Author: Steve Phillips

 

Jesus the Light 9 Supremacy of Christ

He is before all things…so that He Himself may have first place in everything   Col.1:17,18

Gen.1:1 immediately unlocks the most profound spiritual principle governing all of life. This opening revelation simply states: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”

God is before all. He is above all and transcends all. He has the prior place of greatest honor, the central place. The Lord is supreme over all and the source of everything.

In short, God is central, supreme, and first in everything. He is our first recourse, the origin of all things good, and our first consideration in all of life.

How does this relate to Christ being supreme? Because God said: “Let there be Light and there was Light.” Here God introduces us to His Son. Here He is brought forth and showcased as the co-creator and the co-source of all life and light to follow.

Yes, from eternity, Jesus, Himself uncreated, is prior to all things made. Listen well to the revelation of Christ’s supremacy as recorded in John 1:1-4: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was fully God. All things were created by Him, and apart from Him not one thing was created that has been created. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men.”

And who is this Word who was with God, and is God, and created all things? It is Jesus the Light as John 1:14 reveals: “The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us and we have seen His glory, glory as of the Unique One from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

Jesus expresses the unseen depths of the heart and mind of the infinite, invisible God. Apart from the revelation of Christ as the Word, we would yet be in darkness, bondage, and misery. John 1:18 states: “No one has seen God at any time; the Only Son who is Himself God and in closest fellowship with the Father, He has made God known.”

Why would we seek out any other so-called revelations? Why would we add to or subtract from what He has revealed about the eternal Word contained in His written Word, the Bible? Why?

We have good authority to abide by the written Word of God alone, because Jesus, the eternal Word, said this in John 5:39: “The Scriptures testify of Me.”

Christ opened these very Scriptures to His followers in Luke 24:27-45: “Then beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures. He said to them, ‘All things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.’ Then He opened their minds that they might understand the Scriptures.”

Jesus the eternal Word of the Father, bears witness to the Written Word of God. And the written Word of God is our infallible testimony to Christ, the eternal Word. Do not be led astray by imitation pretended revelations whatever they may be.

The Son from all eternity is Supreme. Col.1:17: “He is before all things and in Him all things stand together.” Anything not having its origin in the Supreme One, Christ Jesus the Lord, will not stand.

All the inventions and institutions of men will crumble to dust and be consumed in the flame. He only supports what He originates. He is Supreme over all He has brought into being. He must reign unrivaled there.

Christ is there before any church was ever founded, before any apostle was chosen, before any gospel was ever preached. He is before and exalted above all Councils, Popes, Archbishops, Reformers, Missionaries, General Overseers, Pastors, and Priests.

Christ has First place in everything! What can a man or a denomination, or institution add to Him? Nothing! Rather, they compete with the Lord Jesus reigning as the Supreme One over the hearts of men. 1 Cor.8:6 declares without controversy, that we have but “one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and through whom we live.”

With this undisputable reality before us, why are we running after men; why are we identified with and strongly attached to our denominations? 1 Cor.1:10-13 rebukes this carnality: “I plead with you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to agree together to end your divisions and to be perfectly joined together in the same mind and purpose. Now I mean this, that each of you is saying, ‘I am with Paul,’ or ‘I am with Apollos,’ or ‘I am with Peter,’ or ‘I am with Christ.’ IS CHRIST DIVIDED? Paul wasn’t crucified for you, was he?”

No, Dear Listener, there is only one Savior, King, Lord, and Head; and He shares His throne with no one. 1 Cor.7:23 makes this clear: “You have been bought with a price; do not become slaves of men.” But multitudes actually are slaves of men, all the while vainly protesting that they are servants of Christ alone. How foolish!

Does not your General Overseer bow at the name of the Lord Jesus? Do not Popes, Pastors, and Priests do the same? Why then are you bowing to men rather than to Christ? Why do the words and traditions of men, their statements of faith, catechisms, and man-made decrees rule your heart rather than Jesus the Light, the eternal Word, who alone has revealed the invisible God to the world? Why?

And do you think that your denomination is the way the truth and the life? Nonsense! Why then are you serving a denomination rather than following the Lord Jesus Christ Himself who alone is the Way and the Truth and the Life? Why? Why are we doing this? No one comes to the Father except by Him!

Jesus is Supreme!

One Savior. Acts 4:12: “There is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved!”

One Shepherd. Heb.13:20: “The God of peace brought up from the dead the Great Shepherd of the sheep…Jesus our Lord.”

One Overseer. 1 Pet.2:25: “You have returned to the Overseer of your souls.”

One Head. Col.1:18: Christ is “Head of the body, the church.”

One Foundation. 1 Cor.3:11: “No one can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.”

One Priest. Heb.10:19,21: “We have confidence to enter the Holy Place by the blood of Jesus since we have a great Priest over the house of God.” 1 Tim.2:5: “For there is one God and one mediator between God and man, the Man Christ Jesus.”

One Bridegroom. 2 Cor.11:2: The church has been betrothed “to one Husband, so that to Christ I might present you as a pure virgin.”

One Lord. 1 Cor.8:6: “There is one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through Him.”

One Vine. Jn.15:5: “I am the Vine and you are the branches. He who abides in Me and I in him bears much fruit. For apart from Me, you can do nothing.”

One Captain. Heb.12:2: “Fixing our eyes upon Jesus, the Captain and Perfecter of faith.”

Jesus is Supreme! One Savior, One Shepherd, One Overseer, One Head, One Foundation, One Priest, One Bridegroom, One Lord, One Vine, One Captain. JESUS IS SUPREME!!

