Pr 27:1 Boast not thyself of tomorrow; for thou
knowest not what a day may bring forth.
No man
knows when God’s patience with our rebellion will end . . .
Mt 4:7 Jesus said unto him, It is written again,
Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.
God warns
us – not to make our plans for repentance TOMORROW . . .
Do not
make plans to get things right with God TOMORROW . . . because we do not know
what TOMORROW has in store for us.
Heb 9:27 And as it is appointed unto men once to
die, but after this the judgment:
No man can find “the perfect peace of God” in his life – if that man chooses to spend his life
resisting God’s will FOR his life.
After we are saved – God spends His time shaping our
lives and molding our hearts into what He wants us to be as His Children . . . and God does this through chastisement – which is similar to the training that
an athlete endures . . .
If we submit to . . . if we respond to these “life
lessons” from God . . . then we learn what it means to pursue the peace of God however if we resist these lessons in life – we will
never know the peace of God which passeth all understanding . . . and
this “perfect peace” that is spoken of in Isiah will
never be part of our lives as long as we refuse to set (or establish) our mind
upon God.
Heb 12:11 Now no chastening (training/discipline -
today) for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless (tomorrow) afterward it yieldeth the PEACEABLE fruit of righteousness unto
them which are exercised thereby . . .
I don’t
like to exercise – I hate doing push-ups . . . it is unpleasant while I am
doing them . . . but afterward (the fruit) -- is that there is an improvement
in my health which is a good thing in my
life . . .
As we journey through life after we are saved – because God is our
Father – He teaches
us – He trains us – He corrects us . . . the point being that “these lessons”
are typically NOT a pleasant experience for us TODAY while
they are IN PROCESS . . . but after the lesson is over – we understand that God
has used “this chastisement” (like we would use exercise)
to bring about a NEEDED change within
us . . . God teaches us patience through tribulation . . . God trains us with
hard-ships by allowing
us to experience adversity . . . God corrects us with “the pain” which burdens
bring into our lives so that
we will learn that the consequences
of our sin is a REAL thing - so that we might realize the certainty of day
61 when the first
payment will be due and that one day “the grace period” is really going to end
and that we will stand before God in judgment.
John 9:4 I must work the works of him that sent me,
while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.
While it
is day . . . we have the opportunity to repent of our sins and seek the peace
of God through submission to His will . . .
Heb 12:12 Wherefore lift up the hands which hang
down, and the feeble knees (don’t be
discouraged – God LOVES YOU – and God is simply teaching you to be what He
wants you to be).
After we
exercise – we are tired . . . but after a bit of rest we will be better
prepared to face tomorrow . . .
13 And make straight paths for your feet, lest that
which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed.
To make
straight paths for your feet – refers to how we should respond to “the lessons”
. . . let God teach you patience – because patience will
Give you
the ability to comfort those about you who are
in need . . . Ga
6:1 Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of
meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.
Let God teach you with the hardships of adversity
– because this will give you a stronger faith . . . Lu 17:5 And the apostles
said unto the Lord, Increase our faith.
Let God
teach you to avoid that which is evil . . . because this will draw you closer
to God . . .
James 4:8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to
you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners;
and purify your hearts, ye “double
minded”.
Notice
the phrase “lest the lame be turned out of the way . . . in respect to Heb
12:13 “to be healed” is to let God teach you – while to be turned out
of the way – is to resist “the lessons” of
God’s chastisement . . . it is true that if
we never exercise we will never get hot/sweaty
But it is
also true that our health will suffer and smaller tasks that should NOT make us
tired will begin to take our breath away . . . this is
what it
means to be “lame” and turned out of the way because of how we resist “the
lessons” of God’s chastisement (training) . . . we become lame in spirit and
unfit for service
Lu
9:62 And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and
looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.
To ensure
that we are fit for The Kingdom of God we should make straight paths for our
feet – we should walk in The Truth and we should
Heb 12: 14 Follow peace with all men, and holiness,
without which no man shall see the Lord:
To follow
peace with all men refers to pursuing or to pressing toward a quiet spirit (or
rest) with others (the absence of DRAMA)
I have
students who simply cannot live without drama . . . drama is an extremely heavy
burden - drama DRAINS a person’s strength it drains
our happiness . . . and pretty much ruins what-ever circumstance it touches . .
. in the words of Heb 12: 14 – just let it go . . . pursue PEACE with others instead pursuing conflict
14 Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without
which no man shall see the Lord:
We are
also told to follow holiness . . . holiness refers to separation . . . we
cannot separate our lives from the presence of sin . . . we can
however
make choices in life that will
lessen our practice of certain sins – and this is what we should strive to do in life . . .
Pr 4:15 Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and
pass away . . . to be holy is NOT referring
to approaching a state of sinless perfection as a
result of
completely separating our lives from the presence of sin . . . if we were sinless
within our heart – then we would not
be tempted with
the evil
that we so often think looks attractive as we are enticed by its promised
pleasure . . .
