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You can visit it now by clicking this link: Just at the Break of Dawn
Sunday, 13 May 2012
Thursday, 10 May 2012
"Faith Without Works is Dead and So Are You!"
“Faith Without Works is Dead and So Are You!”
by Eleanor Matthews
“...be all the more diligent to make your calling and election sure, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” 2 Peter 1:10-11 ESV
How can we know that we are going to finish our race of life and end up in glory with our Heavenly Father? If you put your faith (a hope and trust) in Christ Jesus and the atoning work he did on the cross you can know that you will have eternal life in Heaven with the Lord. This is how we are justified before a Holy God and granted entrance into Heaven. Christ took the punishment that we deserved. Nothing that we do can grant us eternal life, it is a gift given by Christ, and no action that we do either bad nor good can gain us passage to heaven.
Because salvation is by faith and not works there is no real need to live a holy life or practice good works unless we feel like it on any particular day. Of course this is a ridicules statement, yes we are justified by faith, but as a result of salvation-justification we then begin the process of being sanctified--sinning less and being more like Christ.
“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:8-10 ESV
Good works in our life flow from the yoke that we take on when we choose to follow Jesus. Faith saves us and sanctification proves our faith. We can have great assurance that He who began a good work in us will complete it to the end (“being confident of this very thing, that he who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Jesus Christ” Philippians 1: 6) but if we do not see good works for the Kingdom of Christ flowing in our lives we should not cling to a false assurance--perhaps we have heard the word and responded but have no roots.
“And some [seed--the Word of God] fell on the rock, and as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture....And the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy. But these have no root; they believe for a while, and in time of testing fall away.” Luke 8:6,13 ESV
As Christ followers we must have a works based sanctification. It is a false gospel that is preached to the church when we place no weight or emphases on the need to be righteous or Holy as Christ is and simply rely on the fact that we are all sinners saved by grace. This is a cop out and is not Christ’s gospel. Sure, our churches are full of sinners but the question that must be asked is what do we do with the sin? Do our churches and leadership simply cling to the fact that we can do nothing to be saved, it is a gift of grace and therefor when confronted with sin we brush it into a dark corner and try very hard to ignore that it is there. NO! In order to be a bride to Christ we must have a zeal for righteousness and good works just as Christ does. We must be a body of believers that do not make excuses for ourselves and each other but rather sharpen each other as iron sharpens iron. Build one another up in the word of God, spiring each other to good works and righteousness.
Because of the gospel of Christ we must,
“For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue(excellence), and virtue(excellence) with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 2 Peter 1:5-8 ESV
These qualities must be increasing! Oh yes, we are all a bunch of dirty rotten sinners, to be sure but we must be less dirty today then we were on the day of our salvation or perhaps we do not have faith at all. We must be producing good fruit or we are not actually a good tree.
“every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruit you will know them.” Matthew 7:18-20 ESV
The Holy Spirit makes a person into a good tree, through regeneration, and the Spirit living within produces the good fruit. External good works can be done by unsaved people, but the eternal (Fruit-filled) good works, that denote the state of a person, these flow from salvation, and can only be done in the Spirit.
“the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.” Galatians 5:22-26 ESV
Faith is an action word not an emotional state of being. It is true faith, Spirit-led faith, that produces a death to the old man and a life to the new man. These two are always in conflict. This is the aspect of sanctification that requires daily effort and change. The old man must be put to death, this is a life long process but it must be “in process” or the Spirit is not dwelling with you.
“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.” Galatians 5:16-17 ESV
Our zeal for good works comes as a response to what Christ did on the cross, in order to glorify Christ and not ourselves, so if we are luke-warm for good works or desire good works for our own praise and glory, the question must be asked, Have you really experienced the life transforming gift of salvation through faith?
“You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe-and shudder! Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, ‘Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness’--and he was called a friend of God. You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone...For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.” James 2:22-26 ESV
We can not claim to have an assurance of salvation because of our faith in Christ unless we have the works to back it up. Faith without works is dead and so are you. I have met many a long standing “christian” in the church who goes to church faithfully, teaches bible studies, and has some great theology, makes coffee for fellowship hours, is regularly volunteering, but has no zeal for righteousness and good works for Christ and I weep for them. Perhaps this is the most grievous position a person can find themselves in. Believing with all their heart that they are heaven bound because of their alleged faith in Christ but they do not have the works to back up their faith. When push comes to shove they will serve themselves and not Christ.
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name? And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’ “ Matthew 8:21-23 ESV
In order to have a more sure assurance in our faith we must have a very high expectation on ourselves. This call to sanctification is important and grants us assurance and hope. Can we look back on our lives and see that we have sinned less this year then last? That we are serving the Lord more faithfully this year then last? That we are doing more eternal good works? No person has “made it” so long as we walk on this fallen soil so each month, each year until the day we die we must press on to be more like Christ with each passing day. Let us as a body of believers show our faith to our families, church and the world by are actions, righteousness, and zeal for good works.
