“THE GOD WHO MAKES THE DIFFERENCE!”
By: J.Farrell Fisher, Sept.20-22, 2017
You are aware that in the early days of human existence, physically breathing because of the grace of God, that much of fallen humanity ‘bowed’ before idols of theirs’ and Satan’s manufacturing, because Satan for sure didn’t want to see his ‘captives’ turning to the One True Living God! Yes, Satan in different disguises wanted humanity in his kingdom of darkness, self-worship, and deep depravity! Sadly, across the world there are still many under his dark cloud!
Intellectual ‘geniuses’ are mindful of the mind but oblivious and darkened in the heart, guided by ‘pigs’ ears’! Sadly, most of fallen humanity still lives with the dangerous plague of unbelief and self-deceit, fully confident in themselves to do “as I damn-well please”, deafened to the loving call of God because of a serious plague and sickness of ‘flesh-stubbornness and mindful ignorance’ of the eternal need of Holy God to make the difference in their earthly existence!
They either know and don’t care or know but desire to please ‘flesh’ first, and if they have time, maybe later, they’ll consider the claims of Christ! They resist Paul’s holy word in Romans 6:4, “Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death (That’s “crucified with Christ!”), that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, EVEN SO we also should walk in newness of life.”
But, enjoying the ‘old man’, even knowing it WAS “crucified with Christ”, unbelieving men and women ‘live’ (?) to ‘enjoy’ the rotten fruits of the ‘dead tree’ of their own hearts! The truth is, some delight in their old sin natures, EVEN fully aware the Word declares, because of Christ’s blood sacrifice, “sin shall not have dominion over you,” (Romans 6:14), with Paul then hitting the “grand slam Of Biblical Truth” in Romans 6:15-18, when he said: “What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not (May it never be!)! Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you ARE that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? But GOD BE THANKED that though YOU WERE slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. AND having been SET FREE FROM SIN, you became slaves of righteousness.”
And, if you are a ‘slave of righteousness’ through Christ’s finished work at the Cross and the empty tomb, why would one even ‘think’ that sin in the flesh is still “my option because ‘Jesus understands’”?
The brother of Jesus, James, was inspired to write a very powerful word in James 1:2-8 when he said: “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a “DOUBLE-MINDED MAN”, unstable in all his ways.”
Are you aware that a “double-minded man”, unstable in all his ways, professing faith in Christ, will insult the Spirit of grace as they, yes, willfully and rebelliously resurrect the old, crucified remains of the ‘carnal life’, revealing a ‘love affair’ with one’s still ‘independent individuality’ as deserving indulgence in it as often as he/she feels ‘constrained’ to bow before the idol they loved so dearly without God interfering?
Oh, and for those who don’t believe their careless indifference to their “old” sin natures makes a difference in their NOW professed faith, consider what John records about Jesus in John 2:23-25! “Now when Jesus was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name when they saw the signs which He did. But Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He knew all men, and had no need that anyone should testify of man, for He knew what was in man.”
In Luke 12:41-46 the disciples then learned what awaited wise and unwise followers of Christ or the faithful and evil servant. Jesus said: “Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his master will make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of food in due season? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. Truly, I say to you, that he will make him ruler over all that he has. BUT if that servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming, and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and be drunk, the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.” (Check out Jeremiah 34:18-20!). Does that speak of believers forfeiting their salvation in Christ because of a ‘greater love for sin than the Savior’? Did Jesus say ‘the master’ cuts him into and appoints his portion with the unbelievers?
I don’t believe you’ll find anywhere in the Word that if Holy God says, ‘Come to Me and I’ll give you rest’, that that ‘rest’ is relief from trouble, storms, dark clouds or dark moments, even trials, tribulations, or ‘testings’ of our true faith in Christ as our Lord, Savior, and Master of our lives. Christ Jesus WALKED on the stormy seas – He wasn’t exempt from them and neither are you or me!
In Romans 8:35-37 Paul wrote: “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written: ‘For your sake we are killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.’ Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
And, hear me! The Christ who lives in you lives in you in the fullness of God’s amazing love for Him and for you! And if Christ does live in you by your repentance toward God and your faith in Christ’s finished work at the Cross, and that He lives resurrected right now at the right hand throne of God, He does so interceding in your behalf, releasing His overcoming power and might to strengthen you, sustain you, and empower you to overcome through Him any or all satanic, demonic, worldly forces who’d rather see you dead than “Living in Jesus”! If YOU are “in Christ”, you WILL face trouble on the horizon if it hasn’t already come! Your enemy? The world, your old sin nature, and Satan himself AND his numerous demonic forces!
In Matthew 11:28-30 Christ Jesus said: “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Have YOU ‘taken Christ’s yoke’ upon your life of faith, trust, and obedience to the King of kings and Lord of lords? Sadly, some have substituted Christ’s yoke with ‘church membership’, refuting the necessity of, yes, ‘being bound’ under His Lordship!
