Who Is Without Sin?

“So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.” John 8:7 

As Christians we need to learn to be truthful with ourselves about our worldly status. These people wanted this woman stoned to death. This is while they were tempting the Lord Jesus Christ by the Law of Moses. We do not know what, if anything significant Jesus wrote on the ground as He ignored them. This we do know, He asked a direct and very powerful statement, “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her”. I would like to ask you, whom among you is without sin in your life? I am not talking about being cleansed by the blood of Jesus, I am talking about after your saved, who is without sin? As Christians we need to be careful that we do not think more highly of ourselves than we ought too. “For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.” Romans 12:3 When a person believes themselves to be more holy, righteous, or a more important Christian than others then they “think of himself more highly than he ought to think”. God said he has “dealt to every man the measure of faith.” And that measure of faith is by grace. However, it also limits Christians in their ability to understand, walk, and to abide by the scriptures. Sadly it fears me that there are a lot of Christians that think more highly of themselves than they should. The Apostle Paul said, “But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.” 1 Corinthians 15:10 Paul understood that what he was as a Christian, it was totally by God’s grace. Paul even went on to say “I laboured more abundantly than they all” Paul realized that “I do not attribute it to myself, nor would I not boast of it”. Paul, I believed understood that God had used him mightily in this world, but he was not about to boast of it. I believe, to be a good Christian, Minister, Missionary, or Pastor we “to think soberly” that is clear headed about who we truly are. We are not better than another Christian, we may labor harder, live more clean lives, believe more truth, but we are all sinners, even after salvation. This woman in John 8:7 was going to sin again, but as a forgiven Christian Jesus told her to go, and your sins are forgiven you. We as Christians need to be thankful that God has forgiven all our sins, because if not we would all be in hell when we die. We need to remember that “but the grace of God which was with me” is the reason we believe one ounce of truth or have any good in our earthly life. We will all learn at judgment time that we were not perfect, infallible, but sinners that lived day by day by grace. Some sit around sounding off as though they are supreme authority on the scriptures, that they know it all and there is not room for error or difference, these people need “to think soberly”. As a Pastor you are responsible for the church that God has set you in as their pastor. Tend to your own flock, because while you are attempting to tend to other flocks yours may be falling apart. We do not have any Apostles today, I believe there were only twelve and Paul was the last one. Your articles and books are not divinely inspired as scripture, they are not flawless. How will it feel to stand before Jesus Christ and be told you were wrong on some doctrine? There is not to be division among the believers in Jesus Christ. The early Christians were arguing over whether they could eat meat or not, Paul told them “Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another. Romans 14:19 Let us search for things we can “uplift” one another, we should never work against each other, but find common ground. Paul also wrote “How is it then, brethren? when ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying.” 1 Corinthians 14:26 Beloved, no one is perfect, no one is better than anyone else, and we are all wrong about something. Let us pray that what we do believe is truth, because I know who I am, a sinner saved by grace, but still fallible. But when you come to our church I will seek ways to edify you not to tear you apart. I pray everyday that where there might be error in any part on my doctrine, thinking, pastoring, or ways, that God gives me the grace to be right. May God help us all to be better Christians.   

Jesus Christ Is Still King And Saviour.

Revelation 1:8 “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.”

Sometime as Christians we must wonder why God has allowed us to remain in this world. I often wonder what the real plan of God is. However, I know that my Redeemer lives and is still accomplishing His glorious will. I know that no matter how awful times get, the hate gets, and people turn against each other, that God has a plan and that plan is still working. Jesus said He was the “Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending” and therefore this must all be in His plan no matter how ugly the world gets. I know that in the end that Jesus Christ will be standing with all the redeemed saints throughout time. The reason I know this is because He promised He is “the ending” and in my study of the Book of Revelations I see Jesus sitting in the New Jerusalem which will descend from heaven for Jesus and His people, praise the Lord! “And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.” Revelation 21:2 Once God has melted the earth with “fervent heat” then He will prepare it for Jesus and His bride and all the saved. What a glorious time it will be for us who know Jesus Christ as our Saviour. The Apostle Paul wrote to young Timothy, “For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.” 2 Timothy 1:12 I also know whom I have believed and I am never in doubt that He will keep all His promises to me. So, I also suffer these things in this ugly, hating world because I know the end. I also know that my God knows my stand and strength in Him, He know the faith I have, He know the suffering we believers of truth suffer, and He will not forget. “The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him.” Nahum 1:7 I thank my Lord God, my Master that He gives me the ability to stand strong for Him. I thank Him that He chose me for this time, and this walk, and without question I have no doubt. I am thankful to actually see the scriptures unveiled and come to reality right before my eye. Maybe the Lord will be gracious and allow us to be here when the last trump sounds and Jesus sends His angels to the four corners of the earth to gather all the saints from the earth. However, either way I am ready for the task which God has ordained for me and I will continue to march forward with the gospel of Jesus Christ until God calls me home or Jesus returns. When Jesus saved Saul of Tarsus (or Paul) Jesus said, “For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake.” Acts 9:16 Believers, we to must suffer for the name sake of Jesus Christ, and whatever that suffering may be Jesus Christ is with us till the end. God has us here for a reason, and while that reason is unknown to us, we need to continue to march forward with the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ in hand preaching it to a lost and dying world. Remember this, no matter how bad times get we will be standing with Jesus in the end. Jesus Christ Is Still King and Saviour without question, rejoice in your suffering for the name of the Lord.