Copyright Steve Phillips 2019

 

 

 

Jesus the Light  8  Behold the Lamb 

Behold the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world    John 1:29

In the beginning God created no religion.

Only the pure communion of spirit to Spirit prevailed with all the faculties of soul and body harnessed to that end. There were no rituals, ceremonies, shrines, or altars.

The revolt of self-will changed all. Fig leaves were put on instead of garments of light, shame cancelled purity, fear replaced devotion, while hiding overtook communion.

Sin’s terrible revolt produced terrible results. Adam’s eruption of lawlessness alienated his soul, darkened the understanding, and corrupted his entire inner being. Desperate substitutes were devised to amend for wayward choices.

Fig leaves, plucked from their living source, were crafted to cover shameful exposure in sin’s wake. Makeshift garments were hastily sewn from now withering and soon decaying sources.

And this is the legacy of Eden’s first religious act. Man-devised solutions to sin have no life, do not endure, address the externals alone, and are ultimately rejected by God altogether. This is the essence of Man’s Religion that has come down to us up to today.

The Lord, however, brings a solution from above; only the death of a substitute can cover the stain, corruption, and guilt of sin. And this He alone provides; it is not a product of human invention.

The lamb must be slain to provide a suitable covering for lawless deeds. Only then can what is lost be restored, corruption covered, guilt erased, and life obtained.

Heb.9:22: “Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sin” resounds, echoing through the corridors of the ages. And why? Because the death of separation begins the instant the heart rises in lawlessness: a death that cannot be remedied by human methods.

We must approach God in the manner He approached us. And He sacrificed the lamb to provide covering for man’s sin. This is witnessed to by the acceptable slain lamb of righteous Abel, Noah, and of all the faithful thereafter.

Let us see further what Abraham learned about the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world. He was tested by God to offer up his son as a sacrifice to the Lord. As Abraham and Isaac walked along, his son inquired where the sacrifice was. Gen.22:8: “Abraham said, ‘God will provide for Himself that lamb for the burnt offering.’”

In Gen.22:11-13, as he was about to slay his son, “the Angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, ‘Abraham, Abraham!  Do not stretch out your hand against the lad, for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son from Me.’

“Then Abraham raised his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him a ram caught in the thicket by his horn; and Abraham went and took the ram and offered him up for a burnt offering in the place of his son.”

Dear Listener, the ram was slain in the place of the son. The lamb died instead of the person, so that the man might be set free from the judgment coming upon him.

The death of the lamb was accepted as a substitute in the place of the condemned. Isaac would never face judgment again: the lamb had taken his place.

Moses shows us an additional truth about the sacrifice that the Lord receives. Judgment was upon the whole land of Egypt for its wickedness. But God provided a solution to escape His wrath.

Ex.12:3-13: “They are each one to take a lamb for themselves. Then the whole assembly of the congregation is to kill it at twilight. Then they are to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the house.

“And when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt.”

Here, the blood of the sacrifice is what saved them from destruction and judgment.  Dear Listener, it is when the Lord sees the blood applied to where you live, to your very heart, that you will be saved from coming wrath.

All of these things were instructing us about the sacrifice that God accepts. They prepared the way for the Lord’s final sacrifice, the one whose sacrifice forgives sins once and for all. The Prophet Isaiah spoke in great detail about this final sacrifice. Isa.52:13 – 53:12:

“Behold, My Servant shall deal prudently; He shall be exalted and be very high. Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?

“He is despised and rejected by men, a Man of Suffering and acquainted with grief.  Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we considered Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.

“But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment for our peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray. Each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

“He was led as a lamb to the slaughter. For He was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgressions of My people He was punished.

“Yet it pleased the Lord to crush Him and cause Him to suffer, for He shall bear their iniquities. He poured out His soul unto death, and He was numbered with the transgressors. For He bore the sin of many and made intercession for the transgressors.”

This Word of God about His Servant shows us that it was the purpose of God Himself to make Him a sacrifice for our sins. This Servant was pierced for our iniquities. He was like a lamb sacrificed to bear the sins of others.

Who was this Servant? How could He become a sacrifice to forgive sins? Listen to the Word of the Lord in John 1:29. “The next day John saw Jesus coming to him and said, ‘Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!’” Jesus is the Lamb of God who became the final sacrifice to take away our sins.

He was the fulfillment of all that had been prophesied about the coming sacrifice who would bear the punishment for man’s sins.

Dear Listener, Man-devised solutions to sin have no life, do not endure, address the externals alone, and are ultimately rejected by God altogether. Only through the blood of the Lamb can what is lost be restored, corruption covered, guilt erased, and life obtained.

You are condemned to death, but the death of the Lamb was accepted as your substitute. The wrath of God is about to break upon your head, but if the blood of Jesus is found applied to your heart by faith, you will never come into judgment.

And why? Because Jesus was wounded for your transgressions. He suffered for your iniquities. He bore your sin in His own body on the cross. He alone has made acceptable intercession for us transgressors.

The blood of Jesus washes clean from all the stain, guilt, and corruption of sin. There is no other remedy, no other hope. Pardon, cleansing, and life eternal is to be found there. Dear Listener, have you come to Jesus? Have you received Him?

Behold the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world –John 1:29

Copyright Steve Phillips 2019

Jesus the Light   7  Essence of Kingdom

In the kingdom of heaven are to be discovered two key elements. First, there is a King, the God of heaven.  Second, God, the King, has subjects, His obedient believers.

