
That is the day when we shall see him face to face, when our faith turns to reality.
What a day of rejoycing that will be!!
St.Thomas, Dec.2007.
Revied November 2009. Simon VanderKooy.
SPIRITUAL WARFARE I.
December, 2007
This is a subject that seems to become more popular all the time. The “why and how to” do it most effectively is the subject of many books.
But when all is said and done, is it really all that spiritual, or is it just an other exercise of the flesh?
And that is what we wish to explore in this article.
The basis for this spiritual warfare is in various forms the premise that God and Satan are engaged in a battle for supremacy in this world and in the life of believers.
We Christians know that this battle was already won at Calvary where Jesus suffered and died for our salvation.
But as long as Satan is alive and well the battle rages on.
It has also been said that Satan didn’t “get” the message (of Calvary) yet.
And since we Christians are on God’s side, it would be expected of us that we do everything in our power to oppose Satan’s designs and purposes and help to bring the message of his defeat home to him.
How this warfare is properly and effectively conducted is still subject to various discussions.
However, it is safe to say that these efforts are solely directed at Satan, the god of this world and his helpers, called evil spirits or demons.
All of which begs the question: Can all this be Scripturally substantiated?
And that is where I have serious doubts.
Therefore let us explore that aspect of this very contemporary subject.
First we see in Hebr.2:14 these words: “….so that by His (Jesus’) death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is the devil”.
Then in I John 3:8 “….The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work”.
It would be very rash to say that the devil no longer exists, but generally speaking, Christians ascribe far to much power and authority to him.
When the Lord Jesus was hanging on the cross, He uttered these words: “It is finished”.
Far be it from us to even think that when Jesus said these words, he had only won a battle in the cosmic struggle between good and evil in this world and that the “war” is still to be won.
When Jesus cried out “It is finished”, it was FINISHED!
When Jas.4:7 tells believers to : “Submit yourselves then to God, resist the devil and he will flee from you”, we take that as our marching orders for battle, for binding Satan when we do not want him to attend our meetings, rebuking him, etc.
And then, when we enjoyed a really good meeting, we claim credit for keeping the devil out of it.
And all the while we have overlooked the first part of this verse: “Submit yourselves then to God….” and fail to grasp that our submission to God is equal to resisting the devil.
And, who is able to tell that Satan would respect our orders of binding and rebuking?
Col.3:1 and 2 : “Since then, you have been raised with Christ, set your heart on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.
Jesus says in Matt. 28:18 “All power and authority has been given unto me in heaven and on earth”.
He has promised to be always with us, even to the end of the age.
We may also always trust him to exercise that authority to protect our meetings if we will only submit to Him.
And that certainly does not just apply to meetings.
II Peter 5:8 says this: “Be self-controlled and alert, your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour”.
So…? It is certainly not that he sneaks up on us! He is a corralled lion to us and when you come to close to that corral you might get hurt!
When we submit ourselves to God, set our minds on heavenly things, then when we hear the roar of the old lion in the coral, we won’t even need to pay attention to it.
Eph.6:10-12.
This is really the place where we derive the term “spiritual warfare” from.
This aspect of spiritual warfare is a subject that we will discus in a following article.
When Jesus in Matt. 16:19 says: “I give unto you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and what you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven”, Jesus did not at all specify that this pertained to the devil or evil spirits.
The same principle applies to the subject of binding and loosing spoken of in Matt.18:18.
It gets even worse when leaders display the audacity to “loosen” the Holy Spirit to allow Him to do His work in a given situation.
Matt.12:29 speaks of binding the strongman before one could enter his house.
Let not any one of us make ourselves any illusions about being able to do such a thing, at any time it would be a serious underestimation of our own spiritual weakness.
Jesus was at the time referring to Satan and Jesus was the One who bound that strongman, entered his “house” and spoiled it, I John 3:8.
It is with good reason that Jesus taught us to pray in Matt.6:13 ….And deliver us from the evil one….
Our aggressive binding, rebuking, resisting, shouting and the likes of that can be likened to a little boy on his father’s hand screaming at an intruder to get out of their house.
When Jesus teaches us to pray like this, it also implies that the Father is to deliver us from the evil one and that our assistance is not required.
Is there a place for believers to rebuke evil spirits?
Yes, but it will be the exception, rather than the rule.
I Kings chapter 18 gives us a good picture of spiritual warfare.
450 priests did all kinds of things for a whole day to get the attention of the god of their world, Baal. All to no avail.
Then the prophet Elijah prayed one short prayer to the God of Heaven, he did not rebuke Satan or bound him or any such thing, Elijah’s focus was solely on his God. And God’s response was swift and dramatic.
Two Scripture verses are emphatic about not using the name of Satan or addressing him.
One is in Exodus 23:13 “….Do not invoke the name of other gods, do not let them be heard on your lips”.
The other is in Jude 9. : “But even the archangel Michael…..did not dare bring a slanderous accusation against him, (Satan), but said: The Lord rebuke you”.
These verses should be sufficient to make us understand to leave Satan alone. Believers are not in his jurisdiction and the Bible is quite clear as to where the focus of believers ought to be, on the Lord Jesus Christ.
Is there a place for spiritual warfare in a believer’s life?
The answer is yes, but the nature of this warfare may be a surprise to some.
That will be the subject of the next Reflection issue.
St. Thomas, Dec. 2007.
WALKING IN THE SPIRIT.
September, 2009
Gal. 5 : 16.
Walk (live) in the Spirit and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.
Traditionally, believers have placed the emphasis on the second half of this verse, something like this: “Thou shalt not fulfill the lust of the flesh”.
Avoid disobedience, be careful to keep all God’s commandments,(and often some man-made ones as well).
The problem has been and still is, that we become so pre-occupied with being obedient and keeping commandments and avoiding fleshly lusts, that walking in the Spirit ends up on the backburner of our daily lives.
