These believe there is no harm in erring, or sinning, and they lead others to believe it too! Such will suffer the consequences of their evil, and ARE responsible for taking others astray! There is NO avoiding what IS to come, WHEN CHRIST JESUS returns, REGARDLESS of the inclination to believe what mere humans have deluded themselves with...
JEREMIAH 23: 17...
“They keep saying to those who despise Me,
‘The LORD has said, “You will have peace”’;
And as for everyone who walks in the stubbornness of his own heart,
They say, ‘Calamity will not come upon you.’
The teaching and example of the true prophets led men to repentance, faith, and righteousness. The false prophets led men to rest in forms and notions, and to be quiet in their sins. Let us take heed that we do not follow unrighteousness.
We HAVE in our midst PLENTY of such nonsense in our Churches, and it IS gaining traction, as people WANT to hear, and believe that there is NO wrong-doing, or responsibility if one proclaims CHRIST as their LORD, and SAVIOUR. We have 'FEEL GOOD' Preachers everywhere, whom THINK they are correct in their perception, and direction! Just as it HAS ALWAYS been, they appeal to the itching ears of those who WANT to continue on in their chosen, and favourite errs/sins; and today, they are QUITE adept...
They go through THE WORD and pick and choose messages which they KNOW will appease the masses, but they IGNORE the dangers in misleading! They IGNORE that IF they have opted to guide the masses, THEY ARE more responsible for what they DON'T teach, and which takes others astray! One or two sentences taken in their OWN perception, void of the 'meat', IS their platform, AS they hope to gain numbers, not souls; however, many of them give themselves credit for doing so...
We must be diligent in the use of all the means which lead to our salvation, persevering therein to the end. With great care, lest, with all our advantages, we should come short. Work out your salvation, for it is God who worketh in you. This encourages us to do our utmost, because our labour shall not be in vain: we must still depend on the grace of God. The working of God's grace in us, is to quicken and engage our endeavours. God's good-will to us, is the cause of his good work in us. Do your duty without murmurings. Do it, and do not find fault with it. Mind your work, and do not quarrel with it. By peaceableness; give no just occasion of offense. The children of God should differ from the sons of men.
The more perverse others are, the more careful we should be to keep ourselves blameless and harmless. The doctrine and example of consistent believers will enlighten others, and direct their way to Christ and holiness, even as the light-house warns mariners to avoid rocks, and directs their course into the harbour. Let us try thus to shine. The gospel is the word of life, it makes known to us eternal life through Jesus Christ. Running, denotes earnestness and vigour, continual pressing forward; labouring, denotes constancy, and close application. It is the will of God that believers should be much in rejoicing; and those who are so happy as to have good ministers, have great reason to rejoice with them.
19+++And this was John’s testimony when the Jews of Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him, “Who are you?”
20+++He did not refuse to confess, but openly declared, “I am not the Christ.”
21+++“Then who are you?” they inquired. “Are you Elijah?”
He said, “I am not.”
“Are you the Prophet?”
He answered, “No.”
22+++So they said to him, “Who are you? We need an answer for those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”
23+++John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet: “I am a voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’”
The doctrine he preached was repentance; Repent ye. The word here used, implies a total alteration in the mind, a change in the judgment, disposition, and affections, another and a better bias of the soul. Consider your ways, change your minds: you have thought amiss; think again, and think aright. True penitents have other thoughts of God and Christ, sin and holiness, of this world and the other, than they had. The change of the mind produces a change of the way. That is gospel repentance, which flows from a sight of Christ, from a sense of his love, and from hopes of pardon and forgiveness through him. It is a great encouragement to us to repent; repent, for your sins shall be pardoned upon your repentance. Return to God in a way of duty, and he will, through Christ, return unto you in the way of mercy.
It is still as necessary to repent and humble ourselves, to prepare the way of the Lord, as it then was. There is a great deal to be done, to make way for Christ into a soul, and nothing is more needful than the discovery of sin, and a conviction that we cannot be saved by our own righteousness. The way of sin and Satan is a crooked way; but to prepare a way for Christ, the paths must be made straight, Heb 12:13.
Those whose business it is to call others to mourn for sin, and to mortify it, ought themselves to live a serious life, a life of self-denial, and contempt of the world. By giving others this example, John made way for Christ. Many came to John's baptism, but few kept to the profession they made. There may be many forward hearers, where there are few true believers. Curiosity, and love for novelty and variety, may bring many to attend on good preaching, and to be affected for a while, who never are subject to the power of it. Those who received John's doctrine, testified their repentance by confessing their sins. Those only are ready to receive Jesus Christ as their righteousness, who are brought with sorrow and shame to own their guilt. The benefits of the kingdom of heaven, now at hand, were thereupon sealed to them by baptism. John washed them with water, in token that God would cleanse them from all their iniquities, thereby intimating, that by nature and practice all were polluted, and could not be admitted among the people of God, unless washed from their sins in the fountain Christ was to open, Zec 13:1.
This IS IMPERATIVE instruction! The MORE we KNOW of THE LORD *GOD*, HIS WILL, HIS WAYS, and HIS WORD, the MORE we CAN determine if our 'guides' ARE TRUE TO HIM! DON'T follow humans, FOLLOW CHRIST JESUS, and HIS WORD! We MIGHT be 'guided' IF those guiding ARE NOT straying FROM THE WORD, or HIS WILL, SO, it is WISDOM we seek, and KNOWLEDGE gained which KEEPS us ON THE PATH, and out of the clutches of those whom are wolves in sheep's clothing. And just so you know, some of these did NOT set out to mislead, but were misled themselves, THUS we MUST be able to discern, and STICK CLOSELY to those whom FOLLOW THE LORD, as wholly as is feasible...
It IS PRIDE which leads us wrong, and which goes before a fall, and which allows some to lead according to HUMAN precepts OVER *GOD'S*! ALWAYS check yourself, and ask THE LORD to SHOW you THE WAY, THAT NO carnal being is able to take you off THE PATH! And this, again, is possible through knowledge, and understanding, and RELYING ON THE LORD TO LEAD, and PERFECT, WHILE we DO our part, and participate IN BEING MADE WHOLE!!!
Advent IS a time to reflect, ponder, and gather, FOR the sake of PREPARING THE WAY OF THE LORD, which BEGINS WITHIN, and spirals forth, FOR HIS GLORY, and the greater good of others, and their souls!!!
LWINSOR © 2019
BIBLICAL, and/or other references marked BOLDLY IN COLOURS
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