Keepin It Real

My Pastor recently discussed behavior modification. He stated that we can smile and agree etc while being jealous or angry etc underneath , in our heart. You see God is not about behavior modification He is about transformation. And true change comes from a heart change. The reality is when you heart is in the wrong place, with the wrong attitudes, and in the wrong spirit then regardless of how well you can control your outward actions it is not in truth. It is not real. It is like putting on a costume and pretending to be somebody you are not. Now don't get me wrong, God definitely wants us to do right in our actions towards one another however He knows when it comes from a heart that is right and when it does not. He is not interested in giving you a list of rules to follow on how to be nice as you grit your teeth and mumble under your breath. He is concerned with our heart, with the cause of the symptoms and not in sticking a bandage over it but with total healing, complete change!

Matthew 15:18-20

¹⁸ But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. ¹⁹ For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. ²⁰ These are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man.”

 

1 Samuel 16:7

⁷ But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees;^[a] for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

Ezekiel 36:26-27 

I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. 27And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.

It is the heart that brings forth everything else and without a heart change, a head change and an action change are just sweeping dirt under a rug. We are still filthy, but we have just dressed it up on the outside, made it look appealing, and hidden what really needs to be dealt with. God is not wanting to repair the "old you". Let my put it this way, He doesn't take a caterpillar and glue wings on. It goes into the cocoon a caterpillar and comes out an entirely different creation. He is not trying to stick wings on us, He is making us new from the inside out. We must not place such an emphasis on our actions, we need to stress the matters of the heart.

All of this comes from a personal experience of mine recently. I was operating with the wrong heart. I was trying to keep myself in check outwardly and yet failing to keep myself in check inwardly. I was allowing pride in and then bitterness and resentment began to build up. I was no longer walking in humility and loving my sister in Christ but was operating out of a haughty spirit. I was not looking out for her heart and her best interest above my own interest. I felt wronged, taken advantage of, and disregarded and a root of bitterness came in. Now perhaps my perception is accurate and all these things are true and I was done wrong etc. It doesn't change the fact that MY HEART was in the wrong place and I cannot help my brothers and sisters with their speck if I have a log blocking my vision. Not to mention the fact that this can destroy me and harm many others if I allow it to remain and continue.

The point is we have to keep it real! No cover ups. No making excuses and trying to justify our behavior. This is our life and the lives of others that are affected and that we toy with when we refuse to deal with the real issues. Let us place our hearts before God and ask Him to show us our hearts and keep us in step with His heart, with His Spirit.

 

Hebrews 4:12

12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

James 1:21

²¹ Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. ²² But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. ²³ For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; ²⁴ for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. ²⁵ But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.

 

 

Psalm 139:23

²³ Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Try me, and know my anxieties;
²⁴ And see if there is any wicked way in me,
And lead me in the way everlasting.

Sinner or Saint?

sinner or saint?

Faith in Christ=Obedience to Christ

Vines Expository~

Sinner

hamartolos lit., "one who misses the mark" (a meaning not to be pressed), is an adjective, most frequently used as a noun (see SINFUL); it is the most usual term to describe the fallen condition of men; it is applicable to all men Rom_5:8,19...

Saint(s)

hagios for the meaning and use of which see hagios_under_HOLY, is used as a noun in the singular in Php_4:21, where pas, "every," is used with it. In the plural, as used of believers, it designates all such and is not applied merely to persons of exceptional holiness, or to those who, having died, were characterized by exceptional acts of "saintliness." See especially 2_Thess_1:10, where "His saints" are also described as "them that believed," i.e., the whole number of the redeemed. They are called "holy ones" in Jude_1:14,


If we were made righteous through keeping the law then we would still indeed be sinners...however we are made righteous through faith in Christ by the grace of God.(Rom 5:8 & 19-24) Therefor since we are in Christ we are no longer considered to be sinners even if we happen to sin. (Rom 8:1) Now with that being said it is not that we may sin that is the issue. -We are no longer under the law but under grace. (Rom 6:14)- It is that we continue in the sin. We do not want to stop and we do not repent, but willfully defy God and knowingly continue in our rebellion. (Rom 6:15-16, 8:13-14) We are warned that we must remain in Christ or we will be cut off from the vine and thus we will be given over to our sins (John 15:2 & 6, Matt 7:19) and once again be a sinner (James 5:19-20 (given over to our sinful nature willingly)... and unless we repent, we will be considered as and given the same judgement as an unbeliever (Luke 12:46)

We are saints, believers, righteous, sanctified, Holy and blameless before God in Christ. We are sinners, unbelievers, unrighteous, unsanctified, unholy and condemned apart from Christ. We are not considered as sinners in Christ. If we are sinners (living in sin/cut of from God) then we have no part in Him.