The irony of it all is that our avoiding to live a sinful life is not the same as walking in the Spirit.
The truth of the matter is that when we focus on the second half of this directive of Scripture, our minds are focussed on the sin to be avoided and my own ability (or inability) to do the avoiding.
Just the opposite of what walking in the Spirit is all about.
And we are just not aware that when we concentrate on “Walking in the Spirit”, then avoiding walking in the flesh is really not such a problem, because we can set our mind on only one thing at the time.
We know by experience what it means to fulfill the lust of the flesh, that is no mystery. Even though I wonder if we really grasp the full extend of that reality.
Walking in the Spirit is often a different matter.
Most Christians seem to believe that walking in the Spirit is to love God, keep all his commandments, daily ask for forgiveness of all sins, love your neighbor and be witnesses for the cause of Christ, among many others.
Trying to do all that, and trying to do all that in a God pleasing way is a recipe for constant failure, frustration, guilt and misery.
Not at all how God would desire for us to live our Christian life.
I would like to suggest that walking in the Spirit is a constant, moment by moment awareness of certain truths about God and his relationship to his children as revealed in the Scriptures.(1)
Much like the awareness of some other truths about ourselves, like the identity of our parents, spouses, children, home address, etc.
Then, what would be those Scriptural truths or realities?
First, that Jesus’ blood was shed for a COMPLETE remission of ALL my sins, past, present and future.(2)
Secondly, that when Jesus died, I died with him and that through his death and resurrection I received a new eternal life.(3)
That my heavenly Father is my provider, regardless of my circumstances.(4)
That He is the Source of my provision, it is not found in a secure source of income.
That God loves me and accepts me regardless of my behavior,(5) unconditionally, just as I am, without one plea…….
That, being in Jesus, God regards me as a righteous person.(6)
Walking in the Spirit……believing God when his Word declares that it is God who works in me to will and to do of his good pleasure.(7)
That only IN him I live and move and have my very being.(8)
Walking in the Spirit…….
Believing constantly, by an act of my will, that when Jesus uttered the words: “It is finished”, everything was accomplished to secure my salvation. That I need add nothing to it. And since I am saved by grace and grace alone, God imposes no further requirements.(9)
It is accepting as a present reality that God began a good work in me and that he will complete it until the day of the Lord Jesus Christ.(10)
That God made me complete in Jesus: completely forgiven, completely holy, completely righteous, completely justified, completely whole, completely accepted, completely lovely.(11)
When I am constantly aware of these truths, then the temptations of the lust of the flesh fade away.
When the eternal things, the things that are not seen are on the front burner, then the things of this world, the things that are seen, with all their enticements and fascination will not be attractive to me any more. That is because the Holy Spirit will give witness to my spirit that these worldly things are now incompatible with my new nature, which is in Christ Jesus.
Walking (living) in the Spirit……. It is to let go and let God.
Let go of our own ways and let God establish his ways in me.(12)
It is a new way of living, it is a new life devine…….
Have thine own way Lord,
Hold over my being, absolute sway.
St.Thomas, Sept./’09. Simon VanderKooy.
Scripture references:
(1.) Col.3:1, 2, Prov.3:1-8, Matt.6:33. (2.) Col.2:13, 14. (3.) Gal.2:20, Rom.6:3, Col.2:12. (4.) Ps.23:1, Phil.4:19. (5.) Eph.1:6, Rom.15:7. (6.) II Cor.5:21, Phil.3:9. (7.) Phil.2:13, I Cor.1:8, Jude 24. (8.) Acts 17:28, I Cor.1:30. (9.) Ps.23. (10.) Phil.1:6, Eph.3:14-21. (11.) Col.2:10, John 1:16. (12.) Hebr.13:20, 21, II Thess.3:3, I Thess.5:24, I Cor.1:8, 9.
PUTTING ON THE NEW MAN.
May, 2007
……….I will lay down my life for your sake…….John 13 : 37.
I will…….., I pledge………, You can count on me…….., I commit myself…….
I shall be true to you till death do us part…….
How many pledges have been made with the best of intentions?
And how many pledges have we been able to live up to?
Peter must have meant it sincerely, when he pledged to lay down his life for Jesus. That’s the kind of man he was, impulsive, but true.
Jesus quickly pricked that balloon of self-confidence.
Jesus must have loved his loyalty and idealism, but he also knew it was rooted in the wrong soil. The soil of confidence in self, the soil of what the Bible calls flesh.
What is born of the flesh is flesh, what is born of the Spirit is spirit, John 3:6.
Jesus said something like: “Peter I love you, but you know what? Before this very night turns into day, you will have denied your association with me three times”.
Peter was to find out that night the unreliability of what the Bible calls flesh.
Intentions, plans and decisions that have their origin in the human brain, rather than the counsel of the Spirit of God.
Yes, it is in Him (God) that believers live and move and have their being, Acts 17:28.
But God allows his people the choice to live after the Spirit or after the flesh,
Rom.8:5, 6 (KJV).
Being transformed by the renewing of the mind, seeks to end living after the flesh and more and more live after the Spirit, Rom.12:2.
Many a well intentioned church program is born of the flesh, rather than Spirit. Usually there is dissention, strife and frustration in such programs. And those programs have a way of petering out.
Any decision or program that calls for haste is always suspect as being not of God.
In the night of denial Peter came face to face with himself. The Bible says that after the deed was done, Jesus turned and looked at Peter and instantly Peter knew what a dismal failure he really was.
When he realized what he had done, he went outside and wept bitterly. Everything had come to an inglorious end. Judas betrayed Jesus into the hands of the authorities and worst of all he himself had proven to be a most unreliable friend.
There was nothing left but to take up his former profession, he returned to the fishing boats, John 21:3.
Did any of the other disciples go through a similar experience? We do not know.
Except we do know that the apostle Paul on the road to Damascus was forcefully confronted with the fact that his zeal for his God was born of the flesh.
