“Our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives.  We are no longer slaves to sin.”
                    –Romans 6:6 (NLT)
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How To Live in a Pagan, Apostate, and Foolish World

Key Verse:  “We know that we are children of God and that the world around us is under the power and control of the evil one.”  –1 John 5:19 (NLT)

       I had to go to the post office and as I was doing my transaction I became involved in a conversation with the postal worker.  We were talking about the state of the country and the world when she suddenly announced, “the world is just plain evil; all that is happening is because of evil.”  So how do we deal with it?  How do we protect our souls, and those of our loved ones?  First, realize the fact that it is evil, and second, recognize that this evil and control comes from the devil.
       I am not going to rewrite the questions I had yesterday, but take time to look at them again.  These were challenges being presented in John’s day and they continue on through our day.  I will, however, write the verses we are currently looking at, this time from the HCSB.

               4 — Everyone who commits sin also breaks the law; sin is the breaking of law.
               5 — You know that He was revealed so that He might take away sins, and there is no sin in Him.
               6 — Everyone who remains in Him does not sin; everyone who sins has not seen Him or known Him.”

      Jesus did not come to reveal God, though through His life He did.  He did not come to teach us about God, though as a teacher He did.  He did not come to give man a moral life for man already had the Law and to live by the Law was to live a moral life.  Jesus did come because of sin and man’s predicament.  
     John was answering the early Gnostics and the “antichrists” of his day.  He said that Jesus fulfilled the Law–He was obedient.  Jesus, because of His obedience and His holiness was the perfect sacrifice–the perfect offering for sin.  John the Baptist, at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry proclaimed, “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” (John 1:29)  Jesus came to take away my sin.

               “He took my sins away,
                He took my sins away,
                And keeps me singing night and day…”

       There are those who call sin “mistakes” or “failures,” but it was sin that put Christ on the cross.  Listen, sin is not trivial; it is not to be taken lightly–we are not holy for the sake of being holy.  I heard a preacher once who said at the beginning of every message for the week, “…I am a sinner.”  I wanted to shout, “NO!”  Now be careful and don’t take me wrong.  We no longer practice sin, yet we may sin.  I wanted to say, “I am a saint!” because of the work of Christ.  He took away my sins on the cross, He delivers us from the power of sin and the pollution of sin.  It may have been Spurgeon who wrote, “In the past we were delivered from the penalty of sin.  In the present we are being delivered from the power of sin.  In the future we will be delivered from the presence of sin.”
       The past, on the cross, the awful penalty for sin was given with the work of our Savior Jesus Christ.  Right now, currently, we are being delivered, day-by-day from sin’s power.

               “We are growing in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord; we are increasingly being made to conform to the image of His Son.  We are being delivered–we have been, we are, and we shall be ultimately.”
                              –D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Live in the Light.  Live in the power of His resurrection.  Live in the knowledge of His sacrifice and substitution.  

 

       “A man will be as a hiding place from the wind, and a cover from the tempest, as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land.”
                    –Isaiah 32:2 (NKJV)
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O lead me to that Rock…  When things begin to overwhelm you–go to the Rock of your salvation.  When you’re all alone, and it seems that no one cares–lean on the Rock.  When you can’t find the answers yourself, or when you make a decision and things fall apart, do not despair–go to the Rock.  Maybe friends and family have forsaken you–then go to the Rock that is higher.
       Some have titled Psalm 61, the “Assurance of God’s Eternal Protection.”  He is there, and no one, no enemy, no circumstance, no virus, no terror can shake Him.

