We are confident,
yes, well pleased
rather to be absent
from the body
and to be present
with the Lord.
Therefore we make it
our aim,
whether present or
absent,
to be well pleasing
to Him.
For we must all
appear before
the judgment seat of
Christ,
then each one may
receive the things
done in the body,
according to what
he has done, whether
good or bad.
2 Corinthians 5: 8 --
10
(See Revelation 20:
11 -- 15)
First
question that needs to be answered is very important: "Are you
confident that if you are absent from the body will be present with the
Lord?" Second question: "Are
you making it your aim to be well pleasing to Him?" Peter writes in his first epistle: "because it is written, ‘Be holy, for
I am holy" (1 Peter 1:16; Leviticus 11: 44 -- 45). The Greek once again tells us more than the
English for the Greek word is an imperative, a command that is a direction for
you to do something and in this case, commanded to be holy. If you are to be well pleasing to Him then
one must start with themselves and that is to become holy. Your confidence in God and your need to
become holy is for you to continually to think about and to restate to yourself what is the purpose for your life.
Today, so many churches, and the culture of this world, teach that for
you to find happiness is for you to have good health, and success and this is
to be your desired end. This is not
true with God for your destined end is not happiness, nor health, but holiness. Does this come as a surprise to you? Television, movies, even advice from others
is for you to be successful, and if so you will find happiness. How often I see families in the church more
concerned about the success of their children in this world and seemed to casually
teach the Bible or casually talk about God, but never impress upon their
children that their desire and destined end is to be holy and pleasing to
God. We have in this world far too many
affinities (If you are not familiar with this word then let me give you a good
definition for it: a natural liking for something or an attraction for
something could be a person, or anything that what you are attracted too). Our affinity is to be Jesus Christan and our
desire to have confidence based upon Him and not to have confidence based upon
the temporary things of this world. For
this to occur it may require God to atrophy those affinities. We are not just required and should not be
the case that we are trying to be pleasing to God because there is a day of
judgment in which all people will have to appear before the judgment seat of
Christ. That judgment day is coming
whether you are pleasing to God or not!
In this life, the one thing that matters is this: "whether a man
will accept that God Who will make him holy.
Jesus Christ said that we should deny ourselves whether it be family
members or friends or anything so that at all costs a man must be rightly
related to God.
Third
question: "Do you believe that you need to be holy?" Fourth question: "Do you believe that
God can come into you and make you holy?"
I found this to be true and unfortunately recently; when the preaching
convinces you that you are unholy; you resent that preaching. I find in many churches that there is this
"sloppy agape." I read on the
face book comments where many, soft easy devotional type of writings are that
Jesus is more of your friend rather than your, God. Most of the devotional writings are nice and may lead a person to read the
Bible and to think upon God but often the God that they are seeking is not the
God that desire and requires you and has commanded you to be holy. When the gospel is actually taught and
preached often there is an awakening to the fact that you are unholy; but it
also awakens an intense craving. God
has one purpose and that purpose was His purpose from the creation of mankind and this
is for people to be holy and the production of saints. These types of devotionals that are soft
spoken, easy to accept, maybe even just a tickling of the ears, is excepted
because people are looking for blessings.
Quit looking! God is not an
eternal blessing machine for men, He's not to be treated like some vending
machine, He did not come to earth and die on the cross to save men out of
pity. God came to earth incarnate to
save men because He created man to be holy.
The cross whereby the atonement had been established and the justice of
God satisfied means that God can put you back into perfect union with
Himself. You cannot become holy by your
works or anything that you do for only holiness can come when God applies His
Holiness to you. Holiness means
unsullied walking with the feet, unsullied talking with the tongue, unsullied
thinking with the mind and every detail of your life is under scrutiny of
God. Now, holiness is not only what God gives
to you, but, what you manifest, that is, that which God has given to you.
All Your works shall praise
You, O
LORD,
and Your saints shall bless You.
They shall
speak of the glory
of Your kingdom, and talk of Your power.
To make
known to the sons of men
His mighty acts, and the glorious majesty of
His kingdom. Your kingdom is an
everlasting kingdom, and Your dominion
endures
throughout all generations.
Psalm
145: 10 -- 13
Manifest the holiness of God in you
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