The younger son in Luke 15:12 came face to face with being a failure when he was tending the pigs and decided to return to his father.
There is always a way back to the Father, for the younger son, for Peter and also for Paul.
Blessed are the believers who are so confronted with their being a failure. Not so much as having failed in a certain endeavor, but being a failure.
And for today’s believer there is also always a way back to the Father.
As a matter of fact, the Father was in all of whatever befell us from the beginning with the purpose to form in us the character of Jesus.
It is the Father himself who allows us, His children to wander far from Him into the realm of the flesh, with the inheritance of His life, eternal life in our possession.
Only those believers who recognize and admit their failure to even begin to meet God’s standard of living the Christian life, will return in repentance to the Father.
The majority are so busy struggling on in that mess, that confronting themselves does not even occur to them.
Any effort of service we do for God in expectation of reward is born of flesh.
Any effort of obedience to gain God’s favor is born of flesh.
Any effort at self-improvement is born of flesh.
Any effort of obedience for the sake of obedience is born of flesh.
Any effort that requires God’s help is born of the flesh.
A harsh diagnosis? Absolutely, but just the same, no less true.
Only those activities that are born of the Spirit have lasting value.
So, where do we begin when we conclude: “There must be a better way?”
A good beginning would be to pray Ps. 139: 23, 24.
“Search me O God and know my heart, try me and know my thoughts; and see if there be any wicked (fleshly) way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting”.
Tell God that we give Him liberty to do with us and to us whatever it takes to conform us to the image of His Son Jesus Christ.
It also means that all the accumulated knowledge about living the Christian life is up for serious review, except the very foundation doctrines, such as who God is, who Jesus is and who the Holy Spirit is.
Those of us who come face to face with our own total failure to live the Christian life and cast themselves upon God’s mercy will find a Father waiting with open arms to receive us. He will not even mention to remind us of the futility of our former wanderings in a far away country. He will only rejoice because of a sheep that was lost and now is found.
And how do we go from here? Do not worry, rest in Him, He will guide, He will direct and bring to pass what is needed.
When all this happens, then this prophesy has come to pass:
“Therefore the redeemed of the Lord shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their head. They shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and mourning shall flee away.
I, even I am He that comforts you”. Is.51:11, 12.
St.Thomas. May/2007. Simon VanderKooy.
The Abundant Life Testimony of Luis Palau
By Luis Palau
July 23, 2009
July 23, 2009
Since 1966 God has given me the privilege of traveling the world and sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ with hundreds of thousands of people. I have been thrilled to see people of all nationalities come into relationship with Jesus Christ and experience new life in Him.
But all this almost didn't happen. As a young man in Argentina, I was zealous for the Lord and His work. My friends and I spent nights in fasting and prayer and preached on street corners every chance we got. Yet few people responded to our message and we became tired and discouraged. Some of my friends dropped out of our all night prayer meetings. Others stopped going to church altogether. I hung in there--barely, but we all shared a sense of despair. "We've read the Bible, prayed all night and witnessed for Christ, but we still can't say 'no' to certain temptations. Either the Gospel doesn't work, or I'm such a sinner that God can't help me."
With that kind of thinking, how could I have gone on to serve the Lord with joy and excitement as I have done the past few decades? It is only because, God, in His grace, heard my cry and showed me the very truths that Dr. Charles Solomon presents in his book, Handbook to Happiness.
As Dr. Solomon so clearly presents, I first had to come to the very end of myself. I had gone to the United States to study at Multnomah Biblical Seminary. The school was very rigorous and demanding, but that wasn't the source of my troubles. I was still struggling to find more fruit in my personal spiritual life. I was frustrated in not being able to live out the lifestyle I saw in the godly men and women around me.
If I were to describe myself in those days, I would have to say that I was envious, jealous, preoccupied, self-centered, and ambitious to a wrong degree. I was smug about other speakers. That left me feeling mean and ugly and petty. No amount of wrestling with myself would rid me of those sins. And yet I tried. I felt despicable; l hated the idea of being a hypocrite. I wanted so desperately to be the person people thought I was.
In the midst of all this turmoil, one of my professors, Dr. George Kehoe, began each class with ... Galatians 2:20. Each morning he would quote: "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me " I found myself annoyed because I just couldn't get what it was that Dr. Kehoe meant--and what he had.
At my lowest point, just before Christmas break, Major Ian Thomas, founder of Torchbearers, spoke in our chapel service. He spoke powerfully about Moses and how it took that great man of God forty years in the wilderness to learn that he was nothing. Then one day, Moses was confronted with the burning bush. That bush was really nothing to speak of, but Moses had to take off his shoes. It was holy ground because GOD was in the bush. What God was telling Moses, I finally understood for myself. "I don't need a pretty bush or an educated bush or an eloquent bush. Any old bush will do as long as I am in the bush."
It suddenly hit me that I was that kind of bush. On my own, I could do nothing for God. Everything in my ministry--all my efforts were useless unless God was in me. Major Thomas went on to tell of Christian workers who failed at first because they thought they had something to offer God--that was me, all right. But God didn't use a person until he came to the end of himself. I knew that was right where I was.
When Major Thomas closed with Galatians 2:20, it all came together for me. My biggest spiritual struggle was finally over! I would let God be God and let Luis Palau depend on Him.
You can't imagine the release I felt as a result of that little chapel talk. I ran back to my room and fell to my knees in tears. In my native Spanish I cried out to God, "Lord, now I understand! I have been crucified with Christ--and yet I live! It's not what I'm going to do for You, but rather what You're going to do through me!"
That day marked the intellectual turning point in my spiritual life. The practical working out of that discovery would unfold, but at last the realization had come. It was exciting beyond words.
