The Law

Posted on by kevinjandt

amosesrembrandt

 

Oh, how I love Your law!

It is my meditation all the day. – Psalm 119:97

This is a verse that really smacks me upside the head. I just don’t know how to say that with much more impact or clarity. It really is a dividing line between those that say they love Jesus and those that really do love Jesus. Our relationship to the Bible is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of our hearts.

How can we really love God without knowing God and how do we know God without reading His Word? The Bible says of itself that it is sufficient for all things pertaining to godliness, righteous living, correction and instruction and then it summarizes that statement by saying “so that the man of God can be complete and thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

So it really seems to make the most sense that if you say you are a man of God you would be quite infatuated with the Word of God doesn’t it?

But what about “The Law”, that seems so harsh and unloving…it seems so legalistic to many modern day evangelicals.

The law or the Torah is simply a precept or a statute, and it primarily refers to the Decalogue (Ten Commandments) or the Pentateuch (Books of Moses). The law is a reflection of the heart of God. God is all these things and to have a proper understanding of God we must understand and love the things that He loves.

Why is this important?

Loving the law of God gives us wisdom and understanding. It is the most important thing we can gain, in fact it is said to be more valuable than gold or fine silver.

I have more understanding than all my teachers… – Psalm 119:99

I understand more than the ancients. – Psalm 119:100

God’s Word restrains us from evil and is a light unto our path. In other words it keeps us on the straight and narrow. It causes us to hate evil, to despise false ways, and bad thinking. How can one gain knowledge and wisdom without knowing God’s precepts and commands?

I have restrained my feet from every evil way, that I may keep Your word. – Psalm 119:101

Through Your precepts I get understanding; Therefore I hate every false way. – Psalm 119:104

The professing church today is full of those that really don’t care for the Word of God, much less the Law of God. They don’t read the Bible, they don’t know the Bible, and what they do know of the Bible is generally misquoted or taken out of context. The Bible should be the lifeblood of a Christian. It is like a gold mine that can never be fully harvested. It should be something we can never get enough of as we desire to grow in godliness. Jesus said if you’ve truly been born from above you will hunger and thirst for it. (Matthew 5:6)

The Law is the heart and etiquette of God and those that pick and choose, or those that dislike or even despise the law are at enmity with God no matter what their mouth might say. This is a real gut check. It’s a great way to examine yourself to see if you are truly in the faith. What is your relationship to your Bible?

Teach me, O LORD, the way of

   Your statutes,

And I shall keep it to the end.

Give me understanding, and I

   Shall keep Your law;

Indeed, I shall observe it with my

   Whole heart.

Make me walk in the path of

   Your commandments.

For I delight in it.

Incline my heart to Your

   Testimonies,

And not to covetousness.

Turn away my eyes from looking

   At worthless things,

And revive me in Your way. – Psalm 119:33-37

 

Kevin

 

If you find a professing Christian indifferent to his Bible, you may be sure that the very dust upon its cover will rise up in judgment against him. — C.H. Spurgeon

Go to Hell!

Posted on by kevinjandt

Go_to_Hell

How many times have you said this to someone? Well, as a Christian I hope you would never say this to someone, but as a Christian how many times do you say this to people in act or in deed? I’d say we all do this more times than we can imagine. I actually shudder to think how many times I do this.

Just recently a man died. His name was Jack. Jack woke up not knowing this day would be his last. I’m sure he had a lot of things on his to-do list that day and I’m certain he expected he’d accomplish all, if not most of his tasks. I didn’t know Jack; in fact, I know almost nothing about Jack except that he was in his forties. I’m sure he was a family man with a wife and kids. Maybe he was a church going man, I’m not sure. Maybe he wasn’t.

The thing is it’s possible I’ve talked to Jack at some point in my life and I wonder if in that encounter I told him about Jesus? I wonder if I told him that there is a Holy God that we will give account of our lives. I wonder if I told him that we’ve all sinned and fallen short of This God’s glory, and because of that problem justice must be served.