This, in essence, is what comprises the kingdom of heaven – a King and His subjects. This King of glory performs two essential functions: He sends forth His law that governs His kingdom. Then, He protects His people from all of their and His enemies. Our part is simply to honor our King by performing His will according to His Word.

The written Word of God therefore replaces dependence upon Oral Tradition. Hierarchy is cast out thereby, because the lowliest and highest alike within God’s kingdom are placed on the same level as equal subjects. The Word of God judges both. So each person for himself must judge the content of that message and obey the King.

The apostle Paul commands that such discernment be practiced by each and every Christian. 1 Cor.10:15: “I speak as to wise men, you judge what I say.” Again we are “to examine everything carefully and hold fast to what is good” – 1 Thess.5:21. Even in the gathering of the church collectively this is to be done as we learn from 1 Cor.14:29: “Two or three prophets should speak and the others should judge/evaluate what is said.”

As well, independence, self-will, and unholy tolerance of diversity are abolished by the coming of the kingdom of God. None are free to serve Sin, Self, or Superiors: man-made rulers in the church. All are rather set free to simply serve the King in harmony with other fellow servants.

Customs in this kingdom of heaven are different than those encountered among men. Speech is governed by a different spirit and employed unto another end than that of earth. Dress is simple and modest, free from excessive cost or improper exposure.

Treasures and self-indulgence are despised while appetites do not impel their actions. Flattery, coercion, or threats of pain fail to move them to stray from their course. Neither bribery nor sanctions divert their way. Titles, promotion, Prosperity, prominence, and pride are things despised in their eyes.

Aliens they are, and “strangers” describes them well. Expatriates residing on earth briefly until returning to their home land are what they are. For a season they reside in the foreign environment of this world, though conducting themselves as cultures apart.

These are the ones whose “citizenship is in heaven” -Phil.3:20. Born and bred from above, “partakers of a heavenly calling” -Heb.3:1, they are subjects of the kingdom of God, with a new King and His written Law and with completely transformed practices.

God determines both what His kingdom is and those dwelling in it. The Word of the King contained in the Scriptures defines the nature and boundaries of acceptable behavior within the heavenly society.

Heaven’s kingdom replaces gods with the Lord of Glory. The Majesty on High takes the place of earthly rulers. The written Word of the King cancels oral traditions. Majority rule or independent self-will are replaced by the Word of God and the norms of godly submission therein.

God’s kingdom differs significantly from cultures of earth and denominational “kingdoms.” In both the kingdoms of earth and in denominational kingdoms, individual freedom is defined and governed by the elite. The individual is free to do only what has been determined by rulers, which is not freedom at all.

On the other hand, the autonomous self-willed individual has no freedom to interact in his society as he has become an outlaw from it. But Self-will and revolt are not components of God’s kingdom.

Within the kingdom of heaven there is government without tyranny because Christ is our King. There is also liberty without lawlessness because Christ has set us free to serve Him and one another, not to serve Sin, Self, or Superiors: man-made rulers in the church.

In Christ’s kingdom, the society and individuals within it both have their respective places without infringing upon the realm of the other. The society speaks to the individual and the individual can speak to the society.

Individuals can be required to conform to the cultural ideal of the kingdom without it becoming oppressive by such insistence. By definition, the individual within the kingdom of God is a subject of the King and therefore accountable to obey the Word of God which is the heavenly ideal of that kingdom.

On the other hand, the society itself can be called upon by even a single individual to amend its ways and conform to the law of the King, His Word. And the individual can do so without becoming a rebellious outlaw within that kingdom.

Both the society and the individual are subject to the King and His Word which governs both. Waywardness on the part of either is to be resolved by recourse to the Scriptures.  Neither the present state of the society nor the novelty of the individual are to be given heed to.

Man-made Traditions may have crept into the practices of the majority within the kingdom of heaven. These must be corrected by returning to the Word of the King. An individual may have gone astray in his behavior. He must be called to account by his fellow servants to repent and continue in the godly standards of Jesus’ kingdom.

Historically, serious problems have always arisen when the ideal of the kingdom of heaven, that is, the Word of God, is no longer the basis of appeal to address departure.

Then, either the lawless cry of Jeroboam, “To your tents, O Israel,” prevails or the oppressive traditions of the Pharisees is enforced, “Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders?”

In neither case are the society nor the individual preserved. Both perish when the Word of the King no longer is the reference point.

Dear Listener, if you are a genuine Christian, you no longer belong to yourself. You are joined now to your King, Jesus, and to all others who likewise are true members of His kingdom. 1 Cor.6:19,20 makes this very clear: “Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you were bought with a price. Therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.”

We are now slaves of God and of righteousness in that glorious kingdom of heaven. Rm.6:16-18: “Do you not know that you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness? But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that pattern of teaching to which you were committed, and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.”

No, in this kingdom of light and life, you are not free to serve Self. Gal.5:1,13: “It was for freedom that Christ set us free; do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery. For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity to indulge your flesh, rather, serve one another humbly in love.”

Neither are we free to serve Sin. Jn.8:34-36: “Jesus answered them, ‘I tell you the truth, everyone who practices sin is the slave of sin. Therefore, if the Son makes you free, you will be really free.’”

Neither are we free to serve Superiors: man-made religious rulers. “You have been bought with a price; do not become slaves of men” – 1 Cor.7:23.

Welcome to the Kingdom of Heaven.

Copyright Steve Phillips 2019

 

Jesus the Light 1  One Thing is Needful

One thing is needful   Luke 10:42

Devotion to Christ has been cast into the dust bin of our religion. Success, prosperity, and fulfillment are the carnal objects we now seek.