I soon discovered, however, that my struggles weren't unique. One way or another, many Christians live the way I lived all those years--whether they have tremendous emotional or psychological difficulties or not. They've given their hearts to Jesus, they love Him, but they can't seem to make the Christian life work the way they thought it was supposed to work. That's why, even though I've dedicated my life to preaching the Good News of salvation through Jesus Christ, I also am equally dedicated to presenting the life-changing truths of the "exchanged life." I know the incredible difference "living by faith in the Son of God" makes.
This is an English Translation of Luis Palau's foreword to the Spanish edition of Handbook to Happiness (Hacia la Felicidad: Una Guia Biblica a la Vida en Cristo) by Charles R. Solomon. A Spanish portion is online at http://solomonet.net/E_Books.
SINNERS……… OR CHILDREN OF GOD?
June, 2009
Within the Church, the body of Christ there is always much controversy on this subject.
Most Christians will readily say yes, they are children of God.
Just as readily they will admit they are (still) sinners.
The argument that is nearly always brought forward is Rom. 6;23 “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God”.
This causes much confusion among believers, especially those believers who seek clarity in their faith.
Most Christians have learned that only righteous people are acceptable to God and worthy to enter heaven in the future.
Now when believers are still sinners, when would they then attain to righteousness, right standing with God and be qualified to enter heaven one day?
Countless Christians struggle with these questions all the time and they usually get no satisfactory answers.
So what is the truth about the matter?
Are believers sinners after all and children of God at the same time, or does the one rule out the other?
At the outset we must establish that when a believer concludes he or she is a sinner, it is always a conclusion based on self-examination or traditional opinions, rather than the result of searching out what the Bible has to say on the subject.
And such a person will usually present a Bible verse to back up his or her claim.
To seek out what the Bible says, let’s see what Jesus himself has to say in John 5:24.
Here Jesus has this to say:
“I tell you the truth, whoever hears my voice and believes him who sent me, has eternal life and will not be condemned. He has crossed over from death to life”.
He has crossed over from being a sinner to being a child of God and has received the righteousness in full that God requires, II Cor. 5:23.
Or Eph.2:1 “And you has he resurrected (given new life) who were dead in trespasses and sins…….
The Bible teaches that a sinner is a sinner, not because of that person’s deeds, but because of his or her birth: Ps. 51: 5 “Behold I was shapen in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me”.
Now Jesus tells us that when someone takes his words to heart and believes God who sent him, something happens to that person. He or she crosses from the realm of death to the realm of life, everlasting life.
This is in effect the new birth that Jesus tells Nicodemus about in John 3:3.
Psalm 51:5 speaks of the natural birth which comes first, when a sinner is born, a person bound for condemnation.
Jesus in John 5:24 speaks of the second birth, which is spiritual and which is unto life eternal, the result of believing Jesus for salvation.
This is confirmed many times in Scripture. The apostle Paul says to the jailor in Filippi: Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved …….. .
Saved from what?
Saved from condemnation, the same as what Jesus talks about in John 5:24.
The sinner, who was a sinner by birth is not only saved from condemnation, he is now a new person, a child of God.
Jesus says that he or she has crossed over from being a condemned sinner to being a beloved child of God.
From the testimony of Jesus we therefore may conclude: It is impossible to be a sinner and also be a child of God at the same time.
Either the one or the other, not both at the same time.
Are you a believer?
The Bible assures you that you are a child of God.
Those folk who believe they are a sinners stand in desperate need of salvation as offered by Jesus Christ. Remember, heaven is reserved for the righteous children of God only.
It is also true that a person’s convictions will shape his life.
When a believer believes that he or she is a sinner, he or she is already acting like a sinner.
In fact he or she is saying: God’s Word can say anything it likes, I know that I am a sinner.
That is nothing less than rebellion, it is flesh, it is independent living.
It is placing personal opinion above the truth of the Word of God.
When a person believes that he or she actually has passed from death to life, that he or she now is a beloved and fully accepted child of God, according to the above mentioned truth, such a person’s life will begin to reflect that which is alive in his heart.
There may and will be failures, but the life of Jesus in him will manifest itself outwardly.
All the foregoing is fact, feelings have no bearing on these facts.
A person, especially after repeated failures, may no longer feel like a child of God.
Such a one must at all times recognize that God speaks truth, always and that feelings , no matter how strong and persistent, cannot diminish or take away from truth.
Our conclusion therefore must be that a Christian is not a sinner, but a child of God, a righteous saint who sometimes fails and falls into sin. That same Christian must always be aware that falling into sin does not make him or her a sinner.
Let us conclude with the victory statement of Rom.8: 31, 32 :
What shall we say then to these things? If God be for us, who shall be against us?
He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?
St. Thomas,June/’09. Simon VanderKooy.
HYMNS OF THE CHURCH.
May, 2009
Recently I was leafing through the pages of a church hymnal and I saw a number of “old treasures” that we never seem to hear anymore.
And yet the message is so timeless and profound that I have decided to copy some of them for this issue of Reflections.
Read these lines slowly and let the words penetrate your inner being.
Let these words minister peace, encouragement and inspiration.
BLESSED ASSURANCE.
Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine, O what a foretaste of glory devine,
Heir of salvation purchase of God, Born of his Spirit, washed in his blood.
Perfect submission, perfect delight, Visions of rapture now burst on my sight,
Angels descending, bring from above, Echoes of mercy, whispers of love.
Perfect submission, all is at rest, I in my Savior am happy and blessed.
Watching and waiting, looking above, Filled with his goodness, lost in his love.
The law of the Spirit of life in Christ,
Has made me free,
I’m no more in bondage to sin and death,
For Jesus has justified me!
I’m a new creation, no more condemnation,
My tongue shall confess his nature in me,
He’s my salvation, my sanctification,
His Spirit’s my life and I am free!!
Author unknown.
MORE ABOUT JESUS.
More about Jesus would I know, More of his grace to others show,
More of his saving fulness see, More of his love who died for me.
