How can We Learn to be Followers of Jesus?

Learning to Follow God

Ephesians 5:1-8

Introduction:

When I was a young believer, my dad (who was not walking with God) said, “Chet, the world is passing you by!” I said, “As far as I can see, the World is headed for hell in a handbasket! It is just fine if it passes me by: I don’t want to go there anyway!” Perhaps that was not very polite, but: Jesus said, “the way is broad, and many go there, which leads to destruction.” The way wherein few go, and which is not easy, is the way God chooses for his people.

For the new believer, God calls for a definite change in direction. An unbeliever is just “moving along,” whether randomly, or with great determination and direction, as in the case of Saul of Tarsus. But, when the unbeliever becomes a believer, there is a sharp “change in direction.” He/she has become a follower of God. And God is not going the same way as everyone else.

Whose Voice Are You Following?

Two different friends visited Israel and each happened to be in a taxi, waiting as a flock of sheep crossed the road. As they watched, another flock approached from the opposite side. The two shepherds greeted each other cordially, but they walked on, calling their sheep. My friends had expected pandemonium: “How will they separate all those sheep into the two original flocks?”

But, in both cases, the two flocks simply flowed through one another, as the sheep followed the voices of their respective shepherds. There was no confusion at all from the perspective of the sheep, or the shepherds. Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me, and I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish.” John 10:27, 28. Jesus is God in the Flesh, and it is He whom we are to follow. He is not going the same way the World goes, and so He calls us to follow Him, and ignore the voice of the World.

Ephesians 5: Becoming Followers of God

¹ Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children;

We see children’s desire to be like their parents as a precious trait. When we see them imitate good things, or even mannerisms, and skills, it pleases and blesses us. When they imitate our sin, we are ashamed: we know where they got that behavior! Then, we either: admit our own shortcoming, and with them, try to change the pattern, or, simply say “Don’t do as I do; do as I say!” God doesn’t have to do either of those options. He is the perfect Father: He leads by example, saying, “Do as I do!” (What did He “do?”) Read the next verse:

² And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.

In the first place, He (as God in the Flesh) obeyed His own command, by continually living out the reality of Agapé Love. He fully demonstrated that love by going to the Cross. And He asks us to follow Him in every way. When we read 1^st Corinthians 13:4-8, we can see that every attribute of the Agapé love is an action word. Not one of the attributes of Agapé Love is about feelings. We must act so as to be a blessing to those around us, not continually seeking our own good.

Choosing What to Abandon

³ But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints;

God then lists some behaviors that don’t belong in our lives at all…they are unbecoming for us: God calls us to be holy! God calls us Saints (it means holy ones), and He intends to “make it stick.” He has created a new nature in us, as well as having given us the indwelling Holy Spirit, and He says that new nature is created completely Holy and Righteous, just like Him. So, uncleanness of any kind; sin of any kind simply does not belong in our lives. It is an unfitting thing!

He calls us to completely abandon sexual immorality. And, He listed “covetousness” along with “fornication.” Fornication (Greek “porneia”)means “sexual immorality.” The word translated “covetousness,” here, is the Greek word “pleonexia.” The Greek word “philargurion”is also translated covetousness: It means “the love of silver—the love of money.” But this one is a much broader term, meaning “plain old greed!” it means the desire to have more (and more!) In Colossians 3:5, Paul says covetousness (greed: “pleonexia”) is idolatry. And God called the idolatry of Israel “whoredom, in Hosea 4:12.” (God names Fornication and covetousness side-by-side, because He sees them as similar sins.)

How God Categorizes Sins: Uncleanness

Do you ever find it odd that God “lumps together” certain sin issues as being “in a similar category,” where we think that one is “really bad,” while the other is just “annoying?” It is interesting to me that if there is a “hierarchy” of “really bad, sorta bad, and not so bad” sins, it is not in the order we think it ought to be. In Romans chapter one, God lists habitual arguing (debate) right along with murder and deceit;and He lists disobedience to parents, side-by-side with being inventors of evil things. And God says all of them amount to uncleanness.