            1 — Hear my cry, O God; attend to my prayer.
            2 — From the end of the earth I will cry to You, when my heart is overwhelmed; lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
            3 — For You have been a shelter for me, a strong tower from the enemy.
            4 — I will abide in Your tabernacle forever; I will trust in the shelter of Your wings.                   Selah
            5 — For You, O God, have heard my vows; You have given me the heritage of those who fear Your name.
            6 — You will prolong the king’s life, his years as many generations.
            7 — He shall abide before God forever.  Oh, prepare mercy and truth, which may preserve him!
            8 — So I will sing praise to Your name forever, that I may daily perform my vows.  (NKJV)

Many think this Psalm depicts the time when David was living in banishment from his son Absalom.  Think of the mighty king cowering from his son.  Think of a father whose son has rebelled and turned against him.  What is left?  What is there to live for?  David turns to his Rock.  The king, the supreme authority of the land, goes to the rock that is higher than himself.
       Hope is here; something that David never loses.  Notice also, one of the reasons that David wants his life preserved is to perform his vows.  Have you made promises to God?  Go to Him and begin to fulfill them.  In this time of “woke” of pseudo-truth of cancel culture go to the real Truth.  Trust in Him, be satisfied in Him, sing praises in the midst of any and all of your difficulties to the Lord who is your Rock.

               “How oft in the conflict, when pressed by the foe,
               I have fled to my Refuge and breathed out my woe;
               How often when trials like sea billows roll,
               Have I hidden in Thee, O Thou Rock of my soul.
               Hiding in Thee, hiding in Thee,
               Thou blest Rock of Ages, I’m hiding in Thee.”
                             –William O. Cushing

                        –C. J. Petit  (Tabby Hayes)

       “Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?”
                        –Luke 12:25 (NLT)
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The world is full of fear:  pestilence, famine, virus, terror, riots, and more…  If not careful, Christians can get caught in the flow of the world; become part of it, instead of a pilgrim through it.  Begin to share its values rather than eternal, heavenly values.  Jesus said, “when you see all these things know that it is near–at the doors!” (Matthew 24:33, NKJV).
What things:  signs in the heavens, false prophets, famines, pestilences, earthquakes, many will be offended, many will betray one another and will hate one another, lawlessness will abound, love will grow cold. (Matthew 24).  The end–Jesus said is “at the doors!   Paul writes, concerning the coming of the Lord, that we should “comfort one another with these words” (1 Thessalonians 4:18, NKJV).  
       We should be ready, but we should also be encouragers.  In evil times, even more as the days of His return draw nearer, we should be encouragers one of another.  Instead of dwelling upon fear, exhort and smile.  Instead of being afraid; take comfort in the Lord.  That brings me to the thought I had for the day.  I had one of those “Midnight Hymns” a couple of nights ago, and checking my notes I used this song in 2016 and again in 2020.  But I feel the Holy Spirit has a few words for us today.  Instead of a day filled with worry, realize…

               “There’s a blessed time that’s coming, coming soon,
                It may be evening, morning or at noon,
               The wedding of the bride, united with the groom.
               We shall see the King when He comes.”
                              –J.B. Vaughn

When is He coming?  It’s at the doors!  Be ready for He may arrive at any time during the day.  We are to purify ourselves, make sure we have oil in our lamps, for coming soon there will be that catching away (rapture) and the great wedding will take place.  

               “Are you ready should the Savior call today?
               Would Jesus say, ‘Well done,’ or ‘God away’?
               My home is for the pure, the vile can never stay,
               We shall see the King when He comes.”

Instead of doom and gloom, yes it is even among Christians.  We should be looking for His return.  We shouldn’t get into the panic of getting a vaccine or not getting one.  We shouldn’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow if it comes will take care of itself, but then again the Lord may return tonight.  Yes, instead of singing the blues, and stepping on our lower lips dreading the woes of the current situation we should be smiling and encouraging one another, saying, Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

               “Oh, my brother, are you ready for the call?
               To crown your Savior King and Lord of all?
               The kingdoms of this world shall soon before Him fall,
               We shall see the King when He comes.

                              We shall see the King,
                              We shall see the King,
                              We shall see the King when He comes;
                              He is coming in pow’r, we’ll hail the blessed hour,
                              We shall see the King when He comes.”