Now let me make myself clear. If Christ is in us it does not mean that we do not or cannot sin. It does mean that in Him i am no longer considered to be a sinner. No longer separated from God. I have been born of the Spirit of God and have received a new nature. Now I am truly set free at this point from sin. Once again I can sin and even do sin however I am no longer under the law but under grace THROUGH faith in Christ. I am free from the law of sin and death. Now the righteous LIVE by faith. We must understand that in order to LIVE by faith then our ACTIONS, our DECISIONS are brought forth from this faith. If we are not WALKING in the SPIRIT (Living by Faith) but are WALKING in the FLESH then we are not living by faith.

Christians live a life of repentance. A constant changing of our mind is taking place. And since we are under grace and not under the law then if or when we make a mistake His grace is sufficient. We are corrected and we repent. A mistake is not a repeated intentional defiance to God. That needs to be made clear. Now once again I need to go back to a previous understanding.

We may sin but we are not sinners. Sinners are not of God and they are separated or cut off from God. Saints are not those who CANNOT SIN. Saints are those who have been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb and are persevering in doing good and in in dying to the flesh (sinful nature), living by faith. They have been born of the Spirit and now live according to the Spirit. God is reproducing His character in His saints. It is not about what you do it is about who, or rather whose, you are. Your who determines your do. Your do does not determine your who. Whose you are determines who you are which determines what you do. Of Christ or not. In Christ or not. Sinner or saint.

Taking the name of the Lord in vain.

2 Corinthians 13:5 (Amplified Bible)
5Examine and test and evaluate your own selves to see whether you are holding to your faith and showing the proper fruits of it. Test and prove yourselves [[a]not Christ]. Do you not yourselves realize and know [thoroughly by an ever-increasing experience] that Jesus Christ is in you--unless you are [counterfeits] disapproved on trial and rejected?

Luke 6:46 "Why do you call Me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say?

I wanted to take a little more time with these two scriptures. I have been studying the scriptures to see what they say about those who call Him Lord in vain. This is a very heavy topic and one that should not be taken lightly. Jesus is very clear in what he says to us throughout the scriptures about loving Him and abiding or remaining in Him and His love. I do not believe that what he has asked us to do is merely to boost His ego. Nor do I believe that it is open for discussion as to "did He really mean what He said?" He is the Way and He is telling us the Way and showing us the Way. We have a choice to make.

If we are doing what He says then He is our Lord. However if we are not doing what He says then He is not our Lord. Therefor we are calling Him Lord in vain. Here in 2 Corinthians 13:5 we are told to examine ourselves to see if we are Holding to our faith and showing the proper fruits of it.
Well the fruit only comes if you are abiding in Christ and Christ in you. So then the fruit is a direct result of you being in Christ and Christ being in you. And so we are told to examine ourselves to see if we are producing the fruit that proves He is in us. You cannot remain in Christ and not produce fruit (John 15:4-5). That is why we call it the fruit of the Spirit. It is a direct result of the Holy Spirit living in you and your obedience to the Spirit. The Spirit produces the fruit your faith keeps you obedient (Romans 1:5). It takes time for this fruit to come to maturity but there should be ever increasing evidence of the work of the Spirit in our lives as we are being formed into the image of Christ.

If we call Jesus Christ our Lord and claim to be a Christian but nothing is changing then we should re-examine our faith and see if it is real. Real faith is character changing, life altering, good fruit producing faith. All else is vanity.

Acts 4:12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."

A humble look in the mirror.

James 1:21 So get rid of all uncleanness and the rampant outgrowth of wickedness, and in a humble (gentle, modest) spirit receive and welcome the Word which implanted and rooted [in your hearts] contains the power to save your souls.

22But be doers of the Word [obey the message], and not merely listeners to it, betraying yourselves [into deception by reasoning contrary to the Truth].

23For if anyone only listens to the Word without obeying it and being a doer of it, he is like a man who looks carefully at his [own] natural face in a mirror;

24For he thoughtfully observes himself, and then goes off and promptly forgets what he was like.

25But he who looks carefully into the faultless law, the [law] of liberty, and is faithful to it and perseveres in looking into it, being not a heedless listener who forgets but an active doer [who obeys], he shall be blessed in his doing (his life of obedience).


I cannot forget what Jesus said in Luke 6:46 "Why do you call Me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say?"  That is a loaded scripture to meditate on. We are told to examine ourselves in 2 Corinthians 13:5...

5Examine and test and evaluate your own selves to see whether you are holding to your faith and showing the proper fruits of it. Test and prove yourselves [[a]not Christ]. Do you not yourselves realize and know [thoroughly by an ever-increasing experience] that Jesus Christ is in you--unless you are [counterfeits] disapproved on trial and rejected?