Teaching Cleanliness to Children

When rearing a child, we try to teach them cleanliness. We teach them there are certain things we “don’t do.” We have certain “vessels” we use for certain tasks. A toilet is fairly specific. You may do some things with it that could be done with something else, such as stacking decorations or other stuff on the back of the tank (sigh…), or flushing facial tissue, when you could have put it in the trash, but the primary use for a toilet is also exclusive to the toilet: using anything else for that purpose is not fitting. And children have to learn these things.

Our eldest son, as a toddler, just had to put things in his mouth—if you didn’t watch him closely, he would grab a rock off the street, and pop it into his mouth. We had to train him to not do that. Today, as an adult, he would not consider doing such a thing: but it isn’t because it wasn’t in his nature to do so—it is because we taught him not to do so. And God wants us to learn to obey Him, and to take on His character, to go along with our new Nature.

2^nd Peter 1:4 says that we are to become partakers of the Divine Nature…and he goes on to say how to do it. He says we will partake in His Nature through God’s written Word and His “exceeding great and precious Promises.”

**What Else Must We Leave Behind?**

⁴ Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks.

He says to set aside our old ways, and deliberately replace them with something new and clean. I once had a very filthy mouth. (Sorry: it’s just a fact. I was an atheist, and rebellious to the core.) God changed my heart: not only do I no longer rejoice in that sort of folly, but it grieves me when I fail and commit that sin again. My jobs have always been in places full of men who all spoke that way, so I have had to take special care to not relearn that habit.

One thing I often did, was, when I heard the filthy language, I responded, under my breath, by praising the Lord, and actively filling my mind with scripture, praise, and thanksgiving. (“I praise you, Lord Jesus, Hallelujah! Let no corrupt communication proceed out of my mouth but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister Grace to the hearer…”, etc.)

I wanted to avoid re-learning their ways, so I reinforced the behavior of God’s way: I fed my new nature. The nature you feed will thrive. Keep that in mind. If you feed the old man, it will take over your thoughts and life. If you feed the new man, it will grow strong, so that you can walk with God. But it requires persistence.

The Old Sin Nature Cannot Be Redeemed

⁵ For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.

People who only have their old nature do not have a part with God. But does this mean that Christians will “lose their salvation” if they commit any of these sins? No! God says you are no longer a whoremonger! You have a new nature! He nailed that old man to the cross, with Jesus. And now He only sees you as “the new you.”

Paul (Romans 7:7-25) recounts his own struggles, “trying to live for God in his own strength:” He concluded that there were two natures living in him; and that he (the new nature) was no longer the one doing the sinning. (Romans 7:17)

He does not excuse himself: He is aware that all sins will have consequences. But he also sees that his old nature is never going to improve. (See Romans 8:7) He rejoices because God set him free from the body of that death. (Romans 7:24, 25 read it!) But are there consequences to sin? You’d better believe there are!

Sowing and Reaping

⁶ Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.

Jesus is the Judge: He is God! He not only judges the sin; He also judges sinners, though He offers Grace to them in Agapé Love. Judgment is still coming! And in a believer’s life, God brings chastening: Don’t think you are “getting away with something.”

Yes, God forgave your sins; that is your new position: You are a child of God.

But God’s Children must expect a “trip to the woodshed,” if we fail to confess sin. Your peace will depart. You must expect that your prayers will go unanswered. Your testimony will suffer. Your sin can affect your health , as well as every human relationship you have. Don’t allow yourself to get in that sort of trouble with God. Confess your sins and forsake them, so that you can enjoy your walk with God.

The Law of the Harvest

Galatians 6:7 says, “Be not deceived; God is not mocked, for whatsoever a man sows, that shall he also reap…” This is the Law of the Harvest: (Plant corn, reap corn. Plant wheat, reap wheat. If I plant laziness, I will reap waste and want. When we plant grievous words, we reap strife. If we plant soft, kind words, we can hope to reap peace.) This law was laid down before sin entered the world. Genesis 1 points out that each plant and animal brought forth seed “after its kind.” Like begets like!

