Panic To Do Or Attempt To Abide?
How do we approach our service to God? Is it with a sense of “panic” because we haven’t had time to make our weekly call to sister so-and-so? Have we come under condemnation by the Devil because we missed seeing someone that was sick in the hospital that we did not know about? It can even include the preparation of our sermon to the flock. It can be many things. Some can be good things but not necessarily God things. Jesus tells us:
John 15:4-7 (KJV) Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
5I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
6If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.
7If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
Chambers asks the question, “Am I allowing my spiritual life to be frittered away, or am I bringing it all to one center-the Atonement of my Lord? Is Jesus Christ more and more dominating every interest in my life? If the one central point, the great exerting influence in my life is the Atonement of the Lord, then every phase of my life will bear fruit for Him.”
The word, atonement, jumped out at me and I did a word search and found that it was mentioned 73 times in the Old Testament and only once in the New Testament. In doing the research in the Old Testament, the word had to do with the definition given in Webster: 1. the reconciliation of God and man through the death of Jesus Christ and 2. Reparation for an offense: satisfaction.
Atonement comes from atone: Web says 1. To make amends 2. Expiate, meaning to give satisfaction for.
The passages in the Old Testament talk about when animal sacrifices were made by the priests for the remission of the sins of the believers in that day.
I thought it strange that this word, atonement, was mentioned only once in the New Testament, however, not strange at all because it was Jesus who was offered for our atonement. It was what we may have considered the meaning to be that caused me to do a little searching.
Romans 5:11 (KJV) And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement. [atonement] Greek: katallage (GSN-2643), reconciliation It should not have been translated "atonement" here, as it refers to the removal of enmity and a change to friendship, which is the effect of atonement. Our atonement is available to us if we choose to be reconciled to the Father.
Well, what does this mean? It might be convenient for us to assume that all of our reconciling had been done and that we could just sin as much as we wanted to and because of Jesus’ atonement we would have no need for further confession of our sins after our initial salvation…or it may be… one time long ago… when our parents told us that we were christened as a child and because of that our sins were forever forgiven…we might even become led to believe what our Enemy would like us to believe (we hear this frequently), “It doesn’t matter which group you belong to because after all, we’re all going to the same place anyway.”
Wait a minute, is that what God’s Word says?
John 14:6 (KJV) Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.Paul says to the Phillipians:
Philip. 2:12 (KJV) Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
His Word seems to be saying all the way from Romans to Jude, the issue is sanctification. The messages are of encouragement, yes, but also caution and warning to us. These messages were to Christian believers who were in need of repentance for their sins. The atonement had been provided, however, there was some work that “they” then, and “us” now, need to do in order for us to be able to abide with the Father. He cannot abide with us so long as there is this breach of sin and disobedience in our relationship. We cannot have fellowship with Father if we have un-forgiveness in our heart towards our brother.
This basic instruction was given to us in the Lord’s Prayer:
Matthew 6:9-15 (KJV) After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
10Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
11Give us this day our daily bread.
12And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
13And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
14For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:
15But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Forgiveness includes giving or receiving REPENTANCE.
When Jesus addressed the 7 churches in Revelations, 5 out of 7 were in need of repentance. Are we any different today?
Could that be why Paul said to the Corinthians in his 2nd letter?
2 Cor. 7:1 (KJV) Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. The dearly beloved are the born-again believers that are in need of cleansing their spirits as well as their flesh. Today, as believers, we stand in need of daily sanctification and cleansing. If we think otherwise, we might deceive ourselves:
1 John 1:8 (KJV) If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
Daily reconciliation and repentance is vital to developing the relationship and fellowship with the Father that He desires. It is not because He does not want our fellowship. He is the “grace” originator. He constantly seeks our fellowship and relationship. We may not even realize that our fellowship with God has been broken because of our sins. We may have become too busy doing the Lord’s “work,” and He has departed.
Are we still sinners? I know that I am! How do I know this? My un-confessed sin can separate me from my Heavenly Father. We don’t have to be rocket scientists or theologians to know when our spirits are heavy and there is a breach or separation with the Father! Sin causes separation from God…
Isaiah 59:2 (KJV) But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.