More about Jesus let me learn, More of his holy will discern,
Spirit of God my teacher be, Showing the things of Christ to me.
More about Jesus in his Word, Holding communion with my Lord,
Hearing his voice in ev’ry line, Making each faithful saying mine.
More about Jesus on his Throne, Riches in glory all his own,
More of his Kingdom’s sure increase, More of his coming, Prince of Peace.
MOMENT BY MOMENT.
Dying with Jesus, by death reckoned mine, Living with Jesus, a new life devine,
Looking to Jesus till glory does shine, Moment by moment O Lord, I am thine.
Never a trial that he is not there, Never a burden that he does not bear,
Never a sorrow that he does not share, Moment by moment, I’m under his care.
Never a heartache, and never a groan, Never a teardrop and never a moan,
Never a danger but there on the throne, Moment by moment he thinks of his own.
Never a weakness that he does not feel, Never a sickness that he cannot heal,
Moment by moment in woe or in weal, Jesus my Savior, abides with me still.
Moment by moment I’m kept in his love, Moment by moment I’ve life from above,
Looking to Jesus till glory does shine, Moment by moment, O Lord, I am thine.
TAKE TIME TO BE HOLY.
Take time to be holy, Speak oft with your Lord,
Abide in him always, And feed on his Word,
Make friends of God’s children, Help those who are weak,
Forgetting in nothing, His blessing to seek.
Take time to be holy, The world rushes on,
Spend much time in secret, With Jesus alone,
By looking to Jesus, Like him you shall be,
Your friends in your conduct, His likeness shall see.
Take time to be holy, Let him be your guide,
And run not before him, Whatever betide,
In joy or in sorrow, Still follow your Lord,
And looking to Jesus, Still trust in his Word.
Take time to be holy, Be calm in your Lord,
Each thought and each motive, Beneath his control,
Thus led by his Spirit, To fountains of love,
You soon will be fitted, For living above.
TAKE MY LIFE AND LET IT BE….
Take my life and let it be, Consecrated Lord to thee,
Take my hands and let them move, At the impulse of thy love.
Take my feet and let them be, Swift and beautiful for thee,
Take my voice and let me sing, Always, only for my King.
Take my silver and my gold, Not a mite would I withhold,
Take my moments and my days, Let them flow in ceaseless praise.
Take my will and make it thine, It shall be no longer mine,
Take my heart, it is thine own, It shall be thy royal throne.
A WODERFUL SAVIOR.
A wonderful Savior is Jesus my Lord, A wonderful Savior is Jesus my Lord
A wonderful Savior to me, He takes my burden away,
He hides my soul in the cleft of the Rock, He holds me up and I shall not be moved,
Where rivers of pleasure I see He gives me strength for my day.
With numberless blessings each moment he crowns,
And filled with his fulness devine,
I sing in my rapture, O Glory to God,
For such a Redeemer as mine.
He hides my soul in the cleft of the Rock,
That shadows a dry, thirsty land,
He hides my life in the depths of his love,
And covers me there with his hand.
IT IS WELL WITH MY SOUL.
When peace like a river attendeth my way, When sorrows like seabillows roll,
Whatever my lot, you have taught me to say, It is well, it is well with my soul.
My sin, oh the bliss of this glorious thought, My sin not in part, but the whole,
Is nailed to his cross and I bear it no more, Praise the Lord, Praise the Lord, O my soul.
And, Lord haste the day when faith shall be sight, The clouds be rolled back as a scroll,
The trump shall resound and the Lord shall descend, “Even so”, it is well with my soul.
St. Thomas, May / ’09. Simon VanderKooy.
Recently I was leafing through the pages of a church hymnal and I saw a number of “old treasures” that we never seem to hear anymore.
And yet the message is so timeless and profound that I have decided to copy some of them for this issue of Reflections.
Read these lines slowly and let the words penetrate your inner being.
Let these words minister peace, encouragement and inspiration.
BLESSED ASSURANCE.
Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine, O what a foretaste of glory devine,
Heir of salvation purchase of God, Born of his Spirit, washed in his blood.
Perfect submission, perfect delight, Visions of rapture now burst on my sight,
Angels descending, bring from above, Echoes of mercy, whispers of love.
Perfect submission, all is at rest, I in my Savior am happy and blessed.
Watching and waiting, looking above, Filled with his goodness, lost in his love.
The law of the Spirit of life in Christ,
Has made me free,
I’m no more in bondage to sin and death,
For Jesus has justified me!
I’m a new creation, no more condemnation,
My tongue shall confess his nature in me,
He’s my salvation, my sanctification,
His Spirit’s my life and I am free!!
Author unknown.
MORE ABOUT JESUS.
More about Jesus would I know, More of his grace to others show,
More of his saving fulness see, More of his love who died for me.
More about Jesus let me learn, More of his holy will discern,
Spirit of God my teacher be, Showing the things of Christ to me.
More about Jesus in his Word, Holding communion with my Lord,
Hearing his voice in ev’ry line, Making each faithful saying mine.
More about Jesus on his Throne, Riches in glory all his own,
More of his Kingdom’s sure increase, More of his coming, Prince of Peace.
MOMENT BY MOMENT.
Dying with Jesus, by death reckoned mine, Living with Jesus, a new life devine,
Looking to Jesus till glory does shine, Moment by moment O Lord, I am thine.
Never a trial that he is not there, Never a burden that he does not bear,
Never a sorrow that he does not share, Moment by moment, I’m under his care.
Never a heartache, and never a groan, Never a teardrop and never a moan,
Never a danger but there on the throne, Moment by moment he thinks of his own.
Never a weakness that he does not feel, Never a sickness that he cannot heal,
Moment by moment in woe or in weal, Jesus my Savior, abides with me still.
Moment by moment I’m kept in his love, Moment by moment I’ve life from above,
Looking to Jesus till glory does shine, Moment by moment, O Lord, I am thine.
TAKE TIME TO BE HOLY.