You will reap in keeping with what you sowed. Plant the Gospel, and reap saved souls. Plant careless talk, and watch friends die in their sin. You will reap what you sow. Keep that in mind!

No Prosperity (“Health and Wealth”) Gospel is Taught in Scripture

Some people try to teach that the “other side” of this doctrine is a guarantee that, if they walk in obedience to God, they will never get sick. (That is not true!) Godly people sometimes die of bad diseases, and it is not a judgment from God.

In Psalm 116:15, God says, “Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of His saints!” Those who preach a “Prosperity Gospel” are willfully ignoring Hebrews 11:35-39. God lists people who had been tortured, dying horrible deaths; destitute of any human comfort, (food, clothing, and shelter) and were martyred for their faith. These were the “best of the best!” He says that “the World is not worthy of them.” If the ones God called the best were those with the very least in the way of prosperity, how can prosperity be our primary goal and value in life?

In Philippians 2:25-28, Epaphroditus was so sick he nearly died, but he got well in the ordinary, “natural” way, even though he was with the Apostle Paul the whole time. He was not “sick because of sin.” He was sick in spite of righteousness. In Philippians 1:29, we are told to expect suffering, as part of the Christian life. (The “prosperity” doctrine is not from God!)

⁷ Be not ye therefore partakers with them.

That’s pretty much the bottom line. If you don’t want the kind of fruit they will reap, (those who walk in the World) then don’t sow what they sow! Remember the Law of the Harvest: It does not make exceptions for believers. We may pray for a “crop failure” while we confess our sins, but in general, we will reap what we have sown.

Conclusion: Walk as Children of Light

⁸ For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:

The character of light? Light dispels darkness! In fact, darkness can only be defined in terms of light. We define light in terms of energy, photons, waves, spectrums, refraction, diffusion, lumens, etc. But there are no similar definitions for darkness. Darkness is only defined as the absence of light. The tiniest, faintest light, in some measure, dispels darkness. A single match, or a small candle, is enough to see our path in what would otherwise be total darkness.

“Walking With Jesus” Means “Walking in the Light.”

God says, “Walk as children of light.” Compare this with 1^st John 1:5-7. It says “God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all.” The kind of light in question, here, is Moral light. God is the ultimate source. He is the One who shines in the darkness and that darkness can never overpower His light (John 1:5). He goes on to say that the only way we can have fellowship with Him is to walk in the Light, as He is in the light.

And we walk in the light because we want to have fellowship with Him. We want to be allowed to join Him in His work, reaching a lost world. (See John 4:34)

Was I once a truly ungodly young man, utterly committed to the works of darkness? Yes! I truly was! Should that be reflected at all, in my life today? No! I am a child of God, and a child of light, now. I desire to walk in the Light, with Him! So, I need to know how to do that. We will address this more specifically next week.

Lord Jesus, we ask that You will teach us to walk with You as You walk in the Light, and allow us to have unbroken fellowship with You, the Source of all Light!

August 14, 2022August 14, 2022

If Ye Continue in My Word, then are Ye My Disciples, Indeed!

If Ye Continue in My Word

John 8:30-32, 36

Introduction:

We can see that, in the previous verses, there was a division forming amongst the Jews. The “better educated” (and proud) Pharisees, along with the Scribes, the Levites, and the Priesthood all tended to reject Jesus: He wasn’t one of them!

The less-educated, usually less prosperous people, because of the miracles, were increasingly aware that He was actually doing something. There was substance to His ministry! The other leaders “talked a good fight,” but mainly excelled in taking the money and the flocks of the poor.

Jesus was actually teaching people to know God. The Priests, the Scribes, and the Pharisees said that was what they were doing, but in fact only laid heavier and heavier burdens of Law-keeping on the people. That only left them further away than ever, knowing their inability to walk in the Holiness of God. But Jesus pointed out, in front of all the people, that the Scribes and Pharisees made no attempt to lift that load themselves. (Matthew 23:4 “For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.”)

As a result of this division growing among them, many of the people had begun to truly believe in Jesus (verse 30.)

