“For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear. They will reject the truth and chase after myths.” ~2 Timothy 4:3-4
We are never to water down the Gospel, never to undermine or underestimate the work of the Holy Spirit, and never to distort the simple plain reading of the Word of God. We are not to mix New Age into the Bible because New Age is a mix of religious and spiritual beliefs having to do with mysticism inclusive of phrases such as “Consciousness of Sin” or “Consciousness of Christ,” or “The Greater Consciousness.” The New Age is a free-flowing spiritual movement and includes the practice of witchcraft – tarot cards, fortune-telling, astrology, horoscopes, crystals, healing runes, and the like – as well as philosophies, rituals, and traditions from various ancient cultures and traditions.
Revelation 22:14-15 tells us about those who are believers and warns us about what happens to those who practice any lifestyle of sin, “Blessed are those who wash their robes. They will be permitted to enter through the gates of the city and eat the fruit from the tree of life. Outside the city are the dogs—the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idol-worshipers, and all who love to live a lie.”
Today’s world views have infiltrated modern churches. Candied doctrine has replaced sound teaching. Modern churches have exchanged the Truth of God for a lie. There are people within the places of worship looking to be made comfortable in their sin, desiring to live whatever way they want without being held accountable. They are choosing to be willfully ignorant and defiant to the laws of God. Any church leader and any child of God MUST preach and proclaim the full counsel of God, which means they must preach against sin. In order for the Issues of Holiness and Righteousness to be addressed, the issue of sin HAS TO and MUST BE addressed.
Repentance and confession of sin to God are absolutely essential, and we are not to take advantage of God’s mercy and grace. The Scriptures say in Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” The first chapter of 1 John speaks about living in the Light, verses 5-10, “This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all. So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth. But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin. If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts,” and the Psalmist King David declared, “The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God.”
There seems to be a misconception when it comes to the Holy Spirit as well. Jesus spoke about the Holy Spirit (John 14:16-17), “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you.” John 16:5-15 details “The Work of the Holy Spirit.” Please note verse 8 tells us the Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin, “And when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment,” and verses 14-15 tells us the Holy Spirit points us to Christ, “‘He will bring me glory by telling you whatever he receives from me. All that belongs to the Father is mine; this is why I said, ‘The Spirit will tell you whatever he receives from me.’” Note the Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin and points people to Christ. The Holy Spirit will NEVER take our focus off of Jesus. NEVER. The Holy Spirit will ALWAYS point us to Jesus.
Since the Scriptures are God-breathed, it’s important to note, that the Word is written to us. The Scriptures tell us the good, the bad, the best, the worst, the beautiful, and the ugly.
The Holy Spirit also called the Spirit of Prophecy does NOT always give flowery or sugary messages. We see this throughout the Scriptures which speak of true repentance with humility before God (Micah 6:8), “No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.”
As children of God, we are to read and study the Scriptures and check out any preaching or teaching with the Word of God so we don’t go astray and fall for “doctrines of demons.” The reason those within the church get deceived is that they are not studying the Word of God for themselves. The bible is clear on this as well, 2 Timothy 2:15 tells us, “Work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive his approval. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth.” DO YOU WANT TO HEAR GOD SPEAK TO YOU? ARE YOU LOOKING TO HEAR THE VOICE OF THE SHEPHERD? NEED A WORD FROM THE LORD? OPEN THE BIBLE AND STUDY THE BIBLE. The Word is an Instruction Manual. The Bible tells you everything you need to inherit eternal life, how God wants you to live, and tells you the thoughts of God. DO YOU WANT TO KNOW THE WILL OF GOD FOR YOUR LIFE? OPEN THE BIBLE AND STUDY THE BIBLE. If you leave your bible on the shelf or table to collect dust, you will fall into sin. “I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you,” (Psalm 119:11), and “Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path,” (Psalm 119:105). DO YOU WANT TO KNOW HOW TO TELL RIGHT FROM WRONG? DO YOU WANT TO KNOW IF WHAT SOMEONE SPEAKING IS IN THE BIBLE? OPEN THE BIBLE AND STUDY THE BIBLE. Always pray before reading God’s Word. Ask Him to show you what His Word is saying. Ask Him to guide you. Let your mind be controlled by the Holy Spirit as spoken of in Romans 8:1-17.
The prophet Isaiah had this message from God (Isaiah 50:11), “But watch out, you who live in your own light and warm yourselves by your own fires. This is the reward you will receive from me: You will soon fall down in great torment.”
The Apostle Paul addressed the believers in Galatia about the false teachers and preachers coming into their midst; Galatians 1:8 states, “Let God’s curse fall on anyone, including us or even an angel from heaven, who preaches a different kind of Good News than the one we preached to you.” The only Sure Foundation for our lives, the only Sure Foundation our faith is built on is Jesus Christ. Look to Christ. Look to your Heavenly Father. Shift your focus, and keep your focus set on HIM!
“Because of God’s grace to me, I have laid the foundation like an expert builder. Now others are building on it. But whoever is building on this foundation must be very careful. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have—Jesus Christ. Anyone who builds on that foundation may use a variety of materials—gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay, or straw. But on judgment day, fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done. The fire will show if a person’s work has any value. If the work survives, that builder will receive a reward. But if the work is burned up, the builder will suffer a great loss. The builder will be saved, but like someone barely escaping through a wall of flames. Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you? God will destroy anyone who destroys this temple. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.” ~1 Corinthians 10-17
“Am I now seeking the approval of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please me, I would not be a servant of Christ,” Galatians 1:10. As children of El Shaddai, let us press on, dropping whatever it is that would easily entangle us, cherish and cling to the truth of God’s Word, and keep our eyes on Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, who is the Author and the Finisher of our faith. Let us be found faithful, uncompromising, and unwavering. Let us stand firm, rooted in Christ, and grounded in the Word. Let us seek not the approval and applause of men, but let us seek approval from God alone.