It’s really amazing and uplifting to receive and rest in Hebrews 10:12-14 as the Holy Word declares: “But this Man (speaking of Christ Jesus!), after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool. For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.” Through Christ’s shed blood Holy God “justifies” us as we repent and turn fully to Him, but the Word declares our “sanctification” as a “being sanctified” process as day by day we take the sentence of death daily to our old sin natures, choosing by His grace, mercy, and love of the Father, to be BLESSED with “being changed” into the likeness and image of our Lord and Savior! And Jesus said, John 16:26, “But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds (or “comes out of the Father”!) from the Father, He will testify of Me.”
The necessary question right now to every believer? “Having trusted Christ, are YOU obeying His Word to, yes, all disciples then and now”, John 20:22? Jesus breathed on His disciples, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit!”
Earlier, in John 16:7-14, the Lord Jesus clearly explained the necessity of every ‘new-born life’ receiving the third person of the Holy Trinity, the Holy Spirit. He said: “Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. AND when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment; of sin, because they do not believe Me; of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.
I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will GUIDE YOU INTO ALL TRUTH; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.”
The question of the moment for you? Have YOU received the “faithful guide”, is Christ being “glorified” in you and through you, and is He, the presiding Holy Spirit, daily sustaining and unveiling to you ALL CHRIST JESUS WANTS YOU TO KNOW BY HIS PROMISED HOLY SPIRIT?
In Psalm 143:8-12 David sang another song of entreaty for, yes, the guidance of the Holy Spirit in his life. He said: “Cause me to hear Your lovingkindness in the morning, for in You do I trust; Cause me to know the way in which I should walk, for I lift up my soul to You.
Deliver me, O Lord, from my enemies; in You I take shelter. Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God; Your Spirit is good. Lead me in the land of uprightness. Revive me, O Lord, for Your name’s sake! For Your righteousness’ sake bring my soul out of trouble. In Your mercy cut off my enemies, and destroy all those who afflict my soul; for I am Your servant.”
Is it, for YOU, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit who glorifies Himself through you, or, have YOU been deceived into a mind-set of “fleshly best” with a ‘demonized attitude’ of your best in place of “crucified with Christ” and “raised to new life” in and through the Holy Spirit? In 1 Corinthians 15:10 Paul wrote: “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.” In fact, earlier, in 1 Corinthians 12:3b, Paul said: “…and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit,” explaining in Verses 7-11, “But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to EACH ONE for the profit of all: for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another the gifts of healings by the same Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually AS HE WILLS.” How clear is that to you, and if someone says to you, “If you don’t speak in tongues, you don’t have the Holy Spirit,” just how clear is their deception to you?
I ask YOU: “Is your life in Christ the resident temple-presence of the abiding Holy Spirit?” Yet, how many do you know who are ‘dumb-founded’ by the truth that every disciple in Christ is a tree of life upon which the Holy Spirit manifests the “FRUIT” of the God-head bodily in them?
In 2 Corinthians 13:4-5 read carefully!! “For though He (Christ Jesus) was crucified in weakness, YET He lives by the power of God. For we also are weak in Him, but we shall live with Him by the power of God toward you.” If you are “in Christ”, have you never sensed, been awakened to, or been empowered by the ‘surging wind of Holy Spirit presence and empowerment’ in you? You have “no waves” of strong Holy Spirit presence? It may be time to seek counsel from a truly gift-bearing servant of Christ known by his or her fruits!
In Matthew 7:15-20 the Lord Jesus said: “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thorn-bushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. THEREFORE by their fruits you will know them.”
What ‘world’ have you chosen to live in? The world where you “call the shots”, the world that has so attracted your ‘flesh’ that the Holy Spirit is shunned, the world where the ‘worldly man’ is satisfied with satisfying his old sin nature, turning away Christ’s knock at his heart’s door and mind? When the remnants of the old sin nature call, many, professing faith, will run to the door to welcome the world, the flesh, and Satan himself, because they, yes, choose darkness rather than light, this world around them rather than the Kingdom of God, and the enticing ‘friends’ of “Christ-forsaken” rather than choosing to be “the friend of God”!
It was Robert Burns, in his writing “The Cotter’s Saturday Night”, who wrote: “Compared with this (true devotion and Redemptive Faith!), how poor Religion’s pride, In all the pomp of method and of art, When men display to congregations wide, Devotion’s every grace, except the heart!” Does that ring a warning bell in your heart and mind as to ‘who’ really and truly walks with Jesus as Lord, Savior, and Master over their hearts and lives?
The wise man of Proverbs, Proverbs 16:18-19, wrote: “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. Better to be of a humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud.” Earlier the wise man wrote in Proverbs 3:34-35, “Surely God scorns the scornful, but gives grace to the humble. The wise shall inherit glory, but shame shall be the legacy of fools.”
Be assured: The scornful, the proud, the unbelieving who resist God’s grace, love, and mercy inherit the ‘shame’ of unbelief and take their place in eternity within the palace walls of Hell itself with Satan and his hosts who reject the amazing love and grace of Holy God! And, yes, there are ravenous wolves in sheep’s clothing who come to you to lead you astray in their ‘way’ which is not “The Way” of Christ alone!