Stand fast therefore
in the liberty
by which Christ has
made us free,
and do not be
entangled again
with a yoke of
bondage.
Galatians 5:1
"Stand fast," a word familiar
to anyone who was in the military and stood a post, for this was a common
remark and command by your senior officer.
To stand fast is to stand firm and you are remaining steadfast, and by
this you are willing to encounter fearlessly, to confront, determine to adhere
to a policy or in case of Christianity, the truth of the Bible and the truth of
a doctrine. When Paul speaks of
liberty, he is not giving a license for a person to do what ever they feel
right in their own eyes. There was a
branch of Gnostics that were not ascetic at all and believe that they could do
what ever they wanted and then come to believe and be saved. This is not the liberty that Paul is
speaking about for this liberty that many believe they have as a Christian, is bringing bondage upon the other
person for a person is not free to do just what he wills to do whenever he will
to do whatever. Paul is speaking about
being free from bondage that the Judaizers, the Gnostics, the Nikolaitans,
we're forcing upon them so that they felt as though they were actually doing
God's will and in fact the opposite was true.
All in his epistles he is earnestly and affectionately exhorting them
especially in view of the threatening disturbances from within and that they
are to take even to themselves and even to feed the Church of the Lord which He
had acquired by His own blood. We find
too many people today honestly and earnestly seeking to live a Christian life
only to fall prey to those who are willing to put them in a bondage of legality
and works. Do not forget there is a
legal system that Jesus Christ gave us to follow: love God with your whole
heart and mind and soul and your neighbor as yourself. Further, Jesus Christ said that we are to
deny ourselves and pick up our cross and follow Him. I read this and I felt as though it is something I need to just
copy for you to read as I took this from Oswald Chambers; "My Utmost for His Highest" November 29th as
he quoted from John 16:14: "He will
glorify Me…." I don't do this often but this one I field is necessary:
"The pietistic movements of today have none of the rugged reality
of the New Testament about them; there is nothing about them that needs the
Death of Jesus Christ; all that is required is a pious atmosphere, and prayer
and devotion. This type of experience
is not supernatural nor miraculous, it did not cost the passion of God, it is
not died in the blood of the Lamb, not stamped with the hallmark of the Holy
Ghost; it is not that mark on which makes men say, as they look with all in
wonder -- "that is the work of God Almighty." That and nothing else is what the New
Testament talks about.
The type of Christian
experience in the New Testament is that a personal passion at devotion to the
Passion of Jesus Christ. Every other
type of Christian experience, so called, is a detached from the Person of
Jesus. There is no regeneration, no
being born again into the Kingdom in which Christ lives, but only the idea that
He is our Pattern. In the New Testament
Jesus Christ is Savior long before He is Pattern. Today He is infinitely more; He is salvation itself, He is the
Gospel of God.
Jesus said, "When
He the Spirit of truth is come… He shall glorify Me." When I commit myself to the revelation made
in the New Testament, I receive from God that gift of the Holy Spirit Who
begins to interpret to me what Jesus did; and does in me subjectively all that
Jesus Christ did for me objectivity."
How often have I spoken to those who go to the
Bethel School of Supernatural, or read various emotional statements whereby
Jesus Christ as become a soft teddy bear.
Often Jesus Christ is not even spoken of and all because that person is
too busy trying to pray for someone to be healed and not bringing to them the
gospel which is what that person actually needs. People are running around looking for excitement, they want to be
titillated which is all we have the ears tickled and little is cared for about
the actual fact that those types of pietistic movements are similar to what
Paul was having to address in his day.
There is nothing new under the sun except maybe a new moniker has been
attached to an old heresy. Maybe you
find yourself caught up in those kind of denominational practices whereby a
person is more interested in some sort of Christian rock music whereby the
people playing that music are tattooed, long-haired with air rings where they
don't belong. They look more like the world than having a life
that has been changed to their belief in Jesus Christ's and having the Holy
Spirit guide them. All they will give
us what Paul has been speaking about that they are living in liberty so that
everything they do is just to promote the gospel. This is a bunch of phooey and hooey! Jesus Christ was the only man who lived on this earth sinless in
the face of all kinds of problems and he never once had to look and act like
the secular world that was soon going to condemn him to death just to save
someone. No! I'll would write later to the Philippians and the Christians had
the not yet attained perfection, and yet, there are those who are seeking that
perfection when that perfection will not come until we are in heaven with
God. It's a smear to imagine that God
wants to make it perfect specimens of what He can do. Gods purpose is to make us one with Himself. The emphasis of holiness movements are apt
to be such that God is producing specimens of holiness to putting his
museum. If you go off on this idea of
personal holiness, the dead set of your life will not be forgotten, but for
what you call the manifestation of God in your life. Brothers and sisters, turn back to God, read his word daily, be
in prayer that God will continue to guide you and me on the guidance and that
guidance will be found when you read his word of the Holy Spirit in light of
that word to you. We have begun what is
called in many denominations the Advent Period, and leads us to the time we
celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.
Now we've not been told to celebrate this in the Bible, and possibly, it
was actually born, yet, it is a time in which we celebrate the fact that God
came to work, incarnate, to pay the debt we could not pay, and to give to His
children eternal life. Lead a quiet in
normal life, teach your children, follow God's commands, and you will be
blessed.
My beloved has gone into his
garden,
to the beds of spices,
to feed his flock in the
gardens,
thank you gather lilies.
I am my beloved’s,
in my beloved is mine.
He feeds his flock among the
lilies.
Song of Solomon 6:2 -- 3
Live your freedom in Jesus
Christ
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