We are all guilty criminals; guilty of the most heinous of all crimes, against an infinitely Holy God. That God has given us life and everything good that we experience on this earth and we really have no thoughts of Him and we certainly don’t care to thank Him or honor Him. No, we just go along in our daily endeavors rarely thinking, if ever thinking, that this day might be our last, that today will be the day that we must stand in His courtroom and tell of all our deeds.

This courtroom has a much higher level of strictness and judgment than any earthly courtroom could have. In fact it is so strict that it requires perfection or we will be found guilty. In this courtroom anger is considered murder, in this courtroom looking with lust, or sexual desire is the same as adultery.

I don’t know if Jack knew that or not? I’m sure there will be a funeral where a minister will say a lot of nice things about Jack. How he was a good father, a good husband and probably a “good” man. But I wonder if that minister will remind those people that today or tomorrow could be the day they will face the judge?

Today I wonder if you or I, Mr. and Mrs. Christian, will tell people that today could be the day that they will face the judge. Will we tell them that He is a righteous judge, and that He is angry with the wicked every day? That if they don’t turn from their sin, and place their trust in Christ Jesus as their only hope that they will spend an eternity in a place called Hell, the place where God punishes guilty sinners just like I was, or just like you were?

Do we tell the guilty sinner that the only hope they have is in Christ? Not their own goodness?

Or do we really tell them to “Go to Hell!” I don’t want to take the time… I don’t want to risk the embarrassment…   I don’t want to risk the rejection… I don’t want to risk being labeled a freak…

In other words, you just don’t care about their soul. In other words, I don’t care about their soul.

If we believe the Bible, and I expect most reading this post will say they do, did we forget the imperative command of the Lord Jesus Christ, when He said “Go” and make disciples, teaching them to obey My commands? (Matthew 28:18-20) Did we also forget He said He would be with us, as we did it?

Did we forget that He said the first and greatest command is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind and the second commandment is to love your neighbor as yourself?  Loving our neighbor certainly includes calling them to repentance doesn’t it?

“Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore hear a word from My mouth, and give them warning from Me: When I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life, that same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand. Yet, if you warn the wicked, and he does not turn from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered your soul.” – Ezekiel 3:17-19

My dear friends, if your evangelistic zeal is non-existent, or seriously lacking, please consider your testimony today. Do you really love people, or do you just love yourself? Do you prefer to protect yourself, or do you really desire to live for the glory of God?

For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. – Luke 9:24

Let’s consider today, how many Jack’s we will pass by and tell them to “Go to Hell!”

 

Kevin

 

How Much is Enough?

Posted on by kevinjandt

how-much-is-enough

We live in a world that is all about more. It’s everywhere you look and it’s indoctrinated into this culture that the more you have, the better you are and the happier you will be. This generation like no other has incredible wealth. There are those in this country that are considerably more wealthy than others, but yet I’ve not seen anyone sitting on a street corner with bones showing because they didn’t have anything to eat and they couldn’t find food.

You’ve seen those pictures from places like Africa where people are literally starving to death, the images from the Nazi death camps, where they are walking skeletons. That’s what I’d consider poor, completely without anything. We, in the US, have a completely different concept of poverty, and although there is compassion for those that have less I also have as much compassion for those that have more, but yet are without Christ.

The riches of this world blind our eyes, and cause those to trust in those riches. I know when I have a little cash in my pocket it makes me feel good about myself. It lightens the load, so that I really don’t need to worry as much about Jesus providing my needs. I’ve got that one under control, but “Oh Lord, you are sooooo good…I’m sooooo blessed!” “Thank You Jesus!” After all, doesn’t He want that for us?

The thing about the Christian experience, that I once wrote about, is that it’s really a bizzarro world. It’s completely upside down. First is last, last is first, those that desire to save their life will lose, but if you desire to lose your life you’ll save it. It’s stuff that just doesn’t seem right to most people. It’s certainly why Jesus said, there are few that find life, and many go the way of destruction, because it just isn’t logical.

God has spoken a lot about money. Money is clearly something He cares about, and it should be something the Christian should care about, but not in the same way as the world will care.