Take time to be holy, Speak oft with your Lord,
Abide in him always, And feed on his Word,
Make friends of God’s children, Help those who are weak,
Forgetting in nothing, His blessing to seek.
Take time to be holy, The world rushes on,
Spend much time in secret, With Jesus alone,
By looking to Jesus, Like him you shall be,
Your friends in your conduct, His likeness shall see.
Take time to be holy, Let him be your guide,
And run not before him, Whatever betide,
In joy or in sorrow, Still follow your Lord,
And looking to Jesus, Still trust in his Word.
Take time to be holy, Be calm in your Lord,
Each thought and each motive, Beneath his control,
Thus led by his Spirit, To fountains of love,
You soon will be fitted, For living above.
TAKE MY LIFE AND LET IT BE….
Take my life and let it be, Consecrated Lord to thee,
Take my hands and let them move, At the impulse of thy love.
Take my feet and let them be, Swift and beautiful for thee,
Take my voice and let me sing, Always, only for my King.
Take my silver and my gold, Not a mite would I withhold,
Take my moments and my days, Let them flow in ceaseless praise.
Take my will and make it thine, It shall be no longer mine,
Take my heart, it is thine own, It shall be thy royal throne.
A WODERFUL SAVIOR.
A wonderful Savior is Jesus my Lord, A wonderful Savior is Jesus my Lord
A wonderful Savior to me, He takes my burden away,
He hides my soul in the cleft of the Rock, He holds me up and I shall not be moved,
Where rivers of pleasure I see He gives me strength for my day.
With numberless blessings each moment he crowns,
And filled with his fulness devine,
I sing in my rapture, O Glory to God,
For such a Redeemer as mine.
He hides my soul in the cleft of the Rock,
That shadows a dry, thirsty land,
He hides my life in the depths of his love,
And covers me there with his hand.
IT IS WELL WITH MY SOUL.
When peace like a river attendeth my way, When sorrows like seabillows roll,
Whatever my lot, you have taught me to say, It is well, it is well with my soul.
My sin, oh the bliss of this glorious thought, My sin not in part, but the whole,
Is nailed to his cross and I bear it no more, Praise the Lord, Praise the Lord, O my soul.
And, Lord haste the day when faith shall be sight, The clouds be rolled back as a scroll,
The trump shall resound and the Lord shall descend, “Even so”, it is well with my soul.
St. Thomas, May / ’09. Simon VanderKooy.
……….CASTING ALL YOUR CARES UPON HIM…….I Peter 5 : 7.
April, 2009
Casting all your cares upon him.
What comes to mind when we think about cares?
Is it not usually things like health problems that beset us or friends or family members?
Or the loss of a job or the breakdown of the car and we do not have the funds for the repairs?
All these are very legitimate cares to pray about.
But what about sins and habits that we have struggled with for a long time and there seems to be no relief?
Those are also very legitimate cares, but those are usually much more private and most of us would certainly not spell them out and ask others for prayer.
The shame we so often feel prevents us from even admitting the problem to ourselves.
Just for all this I Peter 5:7 was written, possibly even more so than for health or family problems.
What compounds these problems is that often we have asked God to help us overcome some particular sin and that seemed as fruitless as promises and commitments on our part to do better from now on.
Not only is the sin itself a care, often the frustation of not being able to overcome is an even greater care.
Just recently a dear Christian friend told me on a Monday that her pastor the day before had told his flock that they should put away un-forgiveness, anger, jealousy and all the other sins that trouble us. But that they should practice love, joy, peace, kindness, patience and all the other good things that work well while you are in church, but are really hard to achieve in the rest of the week.
All that is not at all un-familiar with me, I have heard the same many a time.
During that conversation it suddenly occurred to me that the things we are being asked to put away, is something akin to what we would do with our kitchen waste.
“Put it away”, we are are told and we put it away in a closet upstairs and close the door.
That smelly stuff is now out of sight, but it is still in the house.
And when we reach in the same closet next morning for a clean shirt, we are again confronted with that which we put away yesterday. And the longer we leave it there the worse the condition becomes, even our clothes begin to smell like the stuff we “put away”.
This all is sort of what happens when we try to improve our lives to become “better” Christians. Even our prayers for God’s help go un-answered, and for good reason.
Which one of us would like to help his own children to hide such a mess in their closets?
Any one of us would tell our children to get rid of it once and for all.
Where? To the curb where the garbageman will pick it up and you will never see it again.
That is where Jesus comes in. He is like the garbageman who picks up whatever we let him have.
When we decide to “recycle” our own waste material, he will allow us to try it until we give up on the effort.
“When we confess our sin (all sin), he is faithful to forgive (all our sin) and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
He has never even suggested that we clean up our own act, let alone that he expects us, by our own efforts to attain a greater degree of righteousness.
So why would he help us to try and recycle our own dirt, it would take that much longer for us to give up trying to do things our own way.
It is his love for us that prevents him from helping us.
Casting all your cares upon him…….
There is nothing genle about casting, it is like throwing your cares at him and that is just fine with him.
Why?
Because he cares for you, I Peter 5:7b.
Self-improvement does not work for God’s people, not in the long run.
For a time our willpower may seem to do the trick, until we become painfully aware that we failed again.
How do we overcome sin? By casting it at his feet: here Lord, you get rid of it, I am sick and tired of a stinking closet.
In John 1:9 we learn that he (God) will cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
All that is required of us is that we go to him, tell him the whole sordid story and he will do the rest.
The tragedy is that so many Christian’s closets contain so much that should have gone to the Holy Garbageman a long time ago.
Blessed are those children of God who are advised to take their sins to the Holy Garbageman, rather than just putting them away.
O yes, this same Holy Garbageman is also the one who will fill our heart with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness and all the other good things we long for.
Because he embodies all those good things in us, he is our very Life, Gal. 2:20.