We are no different than the church of Laodicea who thought themselves to be rich, increased in goods, with need of nothing. It sickens Christ still.

In our fake religion we are unlike our God.  We neither know Him nor are particularly concerned to do so. Like Martha, many other things occupy us replacing communion with Him.

The self-occupied Marthas of the world presume to command the Lord and expect Him to comply.  “She came up to Him and said, ‘Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone?  Then tell her to help me’” -Lk.10:40.

Martha imagines that her Lord is just like she is, but He is not.  He is unknown by her.  His heart remained hidden to her hurried footstep.  “Distracted with much service” and “worried and bothered about so many things” -Lk.10:41 was the Lord’s description of her.

The coming day of Judgment will reveal many things done poorly.  For some, it will show a few things done well. Fewer still will have a testimony of having done the one necessary thing in all of life. “One thing is necessary” -Lk.10:42.

Here is a definitive statement of what is essential.  This must be done; all else is optional and, at best, secondary.

We do not live this way.  Devotion to Christ is not the compelling passion of our souls, yet it is the only necessary thing.  Nothing else truly matters.

Yet we have not chosen this.  We have run after foolish things which shall be taken away from us.

But “Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her” -Lk.10:42. It will abide with her throughout everlasting day.

Devotion to Christ is the only portion that a mortal soul will not have taken from him when he leaves this earth.  It is eternal life. Knowing the only true God is necessary; nothing else in all of life falls into this category.

The categories are but two; necessary and unnecessary.  Devotion to the Lord Jesus is all one will find in the first category.  Everything else in life will be found in the second.

This is a shattering reality to any honest heart.  To this busy and superficial generation, it will only significantly trouble them when standing naked before the God they have not known.

Devotion to the Lord Jesus cannot begin then.  Eternal life, knowing God, can only have its origin here on earth.  It is the exclusively necessary thing now in this life.

All else is vanity. If nothing essential and hence truly worthwhile is discovered in the vast array of your life’s activities, all is loss. The tragedy of an irrelevant and wasted existence will overwhelm you in a single horrifying instant. In a blinding flash of clarity you will realize that one thing has been necessary all along.

But regret then will not save us. Devotion to the Lord Jesus is a matter for the moment, and every moment thereafter, here upon earth.

Dear listeners, you are worried and bothered about many things.  They will be taken from you.  They have no lasting value.  They can neither rescue you at the Judgment nor satisfy you in the present.  Only one thing is necessary.

Disturbed as we may be by this, few of us will do anything about it.

There are two main reasons for our lack of devotion to the Lord Jesus. First, we do not believe that He is worthy.  Second, we do not believe that we are as evil as we are.  These are the roots of the matter.

Devotion is not by force, it is voluntary. No one can compel another to be devoted. It is a matter of the heart. Participation in habitual religious gatherings does not qualify as devotion to Christ.

The real question is this: How much is He worth?  This is the fundamental question when assessing devotion.  Of what value is the Lord Jesus to us?

This is the secret and the mystery of devotion. The Lord Jesus is worth all. Nothing is to be withheld from Him; nothing is to remain clutched to the bosom of self.

Who is the Lord Jesus Christ to you? Of what value is He? Is He worthy of a total and complete devotion in an abandonment of self?

One thing is necessary.  Our devotion is sickly because our thoughts of the Lord are lowly while our esteem for self is highly inflated.  We love little because we have been forgiven little.

Involvement in your religion may actually blind you to your true need as it did to this leader. Jesus asked him, “Which of them will love him more?  Simon answered and said, ‘I suppose the one whom he forgave more.’  And Jesus said to him, ‘You have judged correctly…he who is forgiven little, loves little’” -Lk.7:42,43,47.

The estimation of our own guilt determines our response to the Lord Jesus. Simon the religious ruler was actually no better off than the harlot, except in his own deluded pride. What is needed is a clear perception of the nature and reality of our own sinfulness.

The woman wept in acute bitterness over her wretchedness. The Pharisee reclined with Jesus thinking to himself that all was well with him.  She was painfully conscious of her condition; he remained in delusion and darkness. The woman judged herself, the Pharisee judged her and the Lord Jesus both, but not himself.

He imagined that he needed nothing. The truth is that he was a hypocritical son of hell [Mt.23:15]. Actually, he was a blind fool full of self-indulgence [Mt.23:17, 25].  If he would see himself clearly he would know that he was a whitewashed tomb full of all uncleanness and soon to be damned [Mt.23:27, 33].

But he did not think of himself in this manner. He therefore did not weep. He did not kiss the feet of the Lord Jesus. Neither was he forgiven; neither did he love.

He thought much of himself and little of the Lord. He was devoted to his religion and his place therein, but he was not devoted to Christ.

Tearless saints lack devotion to the Lord Jesus. When have you last wept over your sinfulness in the corrupt depths of your inner self?  Do you kiss His feet as the sinner you are, or recline at His head in deceived acceptability? Or worse yet, do you command the Lord as if He were your small errand boy?

Judas the betrayer kissed the Lord, but not His feet. He later felt remorse, but shed no tear. He had a form of godliness, but denied the power thereof.  Judas appeared outwardly as a disciple, but he was not.  “Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and you perish from the way” -Ps.2:12.

Tears and kisses are not optional.  One abides a Simon, or worse yet, a Judas, in their absence.  There is no forgiveness apart from them.  You will love but little, if at all.

Dear listener, how much is the Lord Jesus worth to you? What occupies the inner workings of your heart? Are you devoted to the one necessary thing in life?