Two things I request of You

(Deprive me not before I die):

Remove falsehood and lies far

   from me;

Give me neither poverty nor

   riches—

Feed me with the food allotted

   to me;

Lest I be full and deny You,

And say, “Who is the LORD?”

Or lest I be poor and steal,

And profane the name of my God. – Proverbs 30:7-9

God has given us balance. He’s shown us what we should desire in money and worldly possessions, just enough. The god of this age tells us we need more. The god of this age tells us we can be blessed by god if we only have faith, because god wants us happy healthy and wise. The charlatan preachers peddle this like crack cocaine. It’s easy to get you hooked because it sounds so good. Once you’ve had a taste it’s hard to go back. But that’s not what the Bible tells us…

Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts wich drown men in destruction and perdition. – 1 Timothy 6:6-9

Desiring more is a snare. It will drown you.

Have you ever heard about how natives catch monkey’s in Africa? They take a coconut and hollow it out, just big enough for a monkey to get his hand inside and then put peanuts inside. When the monkey smells the peanuts he’ll grab hold and not let go. He’s trapped by his desire for the peanuts. All he has to do to get away is let go of the peanuts. Yet he will die rather than let go. This is exactly what Paul is telling us about money. We don’t know what’s good for us, so we’ll hold onto those peanuts until it kills us.

“Therefore do not worry, saying ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” – Matthew 6:31-34

Here is our remedy. This is the answer to the problem that we face concerning our desire for wealth and prosperity. Seek first the kingdom of God. Let go of your peanuts, seek Christ and His righteousness and then stop worry about your money as if it’s yours anyway; if you can’t do this, then consider if you are truly saved or not. Money will not have a hold on the true believer and if it does he is not a believer.

 

Kevin

Dogs Like Vomit, Do You?

Posted on by kevinjandt

vomit

Proverbs 26:11 As a dog returns to his own vomit, so a fool repeats his folly.

What differentiates the wise from the foolish?

It seems an obvious answer as we read this Proverb, but yet how often do we return and continue to fall into the same sins again and again? In times past I had a dog and I can vividly remember the sound of the dog removing the contents of her stomach only to lap it up again. I don’t care how cleverly I try to write that it brings an image to our mind that is repulsive. And it should be repulsive, because it’s just disgusting.

Isn’t that the point?

There is a razor thin line between the true church of Christ and those that profess with their mouth Jesus is Lord. As Scripture repeatedly points out, it is the life we live that affirms or denies our confession. Many, and probably most of the professing church are apostate. How can I say that? That certainly is judgmental on my part. Who are you to say such a thing? Are you without sin? You are a legalist!

I’ve heard it all before and the only way I can make such a “judgmental” statement, if you must call it that, is those are the words of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the one that told us “many” and “few”. He said the path was narrow and difficult that leads to life, and the road is wide that leads to destruction. He asked us the hard question, “Do you also want to go away?” (John 6:66).

It’s really easy to get caught up in the doctrine of humanism. It’s really out there today, as it has always been. It’s really easy for it to be all about us. We can slap a little Christianity on it and even throw down a passage of the Bible and call it “religious”, but Jesus said it just wasn’t that easy. He drove home the point that He would separate families; that our enemies would be from our own households. (Matthew 10:35-37) That’s really hard stuff.

So how do we really know? Shouldn’t we have a way to examine our lives?

How often do you return to your own vomit?

Look at what Peter says about this, as he is speaking about the false prophets that were so prolific then just as they are today. These are words for us to heed today. These are words that must be taken seriously, and examine the legitimacy of those that preach the word. Does this sound familiar?

For when they speak great swelling words of emptiness, they allure through the lusts of the flesh… – 2 Peter 2:18

What are you being taught? Is the Scripture opened and explained properly to you? Does the Scripture and teaching point you to God’s greatness, and your littleness? Or does it tell you how you can live better, how you can like yourself more, or get ahead in the world financially. Even more, does it allow you to leave unconvinced of any sin in your life? Does it let you know the vomit is okay to return too?

2 Peter 2:18b-21 …through lewdness (lustful), the ones who have actually escaped from those who live in error. While they promise them liberty, they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by whom a person is overcome, by him also he is brought into bondage. For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning. For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them.

