“UNVEILING THE TRUE FAITH”
By J.Farrell Fisher, December 12-14, 2017
Recently from a television show I heard the statement, “To thine own self be true.” I think it came from Shakespeare in “Hamlet”. But the huge, life-changing or life-destroying question is, “What ‘self’?” Scripturally there is the ‘old self’ or the ‘new self’, the ‘old man’ or the ‘new man,’ the ‘fleshly birthed self’ or the ‘spiritually birthed new man’! And the challenge to answer ‘what self?’ is ever before both the unredeemed and the blood-bought servants of Christ, before the ‘lost’ or the “found”, before the devoted to their flesh-nature or the “re-born” through Holy Spirit birthing!
Do you understand that millions and millions of people live on the “self-philosophy” ingrained by unredeemed parents, blinded by godless educators, and governed by one’s old sin-nature, while in the Spirit-world of “Blood-redemption” and Holy Spirit-Indwelling there are those who’ve had unveiled to them the “true faith”? The truly “born-again” are governed by the Indwelling Christ and the eternal Word of God, yes, revealed in the Bible and from the testimonies of “new-born” sons and daughters of the “True Faith”!
It’s so interesting to me that in Proverbs 6:16-19 the “wise man” unveiled for us the seven things God Himself “hates”! It says: “These six things the Lord hates, yes, seven (things) are an abomination to Him: A proud look, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that are swift in running to evil, a false witness who speaks lies, and one who sows discord among brethren.”
Do you realize or sense the height that some unbelievers rise to in devising their own wicked plans to opposition to eternal Truth or willfully speak ‘lies’, sowing discord in the minds of some who desire the truth but are coerced by friends, family, or forceful world persuaders in rejecting Truth and settling into ‘flesh-acceptance’ of the godless?
In the early days of the birthing of the church through Christ’s Resurrection presence, Acts 19:23 tells us “there arose a great commotion about the Way.” (Are you aware of any great commotions today about the Way? Check out many university campuses and classrooms!). Acts 19:24-34 unveils this strong opposition that continues worldwide even to the present century! It says:
“For a certain man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Diana, brought no small profit to the craftsmen. He called them together with the workers of similar occupation, and said: “Men, you know that we have our prosperity by this trade. Moreover you see and hear that not only in Ephesus, but throughout almost all Asia, this Paul has persuaded and turned away many people, saying that they are not gods which are made with hands.
So not only is this trade of ours in danger of falling into disrepute, but also the temple of the great goddess Diana may be despised and her magnificence destroyed, whom all Asia and the world worship.” Now when they heard this, they were full of wrath and cried out, saying, “Great is Diana of the Ephesians!”
So the whole city was filled with confusion, and rushed into the theater with one accord, having seized Gaius and Aristarchus, Macedonians, Paul’s traveling companions. And when Paul wanted to go in to the people, the disciples would not allow him. Then some of the officials of Asia, who were his friends, sent to him pleading that he would not venture into the theater.
Some therefore cried one thing and some another, for the assembly was confused, and most of them did not know why they had come together. And they drew Alexander out of the multitude, the Jews putting him forward. And Alexander motioned with his hand, and wanted to make his defense to the people. But when they found out that he was a Jew, all with one voice cried out for about two hours, “Great is Diana of the Ephesians!”
I pray you “get the drift”! You are aware of strong, significant, sick opposition, at times in some places, where people arise to defend themselves in their sinful natures, defend their own ‘idolatrous’ ways, and would just as soon see “followers of Christ” martyred than to meet the demands of Biblical Truth: “Repent or else!” In fact, in Acts 20:17-24, Paul testified,
From Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called for the elders of the church. And when they had come to him, he said to them: “You know, from the first day that I came to Asia, in what manner I always lived among you, serving the Lord with all humility, with many tears and trials which happened to me by the plotting of the Jews;
How I kept back nothing that was helpful, but proclaimed it to you, and taught you publicly from house to house, testifying to Jews and also to Greeks, REPENTANCE TOWARD GOD AND FAITH TOWARD OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST. And see, now I go bound in the spirit to Jerusalem, not knowing the things that will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit testifies in every city, saying that chains and tribulations await me.
But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.”
And, thank God, Paul stressed, emphasized, declared the True Faith that begins to be unveiled with repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ! He said later in Acts 20:27-28, “For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God. Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.”
The True Faith Unveiled? Yes, it begins, having been convicted of our sin and separation from Holy God by the Holy Spirit, and enlightened by the Spirit and the Word of Truth, that apart from Christ men and nations are hopeless, convicted men and women rest in the finished work of Christ at Calvary’s cross, repenting and resting and reaching moment by moment into the fullness of the blessing of the gospel of Jesus Christ!
Mrs. H.M.Hall and John T.Grape wrote an old hymn entitled “Jesus Paid It All.” It says: “I hear the Savior say, “Your strength indeed is small, Child of weakness, watch and pray, Find in Me your all in all.
Lord, now indeed I find Your power and You alone, Can change the leper’s spots, And melt the heart of stone.
For nothing good have I Whereby Your grace to claim – I’ll wash my garments white In the blood of Calvary’s Lamb.
And when, before the throne, I stand in Him complete, “Jesus died my soul to save,” My lips shall still repeat.
Jesus paid it all. All to Him I owe; Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow.