It is left for you to decide; no one can do that for you.

“One thing is needful” – Lk.10:42.

 

Copyright 2019 Steve Phillips

 

 

Jesus the Light  6  Entering the Kingdom  2

Strive to enter by the Narrow Gate…for the gate is small and the Way is difficult That leads to Life, and there are few who find it –Lk.13:24: Mt.7:14

Dear Listener, have you entered the kingdom of Christ? How far have you come since last week’s message? What are you waiting for?

Many are still vainly confident in their participation in religious activities and that ceaseless round of meetings and ceremonies. But hearing the Word of God without doing it disqualifies all hypocrites from admission into that kingdom. James 1:22: “Prove yourselves doers of the Word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.”

Unless you “are converted and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven!” –Mt.18:3. Yes, you will never enter because your pride will cast you into “the condemnation of the devil” –1 Tim.3:6.

The seductiveness of riches and the desire for other things “choke the Word so it produces nothing” –Mt.13:22. You cannot have one foot in the kingdom of wealth and the other in the kingdom of Christ. Any who suppose that “godliness is a means to financial gain are corrupted in their minds and destitute of the truth” -1 Tim.6:5.

Desiring riches has already cast you “into a trap and many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction” – 1 Tim.6:9. Longing after money actually turns a person into an idolater according to Ephesians 5:5: “No greedy person who is an idolater has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ.”

Holding malice, bitterness, anger, grudge, and hatred in the heart will keep you out of the kingdom of Christ. Mt.6:15: “If you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your sins.” Lying, stealing, giving and taking bribes, and sexual immorality including pornography all show that you have not entered the kingdom of heaven.

Jn.3:3,5: “I tell you the solemn truth, unless a person is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God…he cannot enter the kingdom of God.”

Dear Listener, you need a new life. You need a totally different kind of life. You are not sufficient in yourself to enter that kingdom. The life that comes from Jesus Christ the King of this kingdom is fresh and clean, powerful and transforming. It is His very life as risen from the dead that He imparts to any and all who come to Him in humility, confession, and repentance.

“God, be merciful to me, a sinner” is the prayer He delights to hear. “Lord, I am unclean, unworthy, and powerless to do Your will; Help me, my God” brings a swift reply when uttered in sincerity and truth.

This is the glad gospel of Rm.5:6-10: “For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. God demonstrates His own love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, how much more, since we have been reconciled, will we be saved by His life!”

Abandon your own failing efforts to live a righteous life. God has worked in Christ in our behalf while we were still sinners, helpless, and enemies. Christ can do in you what you can never do in yourself.

This is the secret of entrance into His kingdom; receive Christ’s resurrection life that He may dwell IN you by His Holy Spirit. The Spirit of God imparts new life, new resolve, new power, new values, new character, new desires within the heart of every humbled person who will come to Christ, trusting and loving Him alone.

Here is a great mystery in Rm.14:17: “The kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.” The kingdom of God does not consist in external regulations, codes, systems, creeds, a list of do’s and don’ts, traditions, and religious ceremonies. No! Away with them! They are not Christ and in fact are the very things that are keeping you in bondage.

Listen to the Word of God in Col.2:23: “Such regulations have the appearance of wisdom with their self-imposed worship and false humility and severe treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.”

We rather need to enter the kingdom: and that kingdom is internal, where Christ reigns over our hearts that we have submitted to Him. He dwells there, is Lord there, and governs the willing soul in His way of life and peace.

Righteousness, peace, and joy are internal spiritual realities imparted to Jesus’ subjects in His kingdom of life and light. We are not to look for evidence of His kingdom in outward things: in prosperity, success, promotion, and possessions. No! These things are no evidence of being a partaker of His kingdom.

Jesus said clearly in Lk.17:20,21: “The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed, nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ Or, ‘There!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.”

Houses and lands, silver and gold, fine clothes and comfortable cars are not WITHIN you. They have nothing to do with Jesus’ kingdom. His kingdom is within the heart of all who are born from above with the very life of Christ resident inside them. They alone are in this kingdom.

Why is it called a kingdom? because Jesus is a mighty King and He is honored and served by His loyal subjects. The King comes to reign in the heart of each true believer. And that common life that is shared individually by all, also brings every real Christian into loving devotion and service to one another as well.

And that is a fellowship not dependent upon denominations, cathedrals, and ceremonies. It is spiritually instinctive as a fellowship of love springing up as a living fountain, because Christ Himself abides in His own people in a living union with them.

No one instructed the 3,000 believers to “devote themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and prayers” –Acts 2:42. They did not pass through a catechism before they shared with everyone who had need, and by common consent shared their food with glad and humble hearts. No one needed to force them to praise God and have favor with all the people as we are told in Acts 2:44-47.

They did these things immediately, freely, joyously, and self-sacrificially. And how did this happen? What was their secret? No secret. They had the life of Christ by the Holy Spirit of God.

Acts 2:38,39: “You will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and your children, and for all who are far away, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.” And how did that come about? They simply accepted the message. They turned from Self to God. They abandoned sin for Christ.

And they became born again and entered the kingdom. The old passed away and all things become new. They were born with an entirely different life and from then on 2 Cor.5:14,15 says: “the love of Christ controls us. And He died for all so that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him who died and rose again for them.”

Dear Listener, are you in that kingdom? Have you received His life? Is the Holy Spirit of God producing in you purity and peace, joy and love? Why don’t you come now?

Col.3:1-4: “If you have been raised with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, WHO IS YOUR LIFE, appears, then you also will be revealed in glory with Him.” May the Lord help us all to do so.

