I just wanted to take some time tonight to just express my gratefulness to the Lord. He has been so good to us... He has been so good to me and in my life I can never repay Him for all that He has done. I guess that is the point to being redeemed by faith and walking by faith with the Lord, isn't it!?
Lately I have been listening to a sermon series that a pastor friend of mine (Pastor Mike Blake) has been preaching (you can check it out at this website -- http://www.maplecitybaptist.com). Mike has been preaching a series on the book of Romans that has been packed with many, many practical things that we all need in our life each and every day. One of the main things that Pastor Mike has been focusing on is how the book of Romans teaches the main fundamentals of the Christian faith. Sometimes, and probably more often than not, we need to stop ourselves and revisit the basics of our faith in the Lord.
In our culture, especially if you grow up in church or in a Christian home, it can become very easy to get wrapped up in thinking that the things that we do somehow sway God's opinion about us. We almost treat God as if He is as we are where we can manipulate His thoughts towards us by the things that we do that may please Him. We need to stop this kind of thinking! The Word of God says that in the flesh "dwelleth no good thing (Romans 7:18)" and "There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one (Romans 3:10-12)." When it comes to who we are in the flesh there will never be anything good that will come from it. After the fall of man in Genesis 3 the flesh has always been corrupted, and we must always remember that the flesh will always be corrupted. God does not come in to change our flesh so that we can begin to become better within our flesh, He comes in to give us life that will come along side our dead flesh to give us power to not follow the flesh anymore. Whatever is touched by the flesh will be corrupted because of the flesh, but when we submit our whole selves to the Spirit nothing we do will be touched with corruption.
So what's the point of all this? -- When we stand before God one day, whether we are saved or lost, we will not get be able to be right with God and get into heaven being measured on a standard of good works (doing more good than bad). If we were measured on a standard of good works none of us would be able to stand, NONE... for the Word of God says that "we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags (Is 64:6)" and "If thou, LORD, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand? (Psalm 130:3)".We will, however, be measured on the standard of if we believed God and His gospel. God's Word says that when Jesus comes back that He "In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ (2Thessalonians 1:8)" and "For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?" It is faith in Jesus and what He has done that we can have any hope before God.
Never forget the basics... it will mean life or death, eternally.
Lately I have been listening to a sermon series that a pastor friend of mine (Pastor Mike Blake) has been preaching (you can check it out at this website -- http://www.maplecitybaptist.com). Mike has been preaching a series on the book of Romans that has been packed with many, many practical things that we all need in our life each and every day. One of the main things that Pastor Mike has been focusing on is how the book of Romans teaches the main fundamentals of the Christian faith. Sometimes, and probably more often than not, we need to stop ourselves and revisit the basics of our faith in the Lord.
In our culture, especially if you grow up in church or in a Christian home, it can become very easy to get wrapped up in thinking that the things that we do somehow sway God's opinion about us. We almost treat God as if He is as we are where we can manipulate His thoughts towards us by the things that we do that may please Him. We need to stop this kind of thinking! The Word of God says that in the flesh "dwelleth no good thing (Romans 7:18)" and "There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one (Romans 3:10-12)." When it comes to who we are in the flesh there will never be anything good that will come from it. After the fall of man in Genesis 3 the flesh has always been corrupted, and we must always remember that the flesh will always be corrupted. God does not come in to change our flesh so that we can begin to become better within our flesh, He comes in to give us life that will come along side our dead flesh to give us power to not follow the flesh anymore. Whatever is touched by the flesh will be corrupted because of the flesh, but when we submit our whole selves to the Spirit nothing we do will be touched with corruption.
So what's the point of all this? -- When we stand before God one day, whether we are saved or lost, we will not get be able to be right with God and get into heaven being measured on a standard of good works (doing more good than bad). If we were measured on a standard of good works none of us would be able to stand, NONE... for the Word of God says that "we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags (Is 64:6)" and "If thou, LORD, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand? (Psalm 130:3)".We will, however, be measured on the standard of if we believed God and His gospel. God's Word says that when Jesus comes back that He "In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ (2Thessalonians 1:8)" and "For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?" It is faith in Jesus and what He has done that we can have any hope before God.
Never forget the basics... it will mean life or death, eternally.
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