Donna Kupp
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 Posted: Sun Aug 10, 2008 1:33 am Post subject: ASK YOURSELF: "Does God Know Me? |
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THE TEACHING OF JESUS:
As He was teaching the "Sermon on the Mount", Jesus warned His
disciples that even though someone may say "Jesus is Lord" and
manifests a "spiritual gift", these things are not proof of Salvation.
Rather, it is only the one who does the will of God who will enter the
Kingdom of God.
"Not every one who says to me, "Lord, Lord" shall enter the
Kingdom of Heaven, but he who DOES THE WILL of My Father
who is in heaven.
On that day many will say to Me,
"Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name,
and cast out demons in your name,
and do many mighty works in your name?"
And I will declare to them,
"I never KNEW you depart from Me you EVILDOERS."
Matthew 7:21 RSV
THE SCRIPTURES DEFINE WHOM GOD "KNOWS":
"But if one LOVES God, one is KNOWN by Him."
1 Corinthians 8:3 RSV
"He who has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who LOVES
me."
John 14:21 RSV
"The Lord KNOWETH them that are HIS."
2 Timothy 2:19 KJV
["And they that ARE CHRIST'S have crucified the flesh
with the affections and lusts." Galatians 5:24]
God knows all men, but only a few are "known" by the Lord in the
Biblical sense, that is, as Adam "knew" Eve. To be "known by God"
represents the spiritual union of Jesus with his people. (The
Bridegroom and His bride.) Those who say "Lord, Lord" yet continue to
willfully sin have never experienced this union. Thus Jesus will say
to the EVILDOERS: "Depart from me..."
Who are the "EVILDOERS"? This word comes from the Greek "Anomian,"
which means illegality or violation of the law and generally
wickedness. The apostle John used the same word "Anomia" to give us a
clear definition of what true "sin" is. He said:
"...sin is the transgression of the law." 1 John 3:4 KJV
Anomia
Therefore, a literal translation of what Jesus is going to declare to
the EVILDOERS who say "Lord, Lord," is this:
"I never KNEW you, depart from Me you that transgress the law."
Anomian (Evildoers)
"ANOMIAN" IN TODAY'S CHURCH.
Another revealing use of the word "anomian" is recorded in Matthew's
gospel. During the Olivet discourse, as Jesus was speaking to the men
who were to become His apostles, He foretold of the conditions that
would exist near the end times. He said:
* "And many false prophets will arise, and will mislead many.
* And because lawlessness is increased
Anomian
* most people's LOVE will grow cold." Matthew 24:11 NAS
As you look about your world, your church, and perhaps even yourself,
do you recognize any of the conditions that Jesus said would come to
pass?
1. Many false teachers will arise (within the church) to lead the
people astray.
2. And lawlessness (transgression of the law) will increase
3. And LOVE (the keeping of the commandments) will grow cold.
*IS THIS "LEGALISM"?
NO! Satan, the father of lies, has enticed man to disobey God's
commands from the beginning of creation. The charge of "legalism"
against those who teach obedience to the law of God is just another
one of Satan's deceptions. It is not a "work of the flesh" to obey
the commandments unless you are depending on your obedience to earn
forgiveness (justification). On the other hand, a willing obedience
to God's moral law is the scriptural evidence of a true saving faith.
James challenged the brethren to show him the reality of their faith
without also showing him their works of faith. He asked them:
"What use is it my brethren, if a man says he has faith, but has no
works?
Can that faith save him?"
James 2:14 NAS
It is clear that "Faith without works is dead," yet it is also clear
that no man can earn forgiveness by doing good works, for we are
justified (forgiven) through our faith in a living Christ. However,
if a man accepts Jesus as both his personal Saviour and LORD, that man
will surely obey Him and keep His commandments, no matter what it may
cost. If we do not obey Him, He is not our Lord.
Through our obedience Jesus cleanses us from the doing of sin
(sanctification). First the law sends us to Jesus Christ for
justification (forgiveness), and then Jesus sends us back to the law
for sanctification (cleansing) by the Holy Spirit. Paul warned that
if we wish to see the Lord, we MUST go through the process of
sanctification.
"Follow after peace with all men, and the sanctification without
which
NO MAN SHALL SEE THE LORD:"
Hebrews 12:14 ASV
Without the light of God's law to expose his sins, a man walks in
desperate darkness, for he must depend upon his own heart to decide
what is good or evil. The prophet Jeremiah said: "The heart of man
is deceitful above all things," and the Proverbs teach that: "All the
ways of a man are clean in his own eyes." Therefore, if we do not
have a permanent standard (carved in stone) by which to measure sin,
we will always deceive ourselves.
In these "latter days," many teachers who claim to speak for God have
turned away from the law of God. It has become more popular to obey
their "inner voice" than the voice that spoke from Mount Sinai.
However, the true test of a teacher's "spirit" is found in the book of
Jeremiah. God said:
"But if they had stood in my council, then they would have
proclaimed MY WORDS to My people,
And they would have TURNED THEM from their evil way
and from the evil of their doings."
Jeremiah 23:22 RSV
Those who speak by the "Spirit of Christ" will always teach others to
immediately and completely cease from the doing of all sin. They will
always proclaim "HIS WORDS."
WHICH WORDS ARE "HIS WORDS"?
When Jesus faced the temptations in the wilderness, he declared to
Satan:
"It is written,
Man shall not live by bread alone,
but by every WORD that
proceeds from the mouth of God."
Matthew 4:4 RSV
Our Lord was quoting from the book of Deuteronomy (8:3). When that
verse is considered in context you can see that it clearly refers to
the keeping of God's commandments:
(8:1) "All the commandments which I command thee this day
shall ye observe to do, THAT YE MAY LIVE,
(8:2) "And thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord
thy
God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to
humble thee, and to prove (test) thee, to know what
was in thine heart,
whether thou wouldest KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS, or
no."
(8:3) "And He humbled thee...and fed thee with manna...that he
might make thee know that man doth not live by bread
only, but by every WORD THAT PROCEEDETH OUT OF THE
MOUTH OF THE LORD DOTH MAN LIVE."
(8:6) "Therefore thou shalt KEEP THE COMMANDMENTS of the Lord
thy God, to walk in His ways, and to fear Him."
Both Jesus and the book of Jeremiah are referring to the same "WORDS,"
those that proceeded from the mouth of God on Mount Sinai; the Ten
Commandments!
If there is still any doubt in your mind, think about this: The
English word "Commandment" is translated from the Hebrew "dabar" which
means:
"a word." Therefore that which was carved in stone forever were the
Ten
"dabars" of God.
Legalism? No, I think not, unless Jesus, the prophets and the
apostles were all legalists.
Donna Kupp
The Seven Deadly Deceptions Of Counterfeit Christianity
http://www.freetruth.info |
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