Copyright Steve Phillips 2019

Jesus the Light 3    Stumbling Block of the Cross

A Stone of Stumbling and a Rock of Offense   1 Pet.2:8

Man, by nature, hates the cross. Interwoven into every fiber of his being is the continuous thread of self-preservation. This is what occupies his waking existence from the cradle to the grave.

And with this Ephesians 5:29 agrees: “No one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it.”  We seek the ease of the soft, the simple, and the sweatless.

So ingrained is this notion of Self having first place, that any suggestion of suffering or death meets with immediate and instinctive reproof. We will spare Self at all costs; and Self, to survive, will put on a thousand masks.

It is unimaginable to the natural mind that a cross could ever be the will of God for anyone. Yet it is; it was for Jesus Himself, though Peter could not conceive that it could ever be so. He even reproved the Lord for such a “misguided” concept.

But Jesus rebuked him and all who hold such a deceived idea. Mk.8:33: “He rebuked Peter, and said, ‘Get behind me, Satan; for you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but the things of man.’”

The conclusion is obvious: Avoidance of the cross is at the prompting of the devil. God’s way is to put Self to death along with the flesh and all that we are by nature. It is the way of man, in concert with the evil one, to save, preserve, and rescue ourselves.

It is thus that the stumbling block is encountered. Hatred of Self and love of Self cannot co-exist. Inbred in each is the destruction of the other. No treaty of toleration can be drafted between the two. The cross deals death blows to the self-centered of every generation.

You rather must hate Self as your worst enemy in the spiritual life. You must see it as that which is condemned by God Himself as being fit only for a cross. A follower of Christ must reject his own opinion, perspective, and inclination in the strongest possible way. Only then can Christ’s Word be followed.

Our own self-conceived agenda, our own natural desires for pleasure, prosperity, power, possessions, and pride are what must be crucified. Truly, for a disciple, there is nothing else to boast in, “except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world” -Gal.6:14.

And Jesus declares that there are no other types of genuine Christians. Lk.14:27: “Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.”

Crosses were reserved for the worst of humanity’s criminals. By the means of a cross, they thus expired: unpitied, rejected, scorned, hated, and tortured. All that they were in themselves came to an abrupt and violent end; the cross put them to death.

We dislike this immensely. We would rather be spared this treatment at the hands of men and of God. But avoidance of the cross will not make us disciples.

The words of Jesus are painfully clear in Mk.8:34,35: “If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life shall lose it, and whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s shall save it.”

This is the stumbling block of the cross. We wish to spare our lives; the Lord desires to crucify them. We want to preserve ourselves; the Lord says we must deny ourselves. We esteem ourselves highly; God declares that Self is nothing more than condemned criminal activity.

Self is always opposed to the cross and the cross is ever the death of Self. The conclusion of 2 Cor.5:15 is this: “That One died for all, therefore all died; and He died for all, that they who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.” And it is the cross that executes Self with its 1,001 branches of self-confident reliance.

The stumbling block is Christ and Him crucified. Strange, isn’t it, that Christ would be a stumbling block to those laying claim to His Name?  Yet He is.

This generation thinks it does not need Him. We have chosen instead a vast array of foolish substitutes. The gospel, the “power of God unto salvation” -Rm.1:16, has nicely been set aside by our fleshly alternatives.

Reliance upon Self, in any degree, is a corrupt, powerless, and impoverished slavery. Adding religious activities to it only worsens our condition.

Will clinging to a shadow in the presence of the reality commend you to God [Col.2:17]? Or what of careful observance of religious festivals, dietary rules, and church meetings “in accordance with the commandments and teachings of men” -Col.2:16-22?

The answer is plain from Col.2:23: “These are matters which have the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and false humility, and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence.”

The flesh cannot conquer the flesh. It cannot improve itself one bit, for Rm.7:18 says, “in me, that is, in my flesh, dwells no good thing” -Rm.7:18.

These are sobering realities. Some of the strongest language in the Scriptures is reserved for those placing confidence in the flesh: words like “accursed” -Gal.1:8,9, “false brethren” -Gal.2:4, “fools” and “bewitched” -Gal.3:1, “worthless” -Gal.4:9, and “slavery” -Gal.5:1.

Those not denying Self “have been severed from Christ” -Gal.5:4. These have “fallen from grace” -Gal.5:4, and discover to their everlasting ruin that “Christ will be of no benefit to them” -Gal.5:2.

If you have Christ, what need do you have of self-effort? This thing of salvation is no cooperative endeavor; it is not, “Just do your best and God will make up the rest.”

Gal.2:21: “I do not reject/nullify/frustrate the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain/needlessly.”

But the Lord Jesus has not died in vain. The fact of His crucifixion settles the question of right standing with God once and forever.

All self-effort through religious observance is what sets aside the cross as meaningless. And it is the cross that sets aside, rather, puts to death under the severest judgment, all that man is in himself.

Of what use are your codes and rules, promises and formulas, steps and systems, or ceremonies and routines, catechisms and traditions when you are helpless and corrupt criminals fit only for crucifixion?

How shall an external token act of religious devotion such as fasting or tithing, or night vigils, do one thing to effect the needed radical transformation of an unclean heart? One may boast in these devoted acts with a fair degree of outward show, all the while the heart is full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness.

We have stumbled over Christ and Him crucified. The cross is a reproach unto us, but we think there is little reproachable in ourselves. Self is exalted, Christ is degraded, while we esteem ourselves and dishonor the Lord Jesus.