I was so inspired by the words of Richard Baxter found in “The Saint’s Everlasting Rest,” (VI), when he wrote: “Despair of ever being saved, ‘except you be born again,’ or of seeing God ‘without holiness,’ or of having part of Christ except you ‘love Him above father, mother, or your own life.’ This kind of despair is one of the first steps to heaven.”
What did Jesus Himself tell us in John 10:9-11? “I AM the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it abundantly.”
SECOND, HAVING REPENTED TOWARD GOD AND RESTED BY FAITH IN HIS RESURRECTED PRESENCE, WE BEGIN THE SPIRITUAL JOURNEY FROM INFANCY, TO CHILDHOOD, TO YOUTHFUL ADVANCE IN THE FAITH, AND TO ‘ADULT’ MATURITY! In 2 Corinthians 5:17 we read, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” Didn’t the Lord and Savior say that “you must be born again”? And if that’s true, and it is, are “infants” in the faith mature in every phase of the divine ‘life in Christ’?
Don’t you find it interesting that in 1 John 2:1 that the beloved John addressed new believers to whom he wrote as “my little children”? Arrogance or spiritual wisdom and understanding? Later in 1 John 2:12-14 he discussed ‘little children,’ ‘fathers of the faith’, and ‘young men’. Follow: “I write to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for His name’s sake.
I write to you, fathers, because you have known Him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you have overcome the wicked one. I write to you, little children, because you have known the Father.
I have written to you, fathers, because you have known Him who is from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the wicked one.”
The strong foundation for one’s redeemed life is the reality, the miracle of grace, the transformation from spiritual blindness and alienation from God to an assured, changed servant of the Redeemer and Lord. In John 9:24-25 the arrogant, religious Pharisees were challenging the man born blind that Jesus healed. The Pharisees said to the “new-born” man, “Give God the glory! We know that this Man is a sinner”, speaking of Christ Jesus the Healer-Redeemer, with the “healed man” answering in verse 25, “Whether He is a sinner or not I do not know. One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see.”
And, of course, the Pharisees wanted no part with a “Healer”, telling the healed blind man, in verse 29, “We know that God spoke to Moses; as for this fellow, we do not know where He is from.” The “healed man” responded in Verse 30, “Why, this is a marvelous thing, that you do not know where He is from; yet He has opened my eyes,” saying also in verse 33, “If this Man were not from God, He could do nothing.”
The ‘religious Pharisees’, then and now, were and are intent on silencing voices of Truth and redemptive faith through Christ alone, so the “healed man” was cast out! When Jesus heard that they had cast him out, Jesus sought the formerly blind man, saying to him in Verse 35: “Do you believe in the Son of God?” He said: Who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him?” Jesus responded, “You have both seen Him and it is He who is talking with you.” And the formerly blind man said, “Lord, I believe!”(I trust in, rely upon, and adhere to the Blessed Redeemer!).
The Lord Jesus then responded in Verse 39, “For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind.” The ‘non-seers’ who have their eyes opened are made by grace to be seers of the True Christ, but the “seers” who don’t see the Christ are “made blind”! And, the “redeemed to see” the eternal Truth are “gifted” by the grace of God and begin their pilgrimage in the fullness of the blessing of the gospel of Jesus Christ!
THIRD, THAT JOURNEY OF FAITH IN THE “MASTER-TEACHER” IS A LIFE OF SUBMISSION AND OBEDIENCE TO HIS EXAMPLE! In Luke 22:24-27 we learn about an early dispute among Jesus’ disciples as to which of them should be considered as the greatest. And He said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those who exercise authority over them are called benefactors. BUT NOT SO AMONG YOU; on the contrary, he who is greatest among you, let him be as the younger, and he who governs as he who serves. For who is greater, he who sits at the table, or he who serves? Is it not he who sits at the table? Yet I am among you at the One who serves!”
Horatius Bonar once said: “Go, labour on; spend and be spent – your joy to do the Father’s will; it is the way the Master went; should not the servant tread it still?” And ‘service’ in and through and for the honor of Christ Jesus is not “best-effort- attempts” to be like Him, but allowing Him to be Himself through our available vessel!
According to Psalm 100:2-4 there is such illuminating understanding of what service to Him is all about, which is finished with one’s self-motivation’ and allowing Him to be His all in all in and through us! The psalm of thanksgiving, in verses 2-4 says, “Serve the Lord with gladness; come before His presence with singing. KNOW that the Lord, He is God; it is He who has made us and not we ourselves; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise.”
Yes, it is “Christ in you that is the hope of glory,” not fine-tuned, best effort ‘flesh’ but Holy Presence being Himself in obedience to the Father’s eternal, heavenly will! Perfect liberty in Christ Is death to one’s self that His Resurrected, Reining Presence may be released through children of the True Faith!
If there is gladness in a redeemed heart, it goes beyond the reality of one’s forgiveness in and through the Master’s shed blood, death, and resurrection, but in the reality of His Resurrection Presence, being Himself in us and through us! Did Paul tell us in 1 Corinthians 15:31, “I die daily”? Died daily? In 2 Corinthians 1:9 he said, “Yes, we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves but in God who raise the dead…” And, in Christ we were raised to “new life” which is “Christ in you the hope of glory”!
Isn’t there a modern-day chorus that says: “Jesus, be Jesus in me, no longer me but Thee; ‘Resurrection Power’ fill me this hour, Jesus, be Jesus in me”? That’s the journey of faith in the “Master-Teacher”, which even for Him was a life of submission and obedience to His Father in heaven! “Father, Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.” And that was through His availability to the Father as a surrendered Son, yes, even the Cross!