Have you been taught the gospel by men, have you received it of man? Are you zealous of the traditions of your fathers? Do you persuade and please men? Has the gospel you believe delivered you from this present evil world? Does it have the power to do this?
The Gospel of Jesus Christ delivers men from this present evil world. It does not leave them in it to love the world and the pleasures of sin for a season. The Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ not only delivers men from this present evil world, it does not persuade men but God, it does not please men, but God alone. For it is foolishness to those who are perishing. The True Gospel does not let you be a man pleaser but a servant of Christ. For if you please men, you are not the servant of Christ. The servant of Christ does not seek to please men but God.
The Gospel is not after man, it is not received of man but God. It is not something taught by men, it is the revelation of Jesus Christ. It is taught by revelation. Just as the fear of God is not taught to a new creature by precepts and traditions of men, but by revelation of Jesus Christ.
Are you exceedingly zealous of the traditions of your fathers or has God revealed His Son in you? If God has revealed His Son in you, you will not be zealous for the tradition of your fathers, you will be zealous to cut them down so that men may seek God in truth. Some zealously affect you, but not well.
Can you say with Paul, men glorify God in you? Is God in you? Paul gloried in the cross of Christ alone. In Him dwelled no good thing. Does Christ live in you? Are you crucified with Christ? Or are you still alive, doing your own will under the guise of Christianity, zealous for traditions of church organizations in church buildings and exalting traditions over the Word of the Lord?
Have you been baptized into Christ having put on Christ? Baptized into His death? Sharing in His sufferings?
Are you full of adultery(not just physically but spiritually, manifesting physically), fornication(spiritually fornicating with other gods), uncleanness(being unequally yoked with the world or people in any way), lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envying, murders, drunkenness, revelings, and such like; they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
God looks on the heart, He does not judge as with mans judgment with the eyes of sight. But the heart is desperately wicked, it is not in a man to know his own way. Therefore examine yourself. Ask the Lord to search you. Make your calling and election sure with diligence, not with presumption. The simple pass on and are destroyed. The simple believeth every word, but the prudent man looketh well to his going. Through desire, a man having separated himself, seeketh and intermeddleth with all wisdom.
Are you crucified unto the world and the world unto you? Do you bear in your body the marks of the Lord Jesus? This is Christianity. A call to die. To be crucified with Christ to all desire, affections and lusts. If ones affections are not on Christ but on other things, things on earth, how does that one expect to run this race or to stay on the strait and narrow? Do they not know that one must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom? Have they even entered into the strait gate yet in which the flight of afflictions lie, in which all hell endeavors to come against? In which on is exhorted to continue steadfast and to run the race set before and throw off every weight and sin to run with endurance to the Prize?
Or have you entered in another way, thinking your sins will not find you out? God is not fooled, He knows if ye have the wedding garment on or not. Some have started the race have drawn back unto perdition. Others will err from the truth becoming sinners and if the righteous scarcely be saved where shall the ungodly and sinner appear? Many believe they are the Lords but will fearfully find that their own heart has deceived them. Many claim to be Christ’s but their god is their belly, who mind earthly things, whose end is destruction. Many on that last day will say Lord, Lord, but He will say, depart from Me, I never knew you. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the Living God.
But those having begun the race, having entered into the strait gate, to them the blood of Jesus Christ has purged their conscience from dead works to serve the living God. Having turned from idols to serve the true and living God, can draw near with a true heart and full assurance of faith, having hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience. To them a reproof or a rebuke is life. To them the warnings in the bible are precious. Reproof is the way of life. A wise man feareth and departeth from evil, but the fool rageth and is confident. Correction is grievous unto him that forsaketh the way and he that hateth reproof shall die. Hell and destruction are before the Lord; how much more the hearts of the children of men. A scorner loveth not one that reproveth him, neither will he go unto the wise. Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart; thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbor, and not suffer sin upon him. Let the righteous smite me and it shall be a kindness to me, and let him reprove me; it shall be an excellent oil. This is biblical love, my friend.
If these were my words, I would tell you you could disregard them. But these words are the Words of life, the wholesome words of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the doctrine which is according to godliness. If one consent not to them, he is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings, Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself. Again, these are not my words, but Gods. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My words shall not pass away, thus saith the Lord.
If you reject these words, hear His voice, and harden your heart, you are not offending me, but the Lord of glory. If you hear His voice, harden not your hearts as in the day of provocation, while it is still today. If you deny Him He will deny you before His Father in heaven. If you confess Him He will confess you before His Father in heaven. Yes, it will be a cross. But Jesus said, any who desire to come after Me, deny yourself, and pick up your cross and follow Me. If you don’t hate your own life you cannot be My disciple, Jesus says. If you love anything or anyone more than Christ and his Word, you will surely not be His disciple. But if you lose your life you will find it, in Christ. The cost is great but the Prize is Precious. Ye must forsake the world and seek Him alone. Ye will find eternal life. If you go to Calvary you will find Him there. If you’re willing to have Him show you your sin, all of it, He will. And you will find your soul unable to find solace anywhere and yourself groaning, fainting for a Savior. In Him the only Solace there.
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