DAY 3 - COUNTING TO ASCENSION

DAY 2:  POST RESURRECTION

Matthew 7:15-23
15”Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.
21”Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ 23Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’


These are tough words. I went searching in my Bible to try to sort out a huge discrepancy in TRUTH in a situation I was faced with. My solution was that I opted out of the conversation. And now my only recourse is to seek to hear God’s message for me in this.

It’s easy to see false in the conspicuously false.  I wrote about that the day Matthew 7 was my chapter for the day. What is far more difficult and requires us to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit is the false prophet who comes in sheep’s clothing – in Jesus’ clothing – yet is prickly and thorny. We are admonished that we will recognize them by their fruit.

Galatians 5:22-23 tells us what the fruit of the Spirit is:
22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

Of course, there is another ‘fruit’: how we influence, disciple, lead others to follow Jesus. A ‘follow me as I follow Christ’ directive. Clearly that can only come by cultivating and evidencing the fruits of the Spirit – which is done by the Spirit working in our lives. Ultimately it is all about Him! He is the author and finisher of our faith.

In our Matthew passage, it clearly states that even those who claim to prophesy in His name, drive out demons and perform many miracles will be banished from the Kingdom if they weren’t known by Him.

I’m having a very hard time with all of this because of a specific situation where the Spirit within me does not affirm another person’s spirit who claims to be speaking for Jesus.

How does this passage from Matthew instruct my life?

It reminds me:

1.  . . . not to get into arguments with people who are not seriously interested in discussion. (I do not need to attend every argument I am invited to.)

2.  . . . not to put myself in place of judge – but to leave that to God. To pray for those who speak maliciously about God’s chosen, but leave judgment to the Holy Spirit, being reminded that there is a Spiritual battle involved. I am compelled to observe – and examine myself – but not to judge. I cannot see the heart.

3.  . . . to use the Word as my plumb line.

4.  . . . to examine my heart, submit my will to the Lord, and continue to be an intentional Christian – reflecting His love as He leads.

5.  . . . and to try not to let this situation steal my joy.

The truth is, I have all I can handle keeping myself in line with God’s will, and following His leading to use the gifts He has given me for His glory. I believe God calls me to point out the truth – but not to be responsible for the results…. That’s the Holy Spirit’s territory.

Lord, I want to be a mirror reflecting Your incredible love. Help others know the peace you offer, and to know there is nothing they can do to be loved more by You. Because of Your great love, You give us things to do in your kingdom for Your glory. Help me do those things you place in my hands with joy! Help me glorify you in all I do.

An excerpt from my daily prayer list follows:

I NEED YOU TO EQUIP ME TO WALK IN YOUR RIGHTEOUSNESS TODAY:
Ephesians 6:10-18

10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

I learned a long time ago that the greatest lie is the one with the most truth in it. God gave us the perfect model to follow: God himself, incarnate in Jesus Christ – full of grace and Truth . . . . His Spirit witnesses with my Spirit – and that is the voice I have to trust.

I’m so glad God is the one who will judge. I will stand before Him on that day, knowing I have not done enough to deserve His love. The reality is, none of us will. It is impossible. All that we do has to come from a heart of love – His transforming love – and all we do is merely in response to His great love . . . . but it will never be enough.  It wasn’t intended to be. “We are saved by grace through faith, and that not of ourselves. It is the gift of God, not of works, so that no one can boast.”

We can’t do anything to earn or deserve His love. But we can accept it. And respond to it. And our response compels us to share His love – in love . . . . In your going, disciple . . . . That is the Great Commission.

Humor for today: (I grew up blond, so I can tell blond jokes!)
Bambi, a blond in her fourth year as a UCLA freshman, was in her U S Government class.

The professor asked Bambi if she knew what Roe vs. Wade was all about.

She thought about it for awhile then replied, “That was the decision George Washington had to make before he crossed the Delaware.”

Journey to the Cross 2017, Day 7

Wednesday, Day 7: Matthew 7                           

This is another of those chapters that covers a lot of terrain. Another sermon series . . . . I see some wonderful ‘what if’s’ in this chapter: What if we lived by the guidelines suggested, that however we thought about others, God would think of us, and to whatever extent we extend grace to others, God would extend grace to us? We cannot help but observe – but we are absolutely admonished to leave judgment to the Lord (or be willing to be judged by the exact same standard with which we judge), pay attention to our own shortcomings, and treat others as we want to be treated. It’s nutshell Christianity where the rubber meets the road.

Then in verse 13 the message switches to admonishments about how to get to heaven and whom to believe. There is only one way. Jesus is the narrow gate. No options. No other way.