Saturday, 11 February 2012
Similar But Not the Same
Things similar are not the same. This is a dynamic statement that is essential in our spiritual warfare and personal sanctification. I believe one of the evil one's great tricks is to convince us that things that are similar are the same.
For Example:
A situation comes up in your life, you know a person was hurt and treated very poorly and you are wrestling with it. A whisper comes into your ear and seeks to find a home in your heart, "If it happened it had to be God's will and providence, therefore it is right because God's will is always good." Wonderful, now I no longer need to repent for my part in it because, after all, since it happened it must God's will.
Be careful! To quote Steve Irwin in Veggie Tales, "Danger, Danger, Danger!"Just because something happened it does not necessarily mean that thing was pleasing to God. In this situation we might be dealing with God's providential will in which he uses sin to execute his purposes and not His good, acceptable, and perfect will (GAP Good, accepting, and perfect).
"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." --Romans 12:2
How does God use sin to execute His will if He is perfect and can not sin? Let us look at Christ's crucifixion and the hours leading up to it. Every person, those who cried "crucify him" and those who said nothing, and of course Pilate (who even took the time to symbolically wash his hands of Christ's crucifixion and then went on to give the order to crucify Christ) were acting within the providence of God. I could go on and speak about Judas, the great betrayer, and Peter who denied Christ three times but let us move on. Every person was working within the expressed will of God, but each person sinned egregiously in the part that they played in crucifying Christ. Was it right to crucify Christ? Depends. Yes it was right for God to place all of his wrath and judgment upon Christ on the cross so that he would bare all the punishment for our sin, atoning our sins that we might have admittance into heaven. No, it was wrong for men (and women) to crucify him, he was guiltless and died for crimes he did not commit, it was unjust and sinful. You see God uses sin in order to excite his will, but he does not excuse the act of sin itself. Judas died for his sin, and did not enter the kingdom of heaven, and many others who took part in murdering Christ, met the same end. Yet in God's grace and love he forgave many and continues to forgive us, wretched and depraved sinners, scooping us up from our dead state and breathing life into us. God is the master of using sin for his good providence and then justifiably punishing the sinner, or in some cases unjustifiably forgiving the sinner.
We can find ourselves in the center of God's will, but beware we might be standing in Sodom and Gomorrah about to be destroyed for our great sin. You see, being in God's will may not be a safe place. It is a deception of the evil one to say, "Since God is good, if you are in God's will it is a good place to be." Yes, God is good; however, he uses the sins of people to affect his purposes in the world. Your sin may bring about an unintended good end, but you will still be accountable for what you have done. This lie that it is all God's good will leads us to make excuses for our sin and the sin of those around us and does not lead us to repentance and a desire for righteousness. Things similar are not the same.
We must test ourselves that we might be able to discern what is pleasing to God in any particular situation. As Romans 12:2 states we need our minds transformed by the word to learn what is "good, acceptable and perfect" in respect to his will. Do you want to be a sinful tool of God or a pleasing servant of God? Both are doing his will, but only one will be commended. So to do the "G.A.P." will of God we have to train our minds to discern what actions are consistent with God's character. Do the thoughts that run through our silly little heads come from our carnal hearts, this sinful world, culture, and society or does our mind strive for change and transformation into righteousness and holiness?
A warning for us all:
Be on guard lest we fall trap to one of the devil's lies; sin is always knocking at our door or perhaps in this case our minds.
For Example:
A situation comes up in your life, you know a person was hurt and treated very poorly and you are wrestling with it. A whisper comes into your ear and seeks to find a home in your heart, "If it happened it had to be God's will and providence, therefore it is right because God's will is always good." Wonderful, now I no longer need to repent for my part in it because, after all, since it happened it must God's will.
Be careful! To quote Steve Irwin in Veggie Tales, "Danger, Danger, Danger!"Just because something happened it does not necessarily mean that thing was pleasing to God. In this situation we might be dealing with God's providential will in which he uses sin to execute his purposes and not His good, acceptable, and perfect will (GAP Good, accepting, and perfect).
"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." --Romans 12:2
How does God use sin to execute His will if He is perfect and can not sin? Let us look at Christ's crucifixion and the hours leading up to it. Every person, those who cried "crucify him" and those who said nothing, and of course Pilate (who even took the time to symbolically wash his hands of Christ's crucifixion and then went on to give the order to crucify Christ) were acting within the providence of God. I could go on and speak about Judas, the great betrayer, and Peter who denied Christ three times but let us move on. Every person was working within the expressed will of God, but each person sinned egregiously in the part that they played in crucifying Christ. Was it right to crucify Christ? Depends. Yes it was right for God to place all of his wrath and judgment upon Christ on the cross so that he would bare all the punishment for our sin, atoning our sins that we might have admittance into heaven. No, it was wrong for men (and women) to crucify him, he was guiltless and died for crimes he did not commit, it was unjust and sinful. You see God uses sin in order to excite his will, but he does not excuse the act of sin itself. Judas died for his sin, and did not enter the kingdom of heaven, and many others who took part in murdering Christ, met the same end. Yet in God's grace and love he forgave many and continues to forgive us, wretched and depraved sinners, scooping us up from our dead state and breathing life into us. God is the master of using sin for his good providence and then justifiably punishing the sinner, or in some cases unjustifiably forgiving the sinner.