He is the mystery among the gentiles,(you and me), Christ in you, the hope of glory, Colossians 1:27.
He is our Life in us, he is love in us, he is patience in us, etc. He and his resources are never far away, because he is in us. He and his resources are at our disposal at a moment’s notice, always.
Casting all our cares on him, because he cares so deeply for us.
St.Thomas, April ’09. Simon VanderKooy.
A QUESTION THAT BEGS AN ANSWER.
March, 2009
When you die …., will you go to heaven?
This question was asked of a devout Christian recenly.
The person answered that question with: “I do not know”.
What gives a Christian, a child of God, assurance of salvation, any time, every time, all the time, even when the time of departure arrives?
For many it is one thing to believe that our sins are forgiven, it is often quite another to be assured that their God will receive them into his heavenly realms at the end of their earthly lives.
For others it is not difficult to believe that Jesus’ death on the cross covers everyone’s sins, except their own personal sins, those are too many and too great.
It is a life lived in anxiety and often dispair.
Why would this be? Why do so many children of God live their life in such near hopelessness and anxiety?
The answers to that question are many and varied and are different from one person to another. And yet these answers all have a common theme.
“I do not know if I am worthy”.
“How do I know that I will be counted with the sheep of Matt. 25, but I do not think that I will be”.
“I do not think that I did enough for God”.
What all these answers have in common is that the people who gave these answers have their focus on themselves and their own Christian performance.
Their focus is constantly on what we are supposed to do, what we actually do, what we have done (and failed to do) and they just know that all of it is insufficient in the eyes of God.
They know that a judgmentday is coming and that makes many a Christian cringe with fear.
All this makes some put even more frantic effort in their service for God and it robs them of rest and peace, because you never get to know when you have done enough.
It leaves a person tired, unfulfilled and empty, just the opposite of what the Christian life was supposed to bring.
For some this tale of desillusionment and frustration leads them to cry out to God: “THERE MUST BE A BETTER WAY!”
For them the Lord God has prepared a better way. A new way of living in fact.
It is a way of living that is not about doing, it is not about me and my level of performance for God.
It is not about doing, it is about believing. Believing what the Bible says about Jesus.
Believing, unconditionally accepting what God tells us about his Son Jesus.
Like, John 5:24, “He that hears my word and BELIEVES on him that sent me, has everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but has passed from death unto life”.
Or I John 5:13, “These things have I written unto you that BELIEVE on the Name of the Son of God, that you may KNOW that you have eternal life ……”.
The Christian life is ALL about what Jesus Christ has done and NOT at all what we have done or do.
Jesus gave believers the gift of righteousness, right (clean, pure and holy) relationship with our God and Father and that is enough, it is sufficient for time and eternity.
And all that despite some sins and sinful habits that still cling to us.
This new way of living also means that we may offer these sins to our Father in confession and (again) his Word tells us in I John 1:9 that he is faithful to cleanse us from ALL unrighteousness.
Also the Holy Spirit will make us aware of any lingering unrighteousness, so that again we may apply I John 1:9 to that situation.
This new way of living will not necessarily be a walk in the park, the transformation that the Holy Spirit accomplishes as we yield ourselves to the Lord in all things is often painfull. Letting go of our former independent, self-sufficient way of living is something we would avoid, but that is the way our Father would conform us to the image of his Son Jesus Christ.
In his hour of greatest fear and agony he said: “Father, not my desires, but your will ……
But no matter how great the storms of this new life, we will have peace in the midst of these storms, because we trust, we know who is at the helm and he will safely direct this ship through stormy waters to a safe shore.
When all this becomes established in our thinking, then the good works will follow.
Not because we believe that we are commanded to do so.
No, now these works will be a result of the new nature that is ours in Jesus Christ our Lord.
These works will just come naturally, we’ll just do them.
Not for our own benefit, not for God, not to gain God’s favor, we’ll just do them.
When I die ……., will I go to heaven?
Most certainly, but not because I cleaned myself up or the things I have done for God.
No, it’s because of what Jesus did in obedience to his Father, of which I am a beneficiary.
His death and resurrection has provided a new way of living for me.
A life, not of working, but a life of resting, resting in the finished work of Jesus, my Savior, my Lord and my Life.
St.Thomas, March/’09. Simon VanderKooy.
When you die …., will you go to heaven?
This question was asked of a devout Christian recenly.
The person answered that question with: “I do not know”.
What gives a Christian, a child of God, assurance of salvation, any time, every time, all the time, even when the time of departure arrives?
For many it is one thing to believe that our sins are forgiven, it is often quite another to be assured that their God will receive them into his heavenly realms at the end of their earthly lives.
For others it is not difficult to believe that Jesus’ death on the cross covers everyone’s sins, except their own personal sins, those are too many and too great.
It is a life lived in anxiety and often dispair.
Why would this be? Why do so many children of God live their life in such near hopelessness and anxiety?
The answers to that question are many and varied and are different from one person to another. And yet these answers all have a common theme.
“I do not know if I am worthy”.
“How do I know that I will be counted with the sheep of Matt. 25, but I do not think that I will be”.
“I do not think that I did enough for God”.
What all these answers have in common is that the people who gave these answers have their focus on themselves and their own Christian performance.
Their focus is constantly on what we are supposed to do, what we actually do, what we have done (and failed to do) and they just know that all of it is insufficient in the eyes of God.
They know that a judgmentday is coming and that makes many a Christian cringe with fear.
All this makes some put even more frantic effort in their service for God and it robs them of rest and peace, because you never get to know when you have done enough.
It leaves a person tired, unfulfilled and empty, just the opposite of what the Christian life was supposed to bring.
For some this tale of desillusionment and frustration leads them to cry out to God: “THERE MUST BE A BETTER WAY!”
For them the Lord God has prepared a better way. A new way of living in fact.
It is a way of living that is not about doing, it is not about me and my level of performance for God.
