| Chapter 8: God has revealed Himself to every man
Jeremiah
31:33-34
33 "But this is the covenant that
I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD:
I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and
I will be their God, and they shall be My people.
34 "No more shall every man teach
his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,'
for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest
of them, says the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their
sin I will remember no more." (NKJ)
These two verses present one of the most significant
universal truths of the Scriptures. God has chosen to make a New Covenant
with Israel and with the Gentiles, those grafted to the family of
His chosen people. God has revealed Himself to every man and
woman. You either know Him or you know of Him. The word "know"
is used in the same sense as "a man knew a woman:" that
is, it depicts intimacy in a way that differentiates itself from "being
an acquaintance" in a very significant way. Therefore, in another
topic we have discussed the unforgivable sin as that sin which manifests
itself as adultery, the single reason offered by the Scriptures as
a rationale for divorce. To "know" God and then to blaspheme
the Holy Spirit (to seek a relationship with the god of the flesh
and to turn your back on your first love) is a sin of unparalleled
magnitude, just as adultery is the most heinous sin one can commit
against his or her chosen one.
You know you are obeying His laws or you know you are not. What we
call a "conscience" is in fact revealed truth. God
has placed His law in your mind and written it upon your heart. You
will be without excuse if you say you did not know these facts to
be true. I think people have it slightly wrong when they speak of
the "God shaped vacuum" that needs to be filled for man
to be "complete." There is no vacuum "to be filled."
It has been filled and you, if you are not intimate with God, are
turning away from the Light that is within you.
A good friend who had committed adultery and who had chosen to leave
his wife and family to marry the woman, said to me "You are the
last person I wanted to have to tell about what I have chosen to do"
or words to that effect. My witness to this person had been so persistent
that I suppose that he thought, I would regard his sin as being worse
than others might regard it. He may have been right but understand
this. Your true friend is Jesus Christ, the truth in you and
your offense is against God. If you think it is hard to tell a friend
of your adultery how hard will it be to stand before God and explain
it away?
Now, let's examine the Scriptures
for more detail. Paul, a converted Jew, says that the gospel has been
preached to every creature.
Colossians 1:21-23
21 And you, who once were alienated
and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled
22 in the body of His flesh through
death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His
sight--
23 if indeed you continue in the
faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope
of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature
under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister. (NKJ)
Romans 2:14-16
14 …(for when Gentiles, who do not
have the law, by nature do the things in the law, these, although
not having the law, are a law to themselves,
15 who show the work of the law
written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness,
and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them)
16 in the day when God will judge
the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel. (NKJ)
Paul states that the hope of the gospel "was"
preached to every creature under heaven and that the law is written
in their hearts. This proclamation is of great importance. It essentially
means that you and every creature everywhere has been "preached"
the gospel. Paul made the same point earlier but here he also adds
a "consequence." Those who ignore the truth "in them"
and the truth evident in creation are without excuse. It says, they
will experience the wrath of God. Listen..
Romans 1:18-21
18 For the wrath of God is revealed
from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who
suppress the truth in unrighteousness,
19 because what may be known of
God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them.
20 For since the creation of the
world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood
by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so
that they are without excuse,
21 because, although they knew God,
they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile
in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. (NKJ)
Doesn't the truth revealed here simply scream at
you? Do you want to experience the wrath of God? Read verse 21 again
and again and if it applies to you, do something! Has Satan so deceived
you that your heart is darkened? You do not have to yield to the weakness
of the flesh and suffer eternal separation from God and all those
you have ever known. Choice, it is always about choice.
Here the half brother of Jesus (same mother) declares
the word has been "implanted."
James 1:21
21 Therefore lay aside all filthiness
and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted
word, which is able to save your souls. (NKJ)
The writer of Hebrews then quotes Jeremiah, reminding
Israel that the Messiah has provided them with a New Covenant, one
not based upon the Law, but upon grace and mercy and the implanted
word. I realize we quoted Jeremiah earlier but I want you to see that
the New Testament and the Old Testament are to be studied in tandem.
They cast light on each other. Listen again to this Old Testament
and New Testament fundamental truth.
Hebrews 8:10-11
10 "For this is the covenant that
I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord:
I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and
I will be their God, and they shall be My people.
11 "None of them shall teach his
neighbor, and none his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord,' for all
shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them. (NKJ)
This restates what James said. Every Jew and Gentile
has heard the gospel.
I am sure you agree that no one you have ever met
has obeyed the whole law. Therefore, everyone has been disobedient.
Our disobedience needs to be forgiven if we are to enter into God's
presence and His "rest." Jesus is the means by which we
enter into God's rest. His sacrifice covered our sins. We know that
there is no remission of sins without the shedding of blood (Hebrews
9:22). We can not "earn" salvation. It is a gift, given
by the grace of God. If one wants the "gift," one must simply
believe that the promised Messiah died in their place, separating
their sin from them.
Belief will lead to obedience, not because we are "more worthy,"
but because God will empower us, through the presence of the Holy
Spirit, to love and to obey. We will, by the power of the Holy Spirit,
a great and pivotal gift of God, be able to lay aside the burden of
the "flesh" and appropriate the righteousness of Jesus Christ,
our Redeemer. We become "born again." We shed the burden
of the flesh and put on the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. That is
why the Messiah came. He came to redeem us from the grasp of sin.
