Post by Shepherd on Mar 14, 2009 19:33:24 GMT -6
MADE MANIFEST BY THE LIGHT.
"Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done in secret. But all things are reproved are made manifest by the light. Wherefore he said awake thy that sleep and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.” Eph.5:10-14.
Do you agree that the best way for a person to become a Christian is to decide to be openly honest about everything.
It is hard to understand why the majority of people do not want to be a Christian. I can remember the time when I was not a Christian but I was honest about it. I just did not believe. After I came to know and to believe the things of the Lord, it was an astonishment to me that I could have lived that long without knowing the wonder of His love. We can be fooled, and we can fool ourselves.
The tragedy is that a person can deceive himself to his own hurt. There can be a sense of rest and peace if one denies that judgment will certainly come.
It is no wonder that Paul urges Timothy...
II TIM. 2:24-26. “And the servant of the Lord must not strive, but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach patience in meekness, instructing those who oppose themselves; if Good will per-adventure will give them to the acknowledgeing of the truth; and that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.”
There are some people who fall easily into the snare of the devil. They occupy themselves with things that leave them open to his cunning and his deception. There are so many mistaken ideas that seem so natural to a man’s own heart. Many a person falls for them easily. For instance, it is very common to feel; “I was born free to do as I wish.” But that is wrong. No man lives to himself alone.
Then again a person may say, “If I don’t see anything wrong, then it is all right.”
But this will not do; I could be blind. I could look down the road and not see anything wrong, because my eyes are blinded, and then drive right into a hole in the bridge.
Paul said, I know that in me. (that is, in my flesh) Dwells no good thing. Rom. 7:18, Then again someone may say; “If others do it, then it is all right for me to do it.” They may be wrong. Just because everyone else thinks something is all right does not make it so.
Another common idea that someone may express is this; “If I can’t see it, I’m not going to believe it.” But this is also wrong.
Again someone will say, “If I can’t understand it, I shouldn’t trust it.” That is also wrong. When we go to a doctor, we do not always understand, but we trust. When I take my car to a garage, I don’t always understand what they are doing to it, but I turn it over to them.
Some people will say, “Why worry. I don’t believe there is any devil anyway.” That is a mistake–there is a devil. The Lord Jesus dealt with him, and he tempted the Lord Jesus Christ. He will tempt us. We could be very foolish by failing to recognize the fact that he exists.
In the same vein some will say, “I don’t think there is any hell anyway. “How tragic. Our Lord spoke about hell. The one person who spoke more about hell in the Bible, and certainly in the New Testament, than anyone else, and mentioned it more often by name, was Jesus of Nazareth.
Paul says that; “All things that are reproved are made manifest is light.” Eph.5:13.
This means simply all things become visible when they are exposed by the light.
Paul says,”Christ shall give thee light.” EPHESIANS 5:14. He will give understanding. Another way it could be said; “But when anything is exposed and reproved by the light, it is made visible and clear; and when everything is visible and clear, there lis light.”
We do not arrive at insight and understanding by our reason. We so not figure things out. We come to understanding and have insight, because we are shown. Christ Jesus Himself came to show us. He sent the Holy Ghost to show us.
Looking at the Lord Jesus Christ will help us to know many, many things. Knowing the Lord Jesus Christ, we will not have any doubts about heaven. That is where He came from. That is where He went. That is where He is now. Think about the Lord Jesus Christ. You won’t have any trouble about angels. They announced His coming, they announced His going, and they will announce His coming again. Thinking about the Lord Jesus Christ, we will not have any trouble in trusting God.
Someone might ask, “Why don’t’ we trust Him? Why don’t we just come to Him? What holds us back?” It cold be our sin. Thinking about coming into the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ may lead us to think, “Oh, well, I am no good. I have sinned.” In our guilt we feel responsible. And this is very true. We really have the sin. We really have the guilt. Yet, if we will look at Christ, He will carry away our sins. He will pardon our guilt. God is real. Heaven is real. The devil is real. Angels are real.
When we have those things which come into our minds through Him, it is as though we lifted up the window shade and let the sunshine in. One look at Him and we know. “There is life for a look at the Crucified One; There is life at this moment for thee.”
"Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done in secret. But all things are reproved are made manifest by the light. Wherefore he said awake thy that sleep and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.” Eph.5:10-14.
Do you agree that the best way for a person to become a Christian is to decide to be openly honest about everything.
It is hard to understand why the majority of people do not want to be a Christian. I can remember the time when I was not a Christian but I was honest about it. I just did not believe. After I came to know and to believe the things of the Lord, it was an astonishment to me that I could have lived that long without knowing the wonder of His love. We can be fooled, and we can fool ourselves.
The tragedy is that a person can deceive himself to his own hurt. There can be a sense of rest and peace if one denies that judgment will certainly come.
It is no wonder that Paul urges Timothy...
II TIM. 2:24-26. “And the servant of the Lord must not strive, but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach patience in meekness, instructing those who oppose themselves; if Good will per-adventure will give them to the acknowledgeing of the truth; and that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.”
There are some people who fall easily into the snare of the devil. They occupy themselves with things that leave them open to his cunning and his deception. There are so many mistaken ideas that seem so natural to a man’s own heart. Many a person falls for them easily. For instance, it is very common to feel; “I was born free to do as I wish.” But that is wrong. No man lives to himself alone.
Then again a person may say, “If I don’t see anything wrong, then it is all right.”
But this will not do; I could be blind. I could look down the road and not see anything wrong, because my eyes are blinded, and then drive right into a hole in the bridge.
Paul said, I know that in me. (that is, in my flesh) Dwells no good thing. Rom. 7:18, Then again someone may say; “If others do it, then it is all right for me to do it.” They may be wrong. Just because everyone else thinks something is all right does not make it so.
Another common idea that someone may express is this; “If I can’t see it, I’m not going to believe it.” But this is also wrong.
Again someone will say, “If I can’t understand it, I shouldn’t trust it.” That is also wrong. When we go to a doctor, we do not always understand, but we trust. When I take my car to a garage, I don’t always understand what they are doing to it, but I turn it over to them.
Some people will say, “Why worry. I don’t believe there is any devil anyway.” That is a mistake–there is a devil. The Lord Jesus dealt with him, and he tempted the Lord Jesus Christ. He will tempt us. We could be very foolish by failing to recognize the fact that he exists.
In the same vein some will say, “I don’t think there is any hell anyway. “How tragic. Our Lord spoke about hell. The one person who spoke more about hell in the Bible, and certainly in the New Testament, than anyone else, and mentioned it more often by name, was Jesus of Nazareth.
Paul says that; “All things that are reproved are made manifest is light.” Eph.5:13.
This means simply all things become visible when they are exposed by the light.
Paul says,”Christ shall give thee light.” EPHESIANS 5:14. He will give understanding. Another way it could be said; “But when anything is exposed and reproved by the light, it is made visible and clear; and when everything is visible and clear, there lis light.”
We do not arrive at insight and understanding by our reason. We so not figure things out. We come to understanding and have insight, because we are shown. Christ Jesus Himself came to show us. He sent the Holy Ghost to show us.
Looking at the Lord Jesus Christ will help us to know many, many things. Knowing the Lord Jesus Christ, we will not have any doubts about heaven. That is where He came from. That is where He went. That is where He is now. Think about the Lord Jesus Christ. You won’t have any trouble about angels. They announced His coming, they announced His going, and they will announce His coming again. Thinking about the Lord Jesus Christ, we will not have any trouble in trusting God.
Someone might ask, “Why don’t’ we trust Him? Why don’t we just come to Him? What holds us back?” It cold be our sin. Thinking about coming into the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ may lead us to think, “Oh, well, I am no good. I have sinned.” In our guilt we feel responsible. And this is very true. We really have the sin. We really have the guilt. Yet, if we will look at Christ, He will carry away our sins. He will pardon our guilt. God is real. Heaven is real. The devil is real. Angels are real.
When we have those things which come into our minds through Him, it is as though we lifted up the window shade and let the sunshine in. One look at Him and we know. “There is life for a look at the Crucified One; There is life at this moment for thee.”