Do I repent? Yes, I do. What happens when I repent? I am refreshed with God’s renewed fellowship.
Acts 3:19 (KJV) Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;
We must be careful not to be deceived because of these un-confessed sins. We may have become blinded by our Enemy:
2 Cor. 4:4 (KJV) In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
We could have become blinded in our spirit because of unbelief or disappointment in some pastor or spiritual leader that let us down and we are holding un-forgiveness towards him and because of this we are on Satan’s puppet string:
Mark 11:26 (KJV) But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.
Do you believe this passage? I do, and look forward to having God bring to my remembrance those whom I need to forgive…it may be someone that I had totally forgotten about. Only by the Holy Spirit can God reveal areas in our lives where this forgiveness is needed that caused a separation between us and Him.
God wants reconciliation and has provided for our atonement through Jesus Christ, however, we have a part to play in this fellowship and communication that Father God so wants us to enjoy.
Not only does He want us to be free of any breaches in our relationship with Him but He also wants us to be restorers of the breach between God and man.
Isaiah 58:12 (KJV) And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in.
Let’s be one of these guys, a breach-restorer! Let’s look for any area in our lives where some work of reconciliation with the Father might need to occur. When this time of refreshing comes we will be abiding with the Lord. It can mean that we cease from trying to “do” some work for God, but just abiding with Him and listening to His still, small voice (that never shouts)….we can so easily miss it…we may start to see some wonderful, powerful things begin to happen in our lives.
Where have all the miracles gone? They might be very near. When will we see our children worshiping God? It could be very soon. When will we see our nation take a firm stand for God and His Word and righteous men are in leadership? It could be very soon.
It could be that we might see events described in Luke’s Gospel begin to happen in our lives today. Here, Luke is talking about the birth of John…
Luke 1:17 (KJV) And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.
The degree of God’s Power in our lives may very well be dependent on the degree that we are each abiding with the Father in our every thought, deed and action.
Yes, all of these events may be very near and it may well depend upon each one of us and our personal reconciliation to Father God through the daily cleansing of our spirits and flesh…
God is ready to receive us into His Heart of Love from any kind of breach.
If you need repentance, ask and see for yourself!
Blessings,
Charles
John 15:4-7 (KJV) Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
5I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
6If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.
7If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
Chambers asks the question, “Am I allowing my spiritual life to be frittered away, or am I bringing it all to one center-the Atonement of my Lord? Is Jesus Christ more and more dominating every interest in my life? If the one central point, the great exerting influence in my life is the Atonement of the Lord, then every phase of my life will bear fruit for Him.”
The word, atonement, jumped out at me and I did a word search and found that it was mentioned 73 times in the Old Testament and only once in the New Testament. In doing the research in the Old Testament, the word had to do with the definition given in Webster: 1. the reconciliation of God and man through the death of Jesus Christ and 2. Reparation for an offense: satisfaction.
Atonement comes from atone: Web says 1. To make amends 2. Expiate, meaning to give satisfaction for.
The passages in the Old Testament talk about when animal sacrifices were made by the priests for the remission of the sins of the believers in that day.
I thought it strange that this word, atonement, was mentioned only once in the New Testament, however, not strange at all because it was Jesus who was offered for our atonement. It was what we may have considered the meaning to be that caused me to do a little searching.
Romans 5:11 (KJV) And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement. [atonement] Greek: katallage (GSN-2643), reconciliation It should not have been translated "atonement" here, as it refers to the removal of enmity and a change to friendship, which is the effect of atonement. Our atonement is available to us if we choose to be reconciled to the Father.
Well, what does this mean? It might be convenient for us to assume that all of our reconciling had been done and that we could just sin as much as we wanted to and because of Jesus’ atonement we would have no need for further confession of our sins after our initial salvation…or it may be… one time long ago… when our parents told us that we were christened as a child and because of that our sins were forever forgiven…we might even become led to believe what our Enemy would like us to believe (we hear this frequently), “It doesn’t matter which group you belong to because after all, we’re all going to the same place anyway.”
Wait a minute, is that what God’s Word says?