If we are going to grow in the Lord we have to be willing to come under His authority. We cannot look through the eyes of pride and see truth. Have you ever tried to share with someone who thought they already knew the answer? They were puffed up with knowledge but knew nothing. Have fun with that one. There is no room for God when we are full of ourselves. We must be willing to take an honest look at ourselves by seeing if we are truly changing.

We are to get ourselves in line with Gods Word. He does not step into our will, we step into His. However we cannot know His will if we do not know His Word. We cannot know the Word if we do not become a student of the Word. Study His Word as if you are studying your image in a mirror. Keeping His Word ever before you. Seeking His face.

We must not look into this mirror and see how much of a mess we are and simply turn away. He does not want to leave you where you are. He wants to lift you up. To show you that abundant life that He promised. Are you following Him? Are you submitting to His authority? Is He really your Lord? Make sure that you are not calling Him Lord in vain. Do what He says. Will you?

Born Again

John 3 Amplified
3Jesus answered him, I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, that unless a person is born again (anew, from above), he cannot ever see (know, be acquainted with, and experience) the kingdom of God.

4Nicodemus said to Him, How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter his mother's womb again and be born?

5Jesus answered, I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, unless a man is born of water and [[a]even] the Spirit, he cannot [ever] enter the kingdom of God.(A)

6What is born of [from] the flesh is flesh [of the physical is physical]; and what is born of the Spirit is spirit.

When we accept Christ as our Lord and Savior we are "born again". We are born of water which is when we are birthed out of our mother's womb. We are born of Spirit when we receive the Holy Spirit into our spirit. It goes deeper but I just wanted to give a general understanding.

There is a parallel between being born of the flesh and born of the Spirit that I would like to share with you. We are born as a "newborn" in both. We are babes in Christ when we first accept Him and we have to grow up into a mature adult. This takes time and a desire to do so. I am sure you have observed some people who never grow up. You know what I am talking about. They are adults but maturity is definitely lacking. The same applies to us as we grow in Christ. There are some who were born of the Spirit 20 years ago and probably even know the scriptures. They may be an adult in their age in the Lord but to see how they act gives away their maturity level.

I want for all of you to understand that being "born again" is the beginning. It is a brand new start. The beginning of the abundant life that Jesus died to give us. There is much more life to live outside of infancy. We have the victory in all things in Christ in this life now and eternally.

Philippians 3 Amplified
10[For my determined purpose is] that I may know Him [that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His Person more strongly and more clearly], and that I may in that same way come to know the power outflowing from His resurrection [[b]which it exerts over believers], and that I may so share His sufferings as to be continually transformed [in spirit into His likeness even] to His death, [in the hope]

11That if possible I may attain to the [[c]spiritual and moral] resurrection [that lifts me] out from among the dead [even while in the body].

12Not that I have now attained [this ideal], or have already been made perfect, but I press on to lay hold of (grasp) and make my own, that for which Christ Jesus (the Messiah) has laid hold of me and made me His own.

It's time to grow up!

Ephisians 4:11-24 The Message

He handed out gifts above and below, filled heaven with his gifts, filled earth with his gifts. He handed out gifts of apostle, prophet, evangelist, and pastor-teacher to train Christ's followers in skilled servant work, working within Christ's body, the church, until we're all moving rhythmically and easily with each other, efficient and graceful in response to God's Son, fully mature adults, fully developed within and without, fully alive like Christ.

No prolonged infancies among us, please. We'll not tolerate babes in the woods, small children who are an easy mark for impostors. God wants us to grow up, to know the whole truth and tell it in love—like Christ in everything. We take our lead from Christ, who is the source of everything we do. He keeps us in step with each other. His very breath and blood flow through us, nourishing us so that we will grow up healthy in God, robust in love.

The Old Way Has to Go

And so I insist—and God backs me up on this—that there be no going along with the crowd, the empty-headed, mindless crowd. They've refused for so long to deal with God that they've lost touch not only with God but with reality itself. They can't think straight anymore. Feeling no pain, they let themselves go in sexual obsession, addicted to every sort of perversion.

But that's no life for you. You learned Christ! My assumption is that you have paid careful attention to him, been well instructed in the truth precisely as we have it in Jesus. Since, then, we do not have the excuse of ignorance, everything—and I do mean everything—connected with that old way of life has to go. It's rotten through and through. Get rid of it! And then take on an entirely new way of life—a God-fashioned life, a life renewed from the inside and working itself into your conduct as God accurately reproduces his character in you.

Let the journey begin :)