Rm.9:32,33 says we have “stumbled over the stumbling stone, just as it is written, ‘Behold, I lay in Zion a Stone of stumbling and a Rock of offense, and he who believes in Him will not be disappointed.’” But he who relies upon Self will not only be disappointed, but he shall be scattered like dust [Mt.21:44]. And blessed is he who does not stumble over Me – Mt.11:6.

Copyright Steve Phillips 2019

 

Jesus the Light   5    Entering the Kingdom

                                       Not everyone who says to Me, “Lord, Lord,”                                       will enter the kingdom of heaven – Mt.7:21

Jesus made this startling statement in Mt.5:20: “Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” Think of the most religious man you know, one who outwardly appears in every way to be respectable in his behavior. Now consider this: Unless your righteousness is greater than his, you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven.

What is needed is a righteousness of a different type altogether, one that goes beyond external ceremonies, attendance at church gatherings: something more than outward respectability.

The greatest and most respected religious leaders in Jesus’ day did not enter the kingdom of heaven. Something else is needed beyond what they possessed.

Jesus warns further in Lk.13:23-28: “Someone asked him, ‘Lord, will only a few be saved?’ So He said to them, ‘Exert every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to.

“‘Once the Head of the house gets up and shuts the door, then you will stand outside and start to knock on the door and beg Him, ‘Lord, let us in!’ But He will answer you, ‘I don’t know where you are from.’

“Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets.’ But He will reply, ‘I don’t know where you come from! Depart from Me, all you evildoers!’

“‘There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets in the kingdom of God and you yourselves thrown out.’”

Dear Listener, many will attempt to enter the kingdom but will not be able to. Something far greater is needed than listening to sermons, than partaking of communion. O how multitudes will cry out in anguish on that day: “We listened to Your messages; we sat at Your table and shared from Your bread and cup!”

But their pleas will fall to the ground. And Jesus will reply, “I do not know where you come from! Depart from Me all you evildoers!”

No, entrance into Christ’s kingdom is not gained by hearing the Word; you must be doers of it. It is not obtained by participation in religious ceremonies, however holy they may appear.

And that is not all that will prevent entrance into Christ’s kingdom. Jesus’ words in Mt.18:2,3 are: “He called a child and had him stand among them, and said, ‘I tell you the truth; unless you are converted and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven!’” Lk.18:17 adds this: “I tell you the truth, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.”

It is not the great, the wise, the mighty, the noble, and the lofty in pride that will enter. They will be cast out. Only those who have become like little children will enter. The self-sufficient, the arrogant, the man who thinks he knows anything, the exalted in his own eyes will find that door shut fast against him. Only the lowly and dependent like small children will be welcomed.

Neither will those relying on riches ever enter that kingdom. In Mt.19:23,24 “Jesus said to His disciples, ‘I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven. It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.”

Then in Mk.10:23,24 “Jesus said to His disciples, ‘How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God! Children, how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God.’”

The rich cannot enter any more than a camel can be threaded through a sewing needle. No man can serve two masters. You cannot serve God and Riches.

Those who love money will perish. Those seeking after gain will be rejected by Christ. Storing up treasures upon earth competes with and actually cancels storing up treasure in heaven.

1 Tim.6:5-11 informs us that anyone thinking that godliness is a means to financial gain is corrupted in his mind and deprived of the truth. Do you want to be rich? Verse 9 tells you that already you have stumbled “into temptation and a trap and many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.”

Are you longing after wealth? Verse 10 says that “the love of money is the root of all evil” and those who pursue it have “strayed from the faith and stabbed themselves with many pains.”

No, Dear Listener, no matter what the false preachers of Prosperity have told you, if you desire riches, or think that religion is a way to obtain a breakthrough, you are lost. If you seek wealth and its comforts and ease, you have already abandoned striving to pass through the narrow gate that leads to entering into the kingdom of heaven. You will be cast out.

The fearful reality is that your religion may be your greatest stumbling block to entering the kingdom of Christ. Trusting your own righteousness and hearing the Word of God but not doing it will destroy you. Being baptized and taking communion, being full of pride and self-sufficiency, and the deadly longing after prosperity will slay you. You will never enter the kingdom this way.

As well, there are other more recognizable deeds that will equally disqualify multitudes from ever entering that kingdom. That list is equally terrifying.

Gal.5:19-21: “Now the works of the flesh are obvious: adultery, sexual immorality, impurity, depravity, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of anger, selfish ambitions, dissensions, factions, envying, murder, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these – I am warning you, as I had warned you before: Those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God!”

1 Cor.6:9,10 adds these hateful deeds to those already mentioned: “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived! Homosexuals, sodomites, thieves, greedy, revilers, and extortioners will not inherit the kingdom of God.”

The unchangeable sentence against all ungodliness is pronounced in Rev.21:27: “Nothing unclean will ever enter in to it, or anyone who does anything detestable, or practices falsehood: but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.”

Jesus Himself declares this final inescapable verdict in Rev.22:15: “Outside are the dogs and the sorcerers and the immoral persons and the murderers and the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood,” including lying religious hypocrites.

O Dear Listener! May your name be found written there! May you enter that kingdom of light and life, of gladness and glory! Should you not devote heart and soul, and all your energy to assure that you will enter therein?

Do not be found lacking in this. Weeping, wailing, and gnashing of teeth await all who are thrown out into that unending darkness. And Jesus will be heard saying: “Depart from Me you workers of lawlessness; I never knew you!”

“Enter by the narrow gate…for the gate is small and the way is difficult that leads to life, and there are few who find it.”