So don’t be disgruntled or discouraged or dismayed or despondent or depressed (is that enough “d’s”) but instead of these things comfort and encourage one another.  Remember that God is in charge and control.  No matter what the situation looks like.  No matter the gloom of the night–He is coming.  “Are you ready should the Master call today?”

                         –Cliff Hudgins  (Viejo and the Lost Ranger)

       “So you will again distinguish between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve Him.”

                         –Malachi 3:18(NASB)
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A couple of days we have looked at 1 John 3:3, where we are told to purify ourselves.  In the Old Testament, the Levites were stationed outside the tabernacle to check people as they entered.  They needed to be “pure” before entering the court.  Legalism would be the cry today, but it was really part of grace.  God is holy, therefore those bringing a sacrifice to Him needed to be holy.  It was the job of the Levites to check them out–for their safety.  It was not legalism, it was a safeguard.
       The priests were required to do purification rites before entering the tabernacle.  Once they had purified themselves, they would make sacrifice for the people then move into the inner court.  Before they could enter, however, they had to wash their hands and feet again.  In the walk from the brazen altar to the inner court they would become dirty, they didn’t need to purify themselves all over again, but they must wash (purify) their hands and feet before entering.
       I want to look at a couple of Scriptures:
     
               “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.  As it is written in Isaiah the prophet: ‘Behold, I send My messenger ahead of You, who will prepare Your way; the voice of one crying in the wilderness, “make ready the way of the LORD, make His paths straight.”‘”
                              –Mark 1:1-3 (NASB)

               “‘Behold, I am going to send My messenger, and he will clear the way before Me.  And the LORD, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple; and the messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight, behold, He is coming,’ says the LORD of hosts.  But who can endure the day of His coming?  And who can stand when He appears?  For He is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap.”
                              –Malachi 3:1-2 (NASB)

We read the verse from Mark and we know it is John the Baptist and he is preparing the way for the Son of God to begin His ministry and fulfill His purpose on earth.  However, when we read the verses from the prophet Malachi it is seen as a threat.  Get your life ready; purify yourselves for the Son of God is coming.  Is that not what we see in the New Testament in 1 John–purify yourselves?  The Church will be purified–every spot and wrinkle will be removed.  The Day of the Lord is coming–purify yourselves.
       This world is a filthy sewer and it is building up.  Poison is no longer seeping out, it is now flowing out.   The world in the days of Noah was sick, evil, putrid, and filthy, so much so that God destroyed it.  Now it is the same.  God will again, sometime in the future, destroy the earth.  This world we live in has rejected the Person of Jesus Christ; it has rejected God’s moral law of living and in its place has allowed the sewer to run freely.  Man has become defiled and he has therefore defiled the earth.  Sin is rampant and is becoming more macabre, more bizarre, more blatant.
       When, and where, Jesus Christ is accepted there is cleansing from the filth.  It starts in the heart of man, but then it moves throughout all of society.  The heart must be changed before society can get better.  William Barclay said, “Where Christ is allowed to come the antiseptic of the Christian faith cleanses the moral poison of society and leaves it pure and clean.”  
       The Great Awakening occurred in the early 1700s.  There were many results of that great movement of God.  One of the most important, yet least mentioned, is that this is the time when the Founding Fathers were living.  The time they were growing up and no matter what their final beliefs, they were ALL influenced by the message of Jesus Christ throughout the colonies.   Magistrates, judges, lawyers, officers of the law were affected whether they accepted Christ or not.  Butchers, bakers, yes and even candlestick makers were influenced by the message of the Gospel.
       Malachi closes out his short message with warnings and also hope.  There is a dreadful day coming, but the righteous are to prepare themselves for that day.  They will fear the Lord and will begin to purify themselves.  

               “‘But for you who fear My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings; and you will go forth and skip about like calves from the stall.  You will tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day which I am preparing,’ says the LORD of hosts.”
                              –Malachi 4:2-3 (NASB)