Linda Agnes Knowles
“Jesus continued, “You are from below; I am from above. You belong to this world; I do not. That is why I said that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I Am who I claim to be, you will die in your sins,” (John 8:23-24). The Religious Leaders and Pharisees were committing the sin of unbelief. They did not believe Jesus was the Messiah. They did not trust in Jesus. Belief in Jesus is not just believing Jesus is who He says He is. Belief in Jesus also means trusting in Him. It means hoping in Him. It is believing with all our hearts that He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. It is believing that Jesus is the only means of salvation.
Unbelief is a sin just like lying or stealing or anything else that goes contrary to what God says. When there is unbelief, rebellion and hostility are present. When there is rebellion and hostility, darkness overtakes. When darkness overtakes, there is absence of light. When there is absence of light, only ego and self are left. When ego and self are left, man is his own god. When man is his own god, then idolatry consumes. When idolatry consumes, other lawless activities exist and thrive. When lawlessness exists and thrives, destruction is its wages.
What is sin? Sin is anything that goes completely contrary to the law of God. “Everyone who sins is breaking God’s law, for all sin is contrary to the law of God,” (1 John 3:4). Sin is lawlessness. Lawlessness is iniquity and disobedience. Lawlessness is sin. If God says something is evil, it’s evil. When God says something is evil, we are not to do it. “What sorrow for those who say that evil is good and good is evil, that dark is light and light is dark, that bitter is sweet and sweet is bitter. What sorrow for those who are wise in their own eyes and think themselves so clever,” (Isaiah 5:20-21).
What does sin do? “Because he hath despised the word of the LORD, and hath broken his commandment, that soul shall utterly be cut off; his iniquity shall be upon him,” (Numbers 15:31). Sin cuts us off from God, separating us from Him. Sin will have us living in darkness. Sin will have us traveling down the broad road to destruction. It causes us to trample the Word of God and the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross.
What happens when we sin? When we sin, we grieve the Holy Spirit. We need to understand that the Holy Spirit dwelling within us (the very presence of Almighty God) is so holy, that He (the Holy Spirit) cannot tolerate sin in any degree. The Holy Spirit will only reside in a clean temple. “Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore, glorify God with your body,” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). It is imperative that we understand the spiritual fatality of sin. Those who practice sin are defiled. If we call evil good and good evil, sorrow awaits us. If we call light dark and dark light, sorrow awaits us. When we submit and surrender to the culture and world we live in rather than submitting and surrendering to God, sorrow awaits us. Sin only brings death and destruction.
“You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you, for he wrote, ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship is a farce, for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God,’” (Matthew 15:7-9). GOD REQUIRES OUR HEART. We have the tendency to look at someone’s outer appearance, but God does not look at the outer appearance. The Scriptures states, “But the LORD said to Samuel, ‘Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The LORD doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart,’” (1 Samuel 16:7). The condition of our heart matters to God. The motives and intentions of one’s heart must be right in the eyes of God. The applause of men is all we will get if that is what we seek. All that matters is that we are seeking the Lord’s approval. If we don’t have God’s approval, nothing else will matter. We must have an undivided, unwavering heart in walking with the Lord. Walking with God and living for God is not for the faint of heart. Are we worshiping God in spirit and in truth? Are we loyal and faithful to God? Do we walk before God with an undivided heart? Are we in right relationship with God? When no one is looking, how are we living?
Previously I stated that we cannot be holy and worldly at the same time. Holiness and worldliness are in direct opposition to each other. If we are a friend of the world, then we make ourselves an enemy of God (James 4:4). The Word declares, “You adulterers! Don’t you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God. Do you think the Scriptures have no meaning? They say that God is passionate that the spirit he has placed within us should be faithful to him. And he gives grace generously. As the Scriptures say, ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’ So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you,” (James 4:4-7). Do you we want to be an enemy of God or a friend of God? To be a friend of God, we cannot be a friend of the world. We cannot be practicing a life of sin. Each of us has one life to live. We either live for God or we do not. How we live is a matter of spiritual life or death. Are we living for the Lord? Do we know where we will spend eternity? There is only one life to live. So, how are we living this one life?
The Psalmist declared, “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” To line up our thoughts with God’s thoughts, we need to study the Scriptures. To know how to live a pure and holy life, we need to study the Scriptures. It is within its pages we see the promises of God. Within its pages, we see the nature and character of God unfold before us. Within its pages, we receive encouragement, reproof, instruction, and hope. In the Scriptures, we find comfort.
When there has been no inward transformation that results in living a life of righteousness and holiness before God, outward displays of sacrificial praise mean absolutely nothing. In other words, we could stand in church shouting “Praise the Lord! Glory to God!” However, if we are not living pure and upright before the Lord, then our praise and worship is meaningless. God has made it very clear what He requires, “No, O people, the LORD has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God,” (Micah 6:8). There is no break from walking in purity and holiness before God. If there is any sin in our life, we are to confess our sin before the Lord and repent with a contrite heart. We are to turn from our wicked ways and never go back to those wicked ways. The Lord has told us what He requires. He is not impressed with shows of pomposity, pretense, and hypocrisy. Remember this: “Truthful words stand the test of time, but lies are soon exposed,” (Proverbs 12:19).
Linda A. Knowles
Stained Glass Confessions 