³⁰As he spake these words, many believed on him.

But notice the change in verse 31.

Speaking to Believers

Jesus is no longer speaking to unbelievers: He is speaking to believers! This is an important shift: To the unbelievers, He had just warned, “Ye shall seek me, and shall die in your sins.”

But to these new, baby believers, He had a different admonition: He did not warn of a coming judgment, but rather exhorted them to move forward from being just believers, and to become disciples.

³¹Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;

Being born again does not guarantee that a person will become a disciple; a follower of Jesus. We are called to follow Jesus. We are called to be obedient to His Word. We are called to feed on His Word, as newborn babies nurse hungrily to obtain their mother’s milk. (1^st Peter 2:2)

We are called to continue in His Word: press on to maturity, following Him as dear children, but growing as we feed on His Word, to become the mature believers He calls us to become, teaching others, functioning as ambassadors, and shining as lights in this dark world.

What happened when they believed? What changed?

Back in John 1:12, we saw that people who believed on His name became children of God. In John 3:3, and John 3:14-16, Jesus told Nicodemus that unless he (Nicodemus) was born again, he was not going to enter into the Kingdom of God. Nicodemus was confused by that, so Jesus reminded him of the account of Moses making the bronze serpent in the desert. (You can read all about it in Numbers 21:5-9.)

He was told to hang it up high on a pole, so everyone could see it. God’s promise was that if anyone was bitten by one of the thousands of deadly snakes He had sent to punish them for sin, they were to look to that serpent on the pole and they would not die. They were still sinners; they still had the bite marks on their leg, but they were not going to die of that bite. Jesus explained to Nicodemus that, in the same manner, those who looked to Him in faith, would escape the eternal judgment of God.

Changed Permanently

When we first believed, the judgment of eternal separation from God in the lake of fire was permanently lifted and we became children of God. That has permanently put you into the family of God. But if you want to be a working part of the “Family Business,” reaching out to see precious souls rescued from that final judgment on sin, then it requires that you get out of your “comfort zone” and follow Jesus!

Peter was called several times, before he finally broke free from his old life and faithfully served Jesus. John Mark was rejected for service by Paul, because of an uncommitted life: Because of unreliability. But “Uncle Barnabas” stepped in, took John Mark under his wing, so to speak, and made a disciple of him. (You can read all about that in Acts 15:36-39. Incidentally, John Mark is the fellow we know as Mark, the writer of the Gospel according to Mark.) You see, people have to grow into being a mature disciple. They aren’t “born that way,” as a rule.

Position versus Condition

The position of these believers changed forever, the moment they placed their faith in Jesus as their Messiah. They were permanently saved, just like the thief on the Cross. But once that position has been secured, the focus changes.

Throughout a pregnancy, all of the mother’s family and friends are solicitous for the health of the mother and baby, and a safe delivery. Once the child is born, however,the focus begins to change! Now they are watching the child grow and develop into a walking, talking, strong and mature human being. They feel joy to see that child increasing in size, strength and ability.

Jesus was refocusing their attention on the next step: Becoming disciples. Their position in His family was secure forever, but in order to see and understand that security, they needed to begin feeding on the Word and walking in the Word and Growing in the Word. That would change their condition.

They would grow into a knowledge of Christ that was more and more full. Then they could know the freedom from fear and the confidence that comes with a stable walk with God. They could become free of the entangling sins that once tormented them. Your condition can change, for better or for worse. Your position in Christ is secure forever, from the moment you trusted Him as your Savior.

Knowing the Truth

³²And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

This verse has been misused by believers and unbelievers alike, for different reasons. The believers claim that if you know (as a fact), that the Bible is true, then you will be free (from the ravages of sin.) The unbelievers say the opposite, that if you know (as a fact) that the Bible is a collection of myths and fairytales, then you will be free from the slavery to a mythical God.

The issue, in both cases, is that the word in this verse, which has been translated as “know,” is a form of the Greek word “gnosko.” It specifically means a relational, growing, experiential knowledge of a person or a concept…not simply “accepting something as a fact.”