We no longer have to "serve sin" but instead can "serve
God."
Your sins are forgiven, you are presented blameless
before the Father and what did you have to do? Simply believe and
enter into His rest. The battle between good and evil, at least in
terms of your life, can be finished. The victory, if you attain it,
belongs to the Messiah, Jesus Christ, and you simply partake, being
strengthened moment by moment by the Holy Spirit in you. Sanctification
will come as obedience replaces sin. The Lord "sanctifies"
and you, as you trust in Him, will become one of those who "are
being sanctified," meaning you will enabled, by the power of
the Holy Spirit in you, to be more and more like Jesus, your sinless
Redeemer and Advocate.
Hebrews 2:11
11 For both He who sanctifies and
those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason He
is not ashamed to call them brethren, (NKJ)
When you hear those who love the Lord refer to each
other as "brother and sister," know that it is the Lord who calls
you brethren, as well.
You will not be able to resist evil, in and of yourself.
The power of sin far exceeds your personal ability to resist. Temptation
will come to you like a flood, daily. Whether you sin in your heart
or by deed, the result is the same. Sin disconnects you from God but
the righteousness of Jesus, not only reconnects you, but the sins
that you have committed and will commit are separated as far as the
east is from the west, never to be remembered against you again. Interestingly,
God used the words "east from the west" rather than "north
from the south." If one heads north you will eventually be heading
south but if you head east, you will never be heading west. A separation
to infinity; that is how far your sins will be separated from you.
Do you think then, that we can confess our faith in Jesus Christ and
go on sinning? Yes, of course we can, and our test of the boundaries
of God's mercy will be dealt with in time. It sort of feels wrong
to say that our level of obedience leads to different rewards, given
the fact that it is the Holy Spirit within us that facilitates our
service to Him, but that is what the Scriptures teach. Listen to what
the writer of Hebrews had to say to what I will refer to as juvenile
followers of the Lord.
Hebrews 5:12-14
12 For though by this time you ought
to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles
of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid
food.
13 For everyone who partakes only
of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe.
14 But solid food belongs to those
who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their
senses exercised to discern both good and evil. (NKJ)
The words, by reason of use, should help you understand
that "babes" remain babes if they do not exercise their
senses and partake of the Word of Righteousness.
You are not the only person that wrestles with the question of your
flesh warring against the Holy Spirit, the truth that is written on
your heart. Listen to the teachings of Paul.
Romans 6:21-23
21 What fruit did you have then in
the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things
is death.
22 But now having been set free from
sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness,
and the end, everlasting life.
23 For the wages of sin is death,
but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (NKJ)
Romans 7:15-25
15 For what I am doing, I do not
understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what
I hate, that I do. 16 If, then, I do what I will not
to do, I agree with the law that it is good.
17 But now, it is no longer I who
do it, but sin that dwells in me.
18 For I know that in me (that is,
in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me,
but how to perform what is good I do not find.
19 For the good that I will to do,
I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice.
20 Now if I do what I will not to
do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.
21 I find then a law, that evil
is present with me, the one who wills to do good.
22 For I delight in the law of God
according to the inward man.
23 But I see another law in my members,
warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity
to the law of sin which is in my members.
24 O wretched man that I am! Who
will deliver me from this body of death?
25 I thank God-- through Jesus Christ
our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but
with the flesh the law of sin. (NKJ)
There are two key concepts regarding our continuing
struggle with sin that are taught in Scripture. First, since Jesus
went to the cross and bore your sins and mine, would you, after cleansing
and forgiveness, sin again, expecting Jesus to return to the cross,
again and again? The scriptures make "knowing Him" and then
falling away, in a conscious, declared manner, a very risky proposition.
God can and will forgive us for a multitude of sins but if we sin
intentionally, after redemption, we have a serious problem. Listen.
Hebrews 6:4-6
4 For it is impossible for those
who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and
have become partakers of the Holy Spirit,
5 and have tasted the good word of
God and the powers of the age to come,
6 if they fall away, to renew them
again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the
Son of God, and put Him to an open shame. (NKJ)
Second, since we remain "in the flesh" though
bathed in the Holy Spirit, temptation will still be before us constantly.
Listen.
1 Corinthians 10:13
13 No temptation has overtaken you
except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will
not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the
temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able
to bear it. (NKJ)
That is a verse you should memorize. You can sum
all this up in two words. Repent and obey. But listen to what the
scriptures say about the reward God has in store for the heart of
a repentant soul.
Romans 8:38-39
38 For I am persuaded that neither
death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things
present nor things to come,
39 nor height nor depth, nor any
other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of
God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (NKJ)
When you read the verse above, "What fruit did you have then in the things of which you
are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death" (Romans
6:21 NKJ), did that verse not strike a responsive
chord with you? First you know how miserable sin has made you feel
and second, the end of those things is death. Reread Romans 8:38-39
until the truth sinks in. God has not only revealed Himself to you
but nothing, except for your "informed" withdrawal, can
separate you from His love.
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