False prophets were warned against in Jesus’ day – and they have been surfacing ever since – misleading people with false promises and erroneous information. Just in quick review I can think of several: The Church of Jesus Christ Christian AKA The Aryan Nation, which was/is neither Christlike nor Christian (perhaps a redundant statement  – but I want it to be perfectly clear!); Jim Jones & his Jonestown, Guyana followers who committed mass suicide; David Koresh and the Branch Davidians; the Bahgwan Shree Rajneesh and his compound in Antelope, Oregon; and a plethora of -isms that fail to present Jesus Christ as the only way to God. False prophets bear fruit, but it is bad fruit . . . . Bad fruit poisons and misleads people. It may seem appealing, but it’s like trying to make a ‘balanced diet’ out of marshmallows. Jesus’ message is a message of His love. It welcomes our taking responsibility for our choice. He wants us to choose Him, but we aren’t forced to. And – it’s personal.

Perhaps the most compelling verses in this chapter are 21 - 23. “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father, who is in heaven . . . .”

Several years ago I read a book titled The Vintage Jesus because I wanted to know if the author teaches the truth.  His vernacular made me gasp a few times – but technically I have only one issue where I disagree – not about who God is, but about who we are.

I disagree on the same issue with my own church and have stated that, sometimes vociferously. The statement I disagree with is that ‘we are all sinners.’ I strongly object to that as our designation once we have accepted Christ so I take exception to that statement, and believe that it restrains people from living up to their best in Christ and as Christians.  “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he . . . .”  If I think of myself as a sinner it excuses me quite easily from living up to the standard Christ sets for me. Our identity is to be in Christ – and it holds us to a very high standard. Our plumb line is straight – Christ Himself. My identity is no longer ‘Sinner’ but ‘child of God’; ‘dearly beloved’ (aka loved one); ‘saint’; ‘redeemed’; ‘saved’; ‘friend’; joint heir with Christ.

“While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” – but once we accept Him, we are no longer identified as ‘sinners’ but as ‘saved by His grace’. My daughter will ask for proof from scripture, so here it is:

Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (note the past tense)

John 1:12 Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—

John 13:33 “My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come . . . .”

Romans 8:16-17 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

John 15:14-15 You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.

Romans 9:25-26 As he says in Hosea:
“I will call them ‘my people’ who are not my people;
and I will call her ‘my loved one’ who is not my loved one,” and,
“It will happen that in the very place where it was said to them,
‘You are not my people,’
they will be called ‘sons of the living God.’ “

Ephesians 1:18 I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints

Acts 2:21 And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

Luke 1:68 Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come and has redeemed his people.

We are the redeemed - our identity is not ‘sinners.’ That is not to say we do not sin.  We do. But, just like a child, we live up to how we are identified. If you want a child to do well, you praise his strong points, rather than focus on the negatives. When a preacher says “We are all sinners” I react. It was my identity. Now my identity has changed. I realize Paul identifies himself as the chiefest of sinners – but he does us a disservice not to put it in the past tense. O K - I can step down from that soapbox now . . . .

Chapter 7 ends with the story of the man who built his house upon the rock. When we build our lives on the solid teaching of Jesus Christ - our Rock - no storm can destroy our house - but when lives are built on anything else, it is like building on shifting sand, and when trouble comes - and trouble always will come – that house will not stand . . . .

The children’s chorus from my childhood has been wending its way through my brain all day.

The wise man built his house upon a rock
The wise man built his house upon a rock

The wise man built his house upon a rock

And the rain came tumbling down

The rains came down as the floods came up

The rains came down as the floods came up

The rains came down as the floods came up

And the house on the rock stood firm.

The foolish man built his house upon the sand
The foolish man built his house upon the sand

The foolish man built his house upon the sand

And the rain came tumbling down

The rains came down as the floods came up

The rains came down as the floods came up

The rains came down as the floods came up

And the house on the sand went splat!

So build your life on the Lord Jesus Christ

So build your life on the Lord Jesus Christ

Sp build your life on the Lord Jesus Christ

And the blessings will come down

The blessings come down as the prayers go up

The blessings come down as the prayers go up

The blessings come down as the prayers go up

So build your house on the Lord

Prayer for today:  

Dear Lord, help us see ourselves as You see us:  redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, Your only begotten Son, who gave His life and poured out His blood as the payment for sin so we are no longer called 'sinners'  – who are those who are away from You – but as 'sons' and 'daughters', which You have made us by Your grace.  

Amen

Humor for today:
Bill and Joe went on a camping trip. Joe took his old canvas framed tent to be their ‘home away from home.’ After they got it set up and organized with the cots in just the right places and all their gear appropriately stowed, they were worn out, so they crawled in and fell fast asleep. Several hours later Joe woke up, and waking Bill, asked him, “Bill - look up and tell me what you see.”

Bill replied, “I see millions of stars.”

“What does that tell you?” asked Joe.

Bill thought for a moment and then patiently responded, “Astronomically speaking, it tells me there are millions of galaxies, and potentially billions of planet. Astrologically, it tells me that Saturn is in Leo. Timewise, it appears to be approximately a quarter past three. Theologically, it’s evident the Lord is all-powerful and we are small and insignificant. Meteorologically, it seems we will have a beautiful day when we get up later today. What does it tell you, Joe?”

“Well,” Joe observed, “It tells me that someone has stolen our tent.”