It is not about doing, it is about believing. Believing what the Bible says about Jesus.
Believing, unconditionally accepting what God tells us about his Son Jesus.
Like, John 5:24, “He that hears my word and BELIEVES on him that sent me, has everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but has passed from death unto life”.
Or I John 5:13, “These things have I written unto you that BELIEVE on the Name of the Son of God, that you may KNOW that you have eternal life ……”.
The Christian life is ALL about what Jesus Christ has done and NOT at all what we have done or do.
Jesus gave believers the gift of righteousness, right (clean, pure and holy) relationship with our God and Father and that is enough, it is sufficient for time and eternity.
And all that despite some sins and sinful habits that still cling to us.
This new way of living also means that we may offer these sins to our Father in confession and (again) his Word tells us in I John 1:9 that he is faithful to cleanse us from ALL unrighteousness.
Also the Holy Spirit will make us aware of any lingering unrighteousness, so that again we may apply I John 1:9 to that situation.
This new way of living will not necessarily be a walk in the park, the transformation that the Holy Spirit accomplishes as we yield ourselves to the Lord in all things is often painfull. Letting go of our former independent, self-sufficient way of living is something we would avoid, but that is the way our Father would conform us to the image of his Son Jesus Christ.
In his hour of greatest fear and agony he said: “Father, not my desires, but your will ……
But no matter how great the storms of this new life, we will have peace in the midst of these storms, because we trust, we know who is at the helm and he will safely direct this ship through stormy waters to a safe shore.
When all this becomes established in our thinking, then the good works will follow.
Not because we believe that we are commanded to do so.
No, now these works will be a result of the new nature that is ours in Jesus Christ our Lord.
These works will just come naturally, we’ll just do them.
Not for our own benefit, not for God, not to gain God’s favor, we’ll just do them.
When I die ……., will I go to heaven?
Most certainly, but not because I cleaned myself up or the things I have done for God.
No, it’s because of what Jesus did in obedience to his Father, of which I am a beneficiary.
His death and resurrection has provided a new way of living for me.
A life, not of working, but a life of resting, resting in the finished work of Jesus, my Savior, my Lord and my Life.
St.Thomas, March/’09. Simon VanderKooy.
WITHOUT ME YOU CAN DO NOTHING.
February, 2009
JOHN 15:5. Jesus said that he is the vine, we are the branches, and without our abiding in him, we can do nothing.
JOHN 15:5. Jesus said that he is the vine, we are the branches, and without our abiding in him, we can do nothing.
Man’s inbred sense is that he can do something, that is some things. He can tie his shoes, put on his clothes, he can get up, start his day, and get a lot of things done. (Sometimes we wonder why there is so much work left to do when the time is run out!).
What does Jesus mean when he says that without me you can do nothing?
It is true firstly that we can do nothing in terms of eternal value, that is, that will last for all eternity. It is also true that we can do nothing in terms of setting ourselves free from the things and issues that have bugged us for years.
Many Christians cannot understand why they continue to struggle with unresolved conflict with themselves and others. They have tried to forgive, believe they have forgiven, but yet the matters of the past continue to haunt them and the residual effect of the hurt lingers on.
They have with all honesty, integrity and purpose, endeavored to forgive someone who has hurt them or maligned them.
Many techniques are proffered nowadays to help us to do this. Some say that forgiveness is a decision of the will. Whose will??
Some who have been offended actually go to the offender and tell the offender that they have chosen to forgive that person.
This does little more than point out to the offender that they have done something wrong and that the offended one is so holy and righteous that they are now forgiving them.
(How sanctimonious!)
When a person comes to know and understand the truth of the indwelling Christ as their life, flesh patterns often continue to surface. Reactions may become even more intense and the problem may even appear to have worsened.
The enemy seizes upon the issue to cause the growing Christian to stumble and fall, to be frustrated and defeated and give up on the idea of ever becoming victorious.
Yet at the same time, God may want to use the issue to demonstrate that without Christ doing it, it cannot be done. This is where Eph. 4:31-32 comes into the picture:
Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other,
Just as in Christ God forgave you. (NIV)
And be kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another,
Even as God for Christ’s sake has forgiven you. (KJV)
The Scripture here is not admonishing us to forgive one another BECAUSE God has forgiven us, but rather to forgive one another in the SAME WAY, that God has forgiven us. Without Christ, God could not forgive us. That is the WAY he chose to do it.
He perhaps could have chosen an other way, but the WAY he chose to forgive us was through the completed atoning work of the cross.
I John 2:2 He was the propitiation ( atoning sacrifice, or payment) for our sins, and not ours only, but for the sins of the whole world, everybody’s sins, all of them.
God looks at the atoning sacrifice of the Lord Jesus as being sufficient for the sins of the whole world and not only the sins of those who have accepted Christ and his provision.
We too can then look at the cross and see that it was there that not just our sins were dealt with, but also the sins of someone else, who has both wronged us and God.
When we “see” this, we understand that no matter what anyone has done against us, no matter how serious or grievous it was, Jesus dealt with it at Calvary.
It is therefore, and then incumbent upon us to receive by faith in the atoning work of Jesus, that the sin against us, (and Him indeed if it is a sin) was already paid for at Calvary.
When we “see” this, we can begin to understand that Jesus dealt with all sin, the forgiveness is complete, and because he is our Life, that forgiveness flows from the life of Jesus within us.
It is then not our action of forgiving that releases us, but rather our act of believing (by faith) that Christ paid for it at Calvary, that releases us and sets us free. (Emphasis mine).
No matter how many times our human memory comes up with the offense, we need only to remember that it is already paid for by Christ, and we therefore HOLD TO THE TRUTH that it is done and over with,.
THEN WE WILL KNOW THE TRUTH AND THE TRUTH WILL SET US FREE!
(John 8:31-32).
(Used with permission.)
St.Thomas, Febr./’09.
Simon Vanderkooy.
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