Watch Whom You Walk With.

“He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.” Proverbs 13:20 

If you are a Christian, a believer in Jesus Christ, then you belong to the Lord. Jesus expects certain things from believers, God said that they are “…bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.” 1 Corinthians 6:20 Bought with the blood of Jesus, chosen before the foundation of the world, and died and rose again with Jesus Christ. That sounds really good to me, I love being a child of God. Sure, sometimes it hurts not having the fun the lost can have, but look what God has given to you, SALVATION! The writer of the Provers thru the Holy Spirit wrote, wise men walk wisely and wise people who walk disorderly walk in destruction. See, regardless what some people say only a foolish Christian walk with fools, or lost people. My sibling brother once used to say, “you are with whom you walk with”. He died at the age of 47 but this thought has always lived with me. He was exactly right because that is exactly what God is saying right here thru King Solomon in Proverbs. When Paul told us in 1 Corinthians 6:20 “…glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.” He means with your entire body, your entire existence, and then he adds “your spirit” that is that which was made alive in salvation. Lost people have no living spirit about them, that is what the Holy Spirit makes alive when you are saved. “Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)” Ephesians 2:5 The quickening is to make alive, our dead spirits are what God has quickened. It is with our living spirit that God communicates with us. God calls it the inner man Eph. 3:16, He also calls it the heart Rom. 10:10. It is what God uses to talk to us and to teach us and to cause us to believe truth. God tells us that our worship should be spiritual, that receiving and understanding His word through our inner person or our heart or our spirit. This is why lost people cannot understand God, this is also why God never talks to them, their heart is dead. “For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.” Matthew 13:15 Therefore they only do evil continually, there is no good in them, they only live in darkness. Oh, they might have some moral values good about them that we can see, but God does not care about moral value goodness. If you are walking in this world with the lost then their ways you will do, even if you do not recognize it. So, as a Christian God bought you from the power of Satan and evil by His dear Son Jesus Christ. “Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men.” 1 Corinthians 7:23 Why do you think God did that, so you can walk in darkness with the lost? Paul went on to write “Brethren, let every man, wherein he is called, therein abide with God.” V. 24 If you are saved you were saved for a reason, a purpose and that is to walk with God and not with the lost world. We are to “abide with God” the word “abide” means – to stay or dwell - with God, it is not an option, but a command. As my brother once said you are with whom you are walking with in life, walk with the lost and your life is useless to the work of God. You are disobeying God and you have no respect for the very one whom saved your worthless soul. Listen closely to Paul in 1 Corinthians 7:22 “For he that is called in the Lord, being a servant, is the Lord's freeman: likewise also he that is called, being free, is Christ's servant.” Let us define “freeman” - one freed away – that is freed away from the power of sin and Satan. Since you have been freed away from sin and Satan then stop serving sin and serve God, that is why God saved you, to be His servant. If you are a Christian ask yourself this very question, “For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.” Galatians 1:10 The question is real, we all need to ask and answer this question to ourselves. Does our entire existence serve God? If it does not, then we are failing to serve God. People like to make-believe that they serve God, but in reality, they are serving Satan as a converted sinner, and Satan loves that. Revelation 12:10 “…for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.” Every time you walk outside of God you give Satan another reason to accuse you before God. That is not pleasing to the gracious God whom sent is  His own Son to die on the wicked cross to save your soul. Think about it!

Our dealings with the Religious.

2 John 7 – 11
It seems to me that we (Sovereign Grace Baptist) are to be tolerant with the “religious Christians”. What I mean by religious Christians is those who treat Christianity like a “don’t really believe in Jesus Christ”, they believe in manmade doctrines. There is one single way to be saved and that is through Jesus Christ by God’s grace and the work of the Holy Spirit. If people believe any different then they are not saved and most certainly are not Christians, they are religionist. The word Christian was recorded in Acts 11:26 “And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.” And it means – a follower of Christ – to be a follower of Christ is to be a follower of His teachings or doctrine. We also know that no one will follow Christ’s doctrine unless they are saved. Isaiah 9:13 “For the people turneth not unto him that smiteth them, neither do they seek the LORD of hosts.” Therefore, they turn to man made doctrine, or false teachings. We are not all Christians, just because an assembly calls themselves a church it does not make them a church. Just because a person declares themselves a Christian it does not make them a Christian. So, what should our attitude and tolerance be toward those who are of another doctrine? God said, 2 Corinthians 6:17 “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,” we are to be separate from them, that is we are not to worship together, nor share our churches and pulpits with them. We also see God tell us 2 Corinthians 6:14 “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?” We saw how dangerous this can be before the flood. Genesis 6:1 - 2, 5 - 6 “And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, (2) That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. (5) And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. (6) And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.” Can’t we learn from history, we are not different, fellowship and marriage with the unbelievers is not different for us. So, what should be our relationship with unbelievers, or those of other doctrine? It must be a very careful one, not exposing ourselves to their teachings nor allowing their influencing of us. We are not to attempt to help expand their thoughts or teachings. It is when Christians and churches draw a close relationship with unbelieving “Christian” that we lose our status and closeness with God, see we must walk in the light to have fellowship with the Light. “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.” 1 John 1:7 And “Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O LORD, in the light of thy countenance.” Psalms 89:15