We can find ourselves in the center of God's will, but beware we might be standing in Sodom and Gomorrah about to be destroyed for our great sin. You see, being in God's will may not be a safe place. It is a deception of the evil one to say, "Since God is good, if you are in God's will it is a good place to be." Yes, God is good; however, he uses the sins of people to affect his purposes in the world. Your sin may bring about an unintended good end, but you will still be accountable for what you have done. This lie that it is all God's good will leads us to make excuses for our sin and the sin of those around us and does not lead us to repentance and a desire for righteousness. Things similar are not the same.
We must test ourselves that we might be able to discern what is pleasing to God in any particular situation. As Romans 12:2 states we need our minds transformed by the word to learn what is "good, acceptable and perfect" in respect to his will. Do you want to be a sinful tool of God or a pleasing servant of God? Both are doing his will, but only one will be commended. So to do the "G.A.P." will of God we have to train our minds to discern what actions are consistent with God's character. Do the thoughts that run through our silly little heads come from our carnal hearts, this sinful world, culture, and society or does our mind strive for change and transformation into righteousness and holiness?
A warning for us all:
Be on guard lest we fall trap to one of the devil's lies; sin is always knocking at our door or perhaps in this case our minds.
Gaius' 6th Birthday
Gaius' 6th birthday has come and gone and I am no longer a mother of 4 kids 5 and under! He had a great party. He had asked me to make a "snake cake" and so after hours of research--including looking at photo after photo of snakes--yuck!--we picked one and went with it. I am not exactly sure what snake it is, and I took a bit of artistic liberty, but it is based on a photo I had. Any ideas what kind of snake it is, at least from the color scheme?
He got his first pair of "real" cowboy boots and he went with cobra skin...I think its cobra skin pattern?
It was on the face and neck that I took most of my creative liberty but I had to go for the dramatic option.
The cake, carving and covering was no problem, then came those jolly scales. I hand made each one and place them on one at a time. The scales alone took me 13 hours! Lets just say after 4 hours of putting scales on I began to ask, "What have I got myself into!" The cake was a vanilla cake with orange cream filling, yummy! My favorite part was cutting it, yes I do get a strange, perhaps even sick, pleasure in destroying and having everyone consume my creations. And then there is the comments from on-lookers, "oh, how can you cut it?" "Doesn't that just pain you?" Nope, LOVE IT! Its like when a child builds a block tower as high as he can...then takes a deep breath savoring that one moment of unadulterated DESTRUCTION, when just enough pressure is applied to make it come crashing down into a rubble of bricks! Mine is just a rubble of cake crumbs:-)
Friday, 27 January 2012
A History with God
Focusing too much on our past, especially as it relates to our sin, can lead to a stifling in seeking the kingdom, "but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."(Phil 3:13-14) However it is important to remember...remember the great things God has done in your life personally, not just generally throughout Scripture.
"I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your wonders of old. I will ponder all your work, and meditate on your mighty deeds. Your way, O God, is holy. What god is great like our God? You are the God who works wonders; you have made known your might among the people." Psalm 77:11-14
If we are to, "Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is...addressing one another in psalms and humans and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ..."(5:15-20), then we must remember what he has done in our lives. What a necessity it is for our weak faith that we should look back at the history we have with the living, unseen God in order that we might increase our hope in the midst of the thick fog of this world.
"I cry aloud to God, aloud to God, and he will hear me. In the day of my trouble I seek the Lord; in the night my hand is stretched out without wearying; my soul refuses to be comforted..." (Psalm 77:1-2) It is in the dark night of your soul when life seems to difficult to navigate any longer that your history with God will strengthen a fainting faith and drive you to our great God. We must remember how God has heard our cry and been faithful. "The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord; he is their stronghold in the time of trouble. The Lord helps them and delivers them; he delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in him." (Psalm 37:39,40)
We all have a history with God and the more in-tune we are with Him the easier it will be for us to see it and remember it. Prayer enhances our sight of God's invisible hand like a magnifying glass. As we pour our pleas before the thrown of Christ and watch, listen, and see him respond we gain a self-evident history with God.
Photo: A Picture of "Baby" Gaius in Scotland. Our, now almost 6 year old, son who is developing his own personal history with God.
Tuesday, 15 November 2011
Gideon's 4th Birthday
Gideon is now 4 years old!!! and Poddy Trained!! I'm not sure which I am more excited about....hummm...ok I will go with his Birthday being more exciting?!?!?
He had a lovely party and enjoyed his "Spider Man" Birthday cake!
Sunday, 6 November 2011
How Pathetic!
So life has been crazy since my last post...including the birth of a child, Apollos, and a blood clot in my brain which put me out of commission quite literally for 6 months and here I find myself almost back at Christmas...my last post!!
I thought I would post a few photos from when Apollos was born
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