What Shall I Say

Do you ever find yourself bummed out and not sure how you got there?  I sometimes do.  I think for the last few weeks, I found my focus to much on the circumstances of this world around me and not enough on the things above.

I found that I had allowed my focus to shift.  I wasn’t following Paul’s guidance in Colossians.

Colossians 3:1-4 (ESV Strong’s)

​¹ If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. ² Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. ³ For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. ⁴ When Christ, who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

I had allowed the noise of this world to clutter my mind. I allowed the foolishness of man to try and put out my light.  But as the adversary and his buddies were working on my focus, the Lord kept putting the Word in my path.

Intolerance

As I stepped back a bit the past few days I could see how the intolerance that exists is overwhelming.  If I do not agree with a very loud group, you will be shouted down, ridiculed and labeled a hater of some type.  This world is no longer one where it is acceptable to agree to disagree, it is more their way or the highway.  This group seems intent on defining everyone that does not agree with them.  Two of the things that have been bugging me lately have been language and what used to be called sexual immorality… and no it is not just homosexuality.

Vulgar Language

The first thing that kept pressing on me was the flagrant use of vulgar language.

There are words that people use in casual conversation that would have gotten my butt busted if I blurted it out after hitting my thumb with a hammer.  Now it is almost cool if you hear a politician say it when he or she thinks the mic is off or they are talking about one of their adversaries.   I do not get it.

In my professional life language like this was not used in casual conversation.  It might show up in a heated argument.  But then people push back from the table and look at you in surprise.  that is not the way it is any more.

It seems that there is nothing that is off limits.

Sexual Immorality

The sexual attitudes that I am expected to not only accept but encourage are more than I can deal with most of the time.  The things that appear on TV used to be limited to R rated movies, and both accept the behavior and encourage it I will be, labeled a hater, but I am not.  There is no one that I am angry with.  No one that I hate for their behavior; on the contrary, I have love and compassion for them and my only feeling I hold at all is a fear for their eternity.

I cannot condemn them.  My role is to love everyone and share the Gospel with them all, and share does not mean judge or bludgeon anyone with the Bible. But sexual immorality is serious and it will keep those that do not repent out of the Kingdom of God, and it is different than other sins because of the way it affects the body.  This is not my opinion.  It is defined in God’s Word.  One such place is Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians.

1 Corinthians 6:12-20

In the sixth chapter of First Corinthians, Paul explains why sexual sin is different, and why it is so serious. This is part of what he said to the Church in Corinth.  Now this passage was for believers.

1 Corinthians 6:12-20 (ESV Strong’s)

¹² “All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be dominated by anything.

The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. ¹⁴ And God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by his power. ¹⁵ Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! ¹⁶ Or do you not know that he who is joined to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For, as it is written, “The two will become one flesh.” ¹⁷ But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. ¹⁸ Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. ¹⁹ Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, ²⁰ for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

As I read that, I get cold chills.  This passage is such a powerful proclamation.  Every sexual sin that we might commit is against our own body and we are not our own.  We were bought at a price… the precious blood of Christ Jesus and He resides in us. But Paul prefaced these remarks for the Church earlier in Chapter Six.

1 Corinthians 6:9-11

In chapter six, verses nine through eleven, Paul spoke more broadly about things that would hinder someone else’s access to the Kingdom of God if they choose not to repent.  He calls these people the unrighteous and spells out those things that are roadblocks.

1 Corinthians 6:9-11 (ESV Strong’s)

⁹ Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, ¹⁰ nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. ¹¹ And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

Did you catch that little point he made in verse eleven? That little verse pointed out that those who had been born again in Christ Jesus were once just like those that were living a life leading to death and condemnation.   The difference was those saved had been “justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”

They had repented of their sins and they had been forgiven, and with that ALL that I can see is that need to share the gospel… plant seeds.

Reflection

As I consider these passages and the gravity of unrepentant sinners, I could not help but be reminded of the love of God and His patience and grace.  Yes, indeed, the Lord will not tolerate sin.  He cannot and will not be around it, but he will forgive those who earnestly repent.