Heb 11:25 speaks of Moses and his choice to suffer
affliction with the people of God, rather
than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;
The
meaning of “Holiness” refers to sanctification (dedication) as we make the same
choice that Moses made - by committing
our
hearts
and lives to God through PROPER WORSHIP by making choices to avoid certain things
in our life – and to identify ourselves
with those
twisted cords of church fellowship that are bound together and strengthened
with scriptural baptism - as we choose
to establish
The
Landmarks of Truth in our lives and to earnestly CONTENT for THE faith once
delivered to the saints . . . Moses had a choice –
to suffer
with the people of God – or forsake his responsibility to God’s people so that
he could enjoy the pleasures that were offered to him in life by the nation of
Egypt
I want
you to notice the “pay off” which results if we submit to this particular
“lesson” as God seeks to train/correct or discipline our lives
through
PEACE and HOLINESS . . . He tells us without peace – and without holiness . . .
no man shall see the Lord.
A life
filled with conflict and drama . . . a life that is committed to religion outside of proper worship – is a life
that does not understand
God and
it is a life that is unable to SEE the “lessons” which God teaches through
chastisement . . . First of all peace can only exist in a heart that has
learned to put the needs of OTHERS
before the needs of SELF . . . and what is the very first Commandment of God to His
people . . . Matt 22: 36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy
God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
38 This is the first and great commandment.
39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love
thy neighbour as thyself.
40 On these two commandments hang ALL the law and
the prophets.
The very first commandment is to LOVE thy
neighbor as thyself . . . which we cannot do – if we have not first learned to
be at peace with that neighbor
John 13:34 A new
commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you,
that ye also love one another.
1Jo 2:8
Again, a new commandment I write
unto you, which thing is true in him
AND in you: because the darkness is
past, and the true light now shineth.
This “True
Light” that now shineth is referring to The Landmarks of Proper worship . . . once again the pay-off of proper exercise is a
healthy life . . . the “pay-off” to following peace and holiness with all men . . . is that our lives will be
taken out of the darkness that is
past . .
and
placed securely INSIDE the TRUE LIGHT that now shines (not through religion)
but through PROPER WORSHIP in a
LANDMARK
church so that we might have a clear unobstructed view of GOD . . . “without
which no man shall SEE the Lord” . . . Who
is “the
world” looking at – who do they SEE . . . when their religion teaches for
doctrine the commandments of men?
I
understand that “the darkness which is past” can apply to how we were once lost
and blind in the darkness of unbelief . . . but it also has
Application
to the darkness which surrounds the saved man who seeks to worship God outside
of the TRUTH of proper worship . . .
2Pe 1:9 But he that lacketh these things is blind,
and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old
sins.
If it is
possible to forget that we have been saved and to
lose sight of God’s saving grace – then it is also possible to lose sight of
God in religion
The
phrase “Without which no man can see the Lord” – is not referring to how a man
will not be saved and not allowed into heaven . . . it is
referring
to how religion takes our eyes off of the Truth and actually hides Jesus Christ
from our eyes behind
false teachings . . . Heb 12:15 Looking diligently
lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up
trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;
16 Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person,
as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.
17 For ye know how that afterward, when he would
have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of
repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.
To NOT
follow peace and holiness with all men will result in introducing poison into
our life - This poison will affect our spiritual eyesight so
that we
will not be able to SEE what God is trying to do in our life with the “lessons”
of chastisement . . . To fail of the grace of God is
to “fall
short” of His kindness as we resist “the lessons” which He intends to use – to
make us a better person – to make us into a person that
does not
“look back” like Lot’s wife at what he left behind when he was saved - and because
of this becomes well place or “fit” for His kingdom which
is the NTC . . . resistance to the training of God – resentment
regarding the chastisement
of God in our lives – this attitude will very quickly bring to us an inability
to SEE God’s
purpose in our life will cause us become BITTER at the circumstances of life
and we will be troubled by
our disappointment that God
is not blessing us the way that we think He should . . . and this attitude will
begin to contaminate others . . . “Lest there be any fornicator
or profane person” refers to the prostitute or to those who “cross the
threshold/doorway” into another man’s
house for
immoral purposes . . . the implication here is that we become guilty of this
sin when “the root of bitterness” which we feel at “the
lessons”
of chastisement - drive us away from our first love. This is when we forsake the Landmarks and
“cross the doorway” or the threshold
into house of a stranger . . . for the purpose of becoming ONE with a stranger
outside of the Landmarks of proper worship.
This is
when we sell our birthright like Esau did.
Php 4:7 And the
peace of God, which passeth (is above) all understanding, (this peace is
what) shall keep (protect) your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Isa 26:3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed
on thee: because he trusteth in thee.
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