This IS What It Takes??? A Word from THE WORD!!! #199

We talked about “What Will It Take” last time, and I’d like to take it a bit farther and share just some thoughts on what scripture tells us that it takes to be right with God, to understand His ways, and to follow His Word.  Simply put the main thing is that we have come to Jesus for salvation and that we choose to walk with HIM—not just invite Him to rubber stamp our plans, projects, and programs, but rather to walk with HIM in all our ways.  Let’s start with a passage that is partially familiar to many of us, but sometimes we stop reading too soon.  Consider what the Proverb reveals.

“Trust in the LORD

with all thine heart;

and lean not

unto thine own understanding.

6 In all thy ways

acknowledge him,

and he shall direct thy paths.

7 Be not wise

in thine own eyes:

fear the LORD,

and depart from evil.

8 It shall be health to thy navel,

and marrow to thy bones.

9 Honour the LORD with thy substance,

and with the firstfruits of all thine increase:

10 So shall thy barns be filled with plenty,

and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.

11 My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD;

neither be weary of his correction:

12 For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth;

even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.

13 Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,

and the man that getteth understanding.

14 For the merchandise of it

is better than the merchandise of silver,

and the gain thereof than fine gold.”   Proverbs 3:5-14

The author of Hebrews addresses this issue of discipline as well, and as I often teach in my classes, if you claim to be a follower of Jesus and can go your own way without the corrective hand of Jesus in your life, you might check out what you think got you saved.  Scripture makes it clear that we are to reflect the nature of our “Father”!

“And ye have forgotten the exhortation

which speaketh unto you as unto children,

My son, despise not thou

the chastening of the Lord,

nor faint

when thou art rebuked of him:

6 For whom the Lord loveth

he chasteneth,

and scourgeth

every son whom he receiveth.

7 If ye endure chastening,

God dealeth with you as with sons;

for what son is he

whom the father chasteneth not?

8 But if ye be without chastisement,

whereof all are partakers,

then are ye bastards,

and not sons.

9 Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh

which corrected us,

and we gave them reverence:

shall we not much rather

be in subjection unto the Father of spirits,

and live?

10 For they verily for a few days chastened us

after their own pleasure;

but he for our profit,

that we might be partakers of his holiness.

11 Now no chastening

for the present seemeth to be joyous,

but grievous:

 nevertheless afterward

it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness

unto them which are exercised thereby.”  Hebrews 12:5-11

Jesus Himself warned us of trying to “go it on our own”, we must abide with Him, in Him, and He in us!  It’s all about our relationship with Jesus, not our worldly success, wealth, position or seeming importance to the world.  It’s all about Jesus!

“I am the true vine,

and my Father is the husbandman.

2 Every branch in me

that beareth not fruit

he taketh away:

and every branch

that beareth fruit,

he purgeth it,

that it may bring forth more fruit.

3 Now ye are clean

through the word which I have spoken unto you.

4 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.

5 I 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.”  John 15:1-5

Jesus also reminds us that there is a time of accounting—in fact so much of scripture reminds us that we will give an account of our life, our choices, our words, and our influence on others—what we do with it, not just that we have it.

“A good man

out of the good treasure of the heart

bringeth forth good things:

and an evil man

out of the evil treasure

bringeth forth evil things.

36 But I say unto you,

That every idle word that men shall speak,

they shall give account thereof

in the day of judgment.

37 For by thy words thou shalt be justified,

and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.”                      Matthew 12:35-37

How are you using your words?  What words are you using that are inappropriate, unhelpful, or just plain harmful to others.  Is your speech so vitriolic that others avoid you at all costs?

The Apostles had an impact after the resurrection, ascension, and the imparting of the Holy Spirit upon them, such that even those who hated them were brought to make a profound statement of them; one that I pray would be the accusation toward us, if and when we are called into account.

“Then Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost,

said unto them,

Ye rulers of the people,

and elders of Israel,

9 If we this day be examined of the good deed

done to the impotent man,

by what means he is made whole;

10 Be it known unto you all,

and to all the people of Israel,

that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth,

whom ye crucified,

whom God raised from the dead,

even by him doth this man stand here

before you whole.

11 This is the stone which was set at nought

of you builders,

which is become the head of the corner.

12 Neither is there salvation in any other:

for there is none other name under heaven

given among men,

whereby we must be saved.

13 Now when they saw the boldness

of Peter and John,

and perceived

that they were unlearned and ignorant men,

they marvelled;

and they took knowledge of them,

that they had been with Jesus.”  Acts 4:8-13

In bringing these thoughts to a close, I want to remind each of us of the accounting that will come—for the believer–we will stand before the “judgment seat of Christ” to give an accounting of our deeds done in the flesh; for the lost who have rejected Jesus, there will be a different accounting.  May you consider these truths and ask God to reveal to us the true state of our hearts.

“But why dost thou judge thy brother?

or why dost thou set at nought thy brother?

for we shall all stand

before the judgment seat of Christ.

11 For it is written,

As I live, saith the Lord,

every knee shall bow to me,

and every tongue shall confess to God.

12 So then every one of us

shall give account of himself to God.”  Romans 14:10-12

“For other foundation

can no man lay

than that is laid,

which is Jesus Christ.

12 Now if any man build upon this foundation

gold, silver, precious stones,

wood, hay, stubble;

13 Every man’s work shall be made manifest:

for the day shall declare it,

because it shall be revealed by fire;

and the fire shall try

every man’s work

of what sort it is.

14 If any man’s work abide

which he hath built thereupon,

he shall receive a reward.

15 If any man’s work shall be burned,

he shall suffer loss:

but he himself shall be saved;

yet so as by fire.”  1 Corinthians 3:11-15

And the last word is God’s!

“And I saw a great white throne,

and him that sat on it,

from whose face the earth and the heaven

fled away;

and there was found no place for them.

12 And I saw the dead,

small and great,

stand before God;

and the books were opened:

and another book was opened,

which is the book of life:

and the dead were judged

out of those things which were written

in the books,

according to their works.

13 And the sea gave up the dead

which were in it;

and death and hell delivered up the dead

which were in them:

and they were judged

every man according to their works.

14 And death and hell

were cast into the lake of fire.

This is the second death.

15 And whosoever was not found

written in the book of life

was cast into the lake of fire.”  Revelation 20:11-15

The choice is yours.  Where is your name written? Choose wisely there is a test—ready or not Jesus is coming back to gather His own, who have chosen to believer and receive His salvation, but as judge to all who have not.  How will He find you?  May you reach out to Jesus today if you haven’t yet done so, and trust to His saving grace and not your own resources.  If you belong to Jesus, is it time for you to reevaluate your walk with The Master?  May He find us faithfully serving and following His way!

Amen and Amen!!!