I cannot think of these things and not be reminded of the teachings in James 4.

 James 4:5-10 (ESV Strong’s)

⁵ Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”? ⁶ But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” ⁷ Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. ⁸ Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. ⁹ Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. ¹⁰ Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.

This passage brings me to my knees.  I read the verses over and over, and verse ten echoes in my head… at least the first four words…” Humble yourselves before the Lord.” I need to be reminded of that daily and I have brothers and sisters in the Church that need that reminder as well.

James is clear that repentance is essential.  But our time is limited, and we have no clue as to how limited.  I was talking to a young person the other day that felt they had plenty of time to repent and be born again.  They were young.  They could not imagine that they did not have control over how long they might have to repent and make things right with God.  I kept thinking of this passage. “Seek the Lord while he may be found.”  I could not remember where it came from so I googled.  It comes from Isaiah 55.

Isaiah 55

This is such a powerful warning.  He warns us that there is a point where we will not be able to find Him, or reach out to Him.  But he does not give a specific time.  Just a strong warning not to waste time.

Isaiah 55:6-7 (ESV Strong’s)

⁶ “Seek the Lord while he may be found;

call upon him while he is near;

⁷ let the wicked forsake his way,

and the unrighteous man his thoughts;

let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him,

and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

Even with the warning in Isaiah our Lord is filled with Love and compassion.  His desire is for us to turn to him.  I like how Peter describes his patience.

2 Peter 3:9 (ESV Strong’s)

⁹ The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.

But even with this patience is not forever.  There is a time when we will not be able to find Him or reach Him.

Consider This

As I consider all these things this morning, it is a bit overwhelming.  The seriousness of unrepentant sin, and the issues that trouble me can be difficult especially if I were alone.  But the Lord does not leave me to flounder without direction.  I found one answer in 2Timothy 2 and in Matthew 28.

2 Timothy 2:24-26 (ESV Strong’s)

²⁴ And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, ²⁵ correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, ²⁶ and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.

After all, Jesus left us with one command through is disciples.  It is often called the Great Commission.  It can be found in Matthew 28.

Matthew 28:18-20 (ESV Strong’s)

¹⁸ And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

It is clear to me that I must approach all who are lost in love.  I do not have to approve of their life choices, but condemning them is not my job.  My job is to share the gospel.

Closing Thoughts

With all these passages, it is clear to me that there are behaviors that God has proclaimed will prevent us from salvation.  There is more than simply sexual sin, but sexual sin is significant because it is against our bodies and in our body, if we are truly born again, resides the Holy Spirit.

Paul reminds us that it is not our job to judge the world, but we do need to hold anyone who claims to be a follower of Jesus accountable.

Christ Jesus explained the correct response to address those that do not repent in Matthew 18:15-20 and Paul explained how to handle sexual immorality in the church in 1 Corinthians 5:1-13, and God is clear that these actions that we take are among the brethren of the Church, not the outside world.

One Additional Thought

There is one other thing that I almost forgot.  I guess for me, it is easy to get caught up in a specific path when I am in the Word, but there is another piece to this discussion, and that is the children.  They are inundated with what the world is calling normal, and those new norms are different than what I was raised to believe.

What the children see from us I believe is what shapes them.  If we want them to have a strong faith we need to live one.  We need to live these scriptures.  It is not easy.  I know I find myself saying stupid stuff if I allow myself to become passionate.  I have no amazing advice that will fix everything; I am just not that smart, but two passages help me with prayerful consideration.

James 1:19-20 (ESV Strong’s)

¹⁹ Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; ²⁰ for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 (ESV Strong’s)

¹⁶ All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, ¹⁷ that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

I think they are a good foundation and a good starting point.  Where you go from there depends on the situation. But I trust in the leading of the indwelling Holy Spirit, my Heavenly Father, and Jesus Christ His Son.

 Prayer

Father God, thank you for all that you do.  Lord, I praise you and simply thank you for all that you afford us in your word.  Father, I pray that you might guide and direct us all through this minefield of political correctness that we might not waver in our commitment to you and that your light might shine through us and you might be glorified in every step we take.  In Jesus name I pray, Amen.