Copyright Steve Phillips 2019

Jesus the Light   4    That I May Know Him

To a vast host of would-be followers, the Lord Jesus turned and said: “If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple” -Lk.14:25,26.

Hatred of the downward pull of every natural relation is mandatory for every disciple. One cannot properly be called a disciple, a learner, a follower, who disobeys Christ because of man – the pressure of those closest to us.

The requirement for every true disciple is to reject, in the strongest possible manner, any tendency, suggestion, or directive to stray from Christ Himself. A disciple must hate even his own self: his own opinion, perspective, and inclination.

Prov.28:26 simply states: “He who trusts in his own heart is a fool.” And so the only valid alternative is Prov.3:5: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding.”

This is why rejection of Self is our only option. In Lk.14:28-35, Jesus tells us that our resources are completely lacking. None of us has what is required to produce fruitfulness in the coming day or to secure victory over the enemy of our souls.

In this Scripture, the Lord Jesus is not directing us to look within ourselves and assess our own will power, commitment, and sincerity. He is not looking for people who will pledge their own loyalty out of a determined self-effort.

Self-help is not God’s help. God does not help those who help themselves; those who think so become the ridiculed fools described who “began to build and were not able to finish” -Lk.14:30.

The point of counting the cost in this passage is simply this: when we honestly evaluate what we possess to contribute toward being a disciple, it falls far short of the requirements.

Actually, our imagined resources are a positive hindrance, a liability which is outstanding against us, a stumbling block. What we have to contribute is so far worthless that the Lord’s conclusion sweeps it all away as so much refuse.

Lk.14:33: “So, therefore, no one of you can be My disciple who does not give up/forsake/say ‘farewell’ to all that he has/all his own possessions/all the resources from himself.” The possessions He refers to are not “things;” they are what we account as valuable as contributing toward being His disciples.

They are our perceived assets of religious devotion, culture, intellect, morality, and strength of resolve. You cannot be His disciple while you are relying upon what you possess, expecting to donate that to the cause of becoming what you ought to be.

You rather must hate it. You must see Self as that which is condemned by God as being fit only for a cross. You cannot be His disciple unless you give up all the resources you treasure as dear.

As great as the apostle Paul was, he stated truly in 2 Cor.3:5: “Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to consider anything as out from ourselves, but our sufficiency is out from God.” And again he asks in 1 Cor.4:7: “And what do you have that you did not receive? But if you did receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?”

And John the Baptist confessed in Jn.3:27: “A man can receive nothing, unless it has been given him from heaven.”

A true disciple abandons Self, his attainments and esteem, and flees to his only hope of life and godliness, the Lord Jesus Himself. A real disciple embraces the cross as putting to death within himself that which is at total enmity against God. Anything else is worthless.

Jesus used salt to illustrate this truth. Lk.14:34,35: “Salt is good; but if the salt has lost its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is neither fit for the land nor for the dunghill, but men throw it out.”

Salt is always salty; it never can lose its saltiness. This is how it is recognized. If it isn’t salty, it isn’t salt. The very nature and composition of it makes it so.

The only thing that would hide its saltiness would be the introduction of such a volume of other elements that its presence goes undetected. But even then it hasn’t lost its savor, it has merely been overcome by other things so that its flavor is “lost” in the mixture.

The nature of salt is saltiness. The nature of a disciple is an abandonment of Self-confidence. If it isn’t salty, it isn’t salt. If respectable religious Self-confidence has its grip on your heart, you have not yet known the Lord Jesus.

Relying upon your own resources proves that you are not His disciple. If your devotion to Christ is unrecognizable by reason of mixture with so many contrary religious practices of the world, you will be thrown out. If the “salt” in you is undetectable, it renders you useless. What will you do when you discover the true condition of your heart?

When Paul discovered his, he threw it out. All of his heritage, his academic achievements, his strict religious practices, the polished masquerade of righteousness, and his consuming zeal for his religion’s tradition were thrown out as so much offensive filth.

Thus are the flesh, Self, and what we esteem ourselves to be. They are against us. Religious pride leads to our everlasting ruin, and many are deceived thereby.

Lk.18:9-12: Jesus “spoke to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others.” The deceived religious ruler prayed thus to himself: “God, I thank You that I am not like other men – extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week, I pay tithes of all I possess.” But this man prayed and perished in his pride.

When Paul’s eyes were opened to see himself as he truly was, he summed up his past life and what he did about it in Phil.3:8,9: “I count them but rubbish/ filth/ dung/ in order that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own…but that which is through faith in Christ.”

He did not view anything he possessed as being an asset: as contributing to any right standing with God. Whatever could be conceived of as in his favor, a credit to his account, a resource, a valued commodity, was actually the opposite.

It was a “loss;” it stood against him.  All of his perceived gain was actually a debit, a liability, an impoverishment, an outstanding obligation, bringing him down to hell.

Here is the verdict of Phil.3:7,8: “But whatever things were gain to me, I have counted as loss because of Christ. Yes indeed, I count all things loss because of the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord.”

Yes, this is life worth pursuing; this is a knowledge above all other: Christ our Righteousness! Christ our Life!

Dear Listener, do you truly know the Lord Jesus or are you merely a respectable religious person? Are you trusting in Him alone or are you assuming that church attendance, or your Reverend’s blessing, or baptism or communion, or tithing, or keeping your church’s traditions will cleanse your heart and carry you to heaven?

These things can never do what only Christ can! O that you might know the Lord Jesus and the power of His resurrection! May you press on to know Him!

Copyright Steve Phillips 2019