Jesus was inviting the people to get to know Him! Verse 36 confirms this, saying “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” Later on, Jesus will confirm that He, Himself is the Truth (John 14:6.)

**How can we relationally know Jesus well enough to be “Free?”**

The Christian experience is called “walking” for several reasons, but primarily because it is not “gliding, or coasting.” We have to “march along,” one step at a time, every day, in order to “walk with Jesus.” Sometimes it may feel as though all we are doing is “plodding.” It is not always exciting, nor will it always feel “fun.” It requires effort on our part, if for no other reason, just because it is hard to maintain faith when we are under constant attacks on our faith.

The World Hates Jesus

I find it interesting that the World does not attack the cults in this way. It doesn’t care about them. It does not attack myths, or superstitions in this way: it doesn’t care about them.

It attacks the Gospel and the Person of Christ: because the Gospel is true, and the Jesus Christ we serve is not only our Savior, but is also the Judge of all the Universe! The World hated Jesus and it hates us along with Him.

No one is attacking Islam, or constantly mocking it. They are afraid to do so. Look what happened to Salman Rushdie! 33 years after he was foolish enough to publish a book of satire, mocking Mohammed, and 33 years after some Imam wrote a “Fatwah” against him (putting a contract out on him) he was attacked in public by a Muslim man with a knife…and has at least lost an eye…and still may die of his other wounds.

No one is going out of their way to attack the many “Swamis and Gurus” coming out of India to claim an “inside connection to God” and get rich off of foolish Americans. Unless they break some law and can be prosecuted for that, the fact is, no one cares!

No one is going out of their way to attack the Hari Krishnas…why? Because they are part of the “comfortable darkness of this world” and the world simply doesn’t care about them.

Called to Walk

We are called to “walk by faith.” We are also told that “If we walk in the light as He is in the Light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son, cleanseth us from All Sin.” (1^st John 1:7) We are called to shine as lights in the darkness…and the darkness does not appreciate it!

We are called to Walk with Jesus! And, as we do so persistently, in that, after the world has tripped us, or dragged us down, we keep on “getting up and walking again,” we “get to know Jesus.” As we walk with Him, we gain experiential, relational knowledge of the Person of Christ, of His Love, His Forgiveness, His Faithfulness, and His Truth.

We get to see, personally, how Jesus keeps His promises. And as our faith grows, we become increasingly free of the baggage of our old sins, and free from the “twin, yapping dogs” of self-condemnation and guilt. We learn to set aside our old sin nature, and to rejoice that Jesus has lifted the Curse of the Law, taking it off of our shoulders completely, and bearing it all on Himself at the Cross. We find that we are truly made Free. We are free to serve Him out of Love and gratitude.

Not a “Self-Help Scheme”

This is not something we can “plan out and accomplish on our own:” In John 15:5, Jesus said, “…apart from Me ye can do nothing.” It was the simple truth: We are facing invisible enemies in a universe we do not understand, and attempting to function in what is effectively a “maze,” most of which we cannot see at all. The only thing we can do is walk by faith!

We can’t decide for ourselves to “become wise:” We can obediently study and meditate upon God’s Word and He can begin to change our foolish hearts so that we become wise: but God’s Word accomplished the change, not us!.

When we choose to walk with Jesus, we begin to discover what He has chosen for us to do. As we continue walking with Him, we discover the Joy of being part of His work, in the fellowship of the Gospel.

Only to Believers

The promise in John 8:32 is only to believers. To unbelievers, the invitation remains: “Whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish.” And “Whosoever will, let Him come!”

Once you have been born again, the call is to immerse yourself in His Word, and continue in His Word, so as to become true disciples, and to be set free from your old slavery to Sin and fear. An unbeliever cannot receive that, without first being Born again into God’s family. That is when spiritual life begins, from God’s perspective. But believers are called to Feed, to Walk, and to Grow.

Lord Jesus, we ask for Your Grace to be poured out upon us. Transform our hearts through Your Word. Change us into Your likeness, and allow us to be Your representatives, here on Earth. Change our hearts so that we may shine as lights in the World.