22 But it has happened to them according to the true proverb: “A dog return to his own vomit,” and, “a sow, having washed, to her wallowing in the mire.”

We have a very clear picture of apostasy in the church. It’s clear there are false teachers, and they abound. They build great buildings, and have lots of people in attendance. They build big audiences through social media because people like what they say.   The words are sweet to our ears.   Their condemnation is certain. They will not escape the wrath of God, but what about us?

Do we return to the vomit again and again? Does your sin continue to be justified in your mind and you convince yourself it’s only once more? Or it’s, “but you don’t know my…you fill in the blank.”
“If they wouldn’t do that, I wouldn’t do what I do…”

It’s a dangerous place to live, and it would be better that you had never known the way of righteousness. Please don’t count the blood of Christ a common thing. If you continue to wallow in your sin I urge you to repent today. I urge you to seek counsel from your pastor or your elders, if they are true shepherds of Christ’s church, and then heed that counsel.

Your very soul may be asked of you tonight. Do it now, while it is possible for salvation and then grow in grace, that you may bear fruit and bring glory to the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

Kevin

Hot, Cold or Useless?

Posted on by kevinjandt

hot water

One of the blessings in life is the ability to get into a hot shower. It’s something I take for granted quite often. Most of the country is just finishing summer, but the feel of fall is definitely in the air. As winter approaches, the part of the country I live, I was thinking about the simple joy of a cold morning and getting into a hot shower. How useful and beneficial hot water is for mankind.

What about cold water? If you’ve spent any time working outside on a hot day nothing is more satisfying than ice cold water. It refreshes and rejuvenates a thirsty body. Nothing tastes better when your mouth is dry and parched. I’ve often driven past the guys that are working on roads in the middle of the summer and have thought about how much water they must consume on a hot day. Yes, I’m sure they throw down some Gatorade as well, but water is really the best to quench the thirst. It never leaves an aftertaste.

God in His goodness has provided all we need, just how simple and how amazing water really is, yet there is one kind of water that the Lord declares “useless”.

“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”’ “And to the angel of the church of the Laodicieans write, ‘These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God: “I know your works, that you are neither cold or hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. – Revelation 3:14-16

Jesus tells us that two kinds of water are useful. Cold or hot!

The third type causes one to reject it in their body. To vomit it back out.

The Apostle Paul acknowledges his zeal for what he thought was the truth, but yet he had it wrong, and so is unbridled passion for God without knowledge of the truth. To be effectively “hot” it must be according to the truth of God’s word. (Acts 22:3)

For I bear witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God. – Romans 10:2-3

When God sets Himself in a heart that once hated truth and knowledge, changes that heart to seek Him and bring Him glory, a believer will be consumed by God according to truth and knowledge.

God also uses those cold and hardened to the gospel for His purposes. This is certainly not a popular today in this cultural “gospel”. The god who loves everyone, judges nobody, and loves you just as you are would certainly not be this god?

For He says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion,” So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy. For the Scripture says to the Pharoah, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth.” Therefore He has mercy on whom He will, and whom He wills He hardens. – Romans 9:15-18

God hardened Pharoah’s heart to show His power. That is straight-forward and very clear. God finds cold water very useful for his purposes and yet many rebel against the truth of this. If you find yourself rebelling against this truth you would do well to consider if you are not cold and hardened yourself?

We have clear promises that anyone who humbles himself will be lifted up (James 4:6-10), and that God will not turn away any who desires to come to Him (John 6:37). Those promises are trust-worthy, but only for the humble.

The question stands today, it’s clear, concise and cutting. Are you hot, cold or useless?

Those that sit in church buildings for an hour on a Sunday, or read some sort of Christian literature, maybe even read a Bible, but show no advancement or fruits of repentance have only the future of being vomited out of His mouth. This is a fearful warning to professing believers. This is a fearful warning to all.

Whom do you desire to serve today? This question should not be dismissed or diminished it really is the only valid question to ask.

And Elijah came to all the people, and said, “How long will you falter between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him, but if Baal, follow him.” But the people answered him not a word. – 1 Kings 18:21

Kevin