John 14:6 (KJV) Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.Paul says to the Phillipians:
Philip. 2:12 (KJV) Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
His Word seems to be saying all the way from Romans to Jude, the issue is sanctification. The messages are of encouragement, yes, but also caution and warning to us. These messages were to Christian believers who were in need of repentance for their sins. The atonement had been provided, however, there was some work that “they” then, and “us” now, need to do in order for us to be able to abide with the Father. He cannot abide with us so long as there is this breach of sin and disobedience in our relationship. We cannot have fellowship with Father if we have un-forgiveness in our heart towards our brother.
This basic instruction was given to us in the Lord’s Prayer:
Matthew 6:9-15 (KJV) After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
10Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
11Give us this day our daily bread.
12And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
13And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
14For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:
15But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Forgiveness includes giving or receiving REPENTANCE.
When Jesus addressed the 7 churches in Revelations, 5 out of 7 were in need of repentance. Are we any different today?
Could that be why Paul said to the Corinthians in his 2nd letter?
2 Cor. 7:1 (KJV) Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. The dearly beloved are the born-again believers that are in need of cleansing their spirits as well as their flesh. Today, as believers, we stand in need of daily sanctification and cleansing. If we think otherwise, we might deceive ourselves:
1 John 1:8 (KJV) If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
Daily reconciliation and repentance is vital to developing the relationship and fellowship with the Father that He desires. It is not because He does not want our fellowship. He is the “grace” originator. He constantly seeks our fellowship and relationship. We may not even realize that our fellowship with God has been broken because of our sins. We may have become too busy doing the Lord’s “work,” and He has departed.
Are we still sinners? I know that I am! How do I know this? My un-confessed sin can separate me from my Heavenly Father. We don’t have to be rocket scientists or theologians to know when our spirits are heavy and there is a breach or separation with the Father! Sin causes separation from God…
Isaiah 59:2 (KJV) But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.
Do I repent? Yes, I do. What happens when I repent? I am refreshed with God’s renewed fellowship.
Acts 3:19 (KJV) Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;
We must be careful not to be deceived because of these un-confessed sins. We may have become blinded by our Enemy:
2 Cor. 4:4 (KJV) In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
We could have become blinded in our spirit because of unbelief or disappointment in some pastor or spiritual leader that let us down and we are holding un-forgiveness towards him and because of this we are on Satan’s puppet string:
Mark 11:26 (KJV) But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.
Do you believe this passage? I do, and look forward to having God bring to my remembrance those whom I need to forgive…it may be someone that I had totally forgotten about. Only by the Holy Spirit can God reveal areas in our lives where this forgiveness is needed that caused a separation between us and Him.
God wants reconciliation and has provided for our atonement through Jesus Christ, however, we have a part to play in this fellowship and communication that Father God so wants us to enjoy.
Not only does He want us to be free of any breaches in our relationship with Him but He also wants us to be restorers of the breach between God and man.
Isaiah 58:12 (KJV) And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in.
Let’s be one of these guys, a breach-restorer! Let’s look for any area in our lives where some work of reconciliation with the Father might need to occur. When this time of refreshing comes we will be abiding with the Lord. It can mean that we cease from trying to “do” some work for God, but just abiding with Him and listening to His still, small voice (that never shouts)….we can so easily miss it…we may start to see some wonderful, powerful things begin to happen in our lives.
Where have all the miracles gone? They might be very near. When will we see our children worshiping God? It could be very soon. When will we see our nation take a firm stand for God and His Word and righteous men are in leadership? It could be very soon.
It could be that we might see events described in Luke’s Gospel begin to happen in our lives today. Here, Luke is talking about the birth of John…
Luke 1:17 (KJV) And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.
The degree of God’s Power in our lives may very well be dependent on the degree that we are each abiding with the Father in our every thought, deed and action.
Yes, all of these events may be very near and it may well depend upon each one of us and our personal reconciliation to Father God through the daily cleansing of our spirits and flesh…
God is ready to receive us into His Heart of Love from any kind of breach.
If you need repentance, ask and see for yourself!
Blessings,
Charles
posted by Being Made Whole Ministries at 3:47 PM
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