"Then He will answer them, saying, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.' Matthew 25:45
Man judges by words and appearances but God judges by heart as well as deeds and actions. It is not enough to live a clean pure life before God, it must include being touched with the infirmity of the hurt, dying and lonely. If people were told of an injustice and could not find it in their heart to right it they did not care for the wounded, dying man left at the side of road. Therefore, they did not care for the least or for Jesus Christ.
Apostle John who was in the Spirit on the Lord’ s day was instructed to write prophetic words to the seven churches in Asia minor.
"And to the angel of the church in Sardis write, ' These things says He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars: "I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead. "Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die, for I have not found your works perfect before God. "Remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent. Therefore if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you.
"You have a few names even in Sardis who have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy. "He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels. "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." ' Revelation 3:1-6
The Church in Sardis failed to heed the words that although it had a name that it was alive but in reality it was dead. It did not examine itself nor change its ways and its works were not perfect before God. Its candle stick was removed as it did no overcome and names were blotted out from the book of life for not hear what the Spirit, not a man, said to the churches. Sincerity and hard work is not a guarantee of anything in the sight of God.
Obedience to His words both spoken and written and a listening ear is what God requires from each of His children. Many of His children need to be healed and delivered from many things so that they can hear and do the will of God and not their own will. God’s word records a very good example of this in the importance of hearing the words of the master over doing certain works:
Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus' feet and heard His word. But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, "Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me." And Jesus answered and said to her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. "But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her." Luke 10:38-42
Mind you some people hear and hear the word of God and it does them absolutely no good. They already know the answer but do not want to do the word of God. Failing to understand that it’s doers of the word and not hearer only are blessed. The word of God tells us of a certain lawyer who stood up and tested Jesus and asked Him
"Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" He said to him, "What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?" So he answered and said, " 'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,' and 'your neighbor as yourself.' " And He said to him, "You have answered rightly; do this and you will live." Luke 10:26-28
The lawyer knew what they answer was to inheriting eternal life and it was not mouthing off words as He had done. It was doing what God’s word commanded to love God totally and completely and his neighbor as himself. But the Lawyer, like many pharisaical ones who are always learning and never coming to the truth, wanted to justify himself and said to Jesus:
"And who is my neighbor?" Then Jesus answered and said: "A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. "Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. "Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side.
"But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion. "So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. "On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, 'Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.' "So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?" And he said, "He who showed mercy on him." Then Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise." Luke 10:31-37
The Church of Jesus Christ today in America for all its oracle preaching and teaching needs to hear the words of Jesus to love God and their neighbor as themselves and to “go and do like wise.” Things which men try to avoid by playing church, being religious, going to bible studies and doing many other things except what God has commanded them to do. Sincerity, presumption and ignorance is no excuse with God and do not change the word of Jesus who said:
"And that servant who knew his master's will, and did not prepare himself or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. "But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few. For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more. Luke 12:47-48
The great weakness and failure of Fundamental Evangelicalism in America has been its lack of genuine social concern and works for the poor and needy and paying doing God lips service from hearts that are far away from Him. They have accepted and embraced things God would never condone or accept, from homosexuality to robbing the sheep. Paul would have turned in his grave at seeing all of this.
They have failed to understand and see that God is consuming fire and all the stubble and hay will be burnt up. They have become like the brother of the prodigal son who was so caught up in his works that he did not see nor appreciate all the things that his Father had provided that were his benefits as a son. God’s word records:
"Now his older son was in the field. And as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. "So he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. "And he said to him, 'Your brother has come, and because he has received him safe and sound, your father has killed the fatted calf.' "But he was angry and would not go in.
Therefore his father came out and pleaded with him. "So he answered and said to his father, 'Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends. 'But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.' "And he said to him, 'Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours. 'It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found.' " Luke 15:25-32
The son was angry and would not participate in what his loving father was doing and had given to the prodigal son who had returned home. He had not understood the words of the father who said “'Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours.” He had been serving his father religiously over the years and had not benefited nor enjoyed what was always his. There are many of God’s children who are needlessly in poverty, sickness, depression, failure and defeat because they have not availed themselves of the power and riches that are in the person of the Holy Spirit.
For the Holy Spirit can do in moments what years of hard work and perspiration can not accomplish. He can bring about real change in people lives, in churches and in nations. But often He is regulated to the corner of some room rather than being given the position that is rightfully His in the lives of His people and in the church of Jesus Christ by those who say that they love the Lord and belong to Christ. Jesus said some things that are true about them this day:
"But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in. Matthew 23:13
"Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word, "and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. Mark 4:18-19
"Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge. You did not enter in yourselves, and those who were entering in you hindered." Luke 11:52
Strangers, sinners and others are discovering the person of the Holy Spirit and the gifts of the Spirit while the children of the kingdom are being left out. Others are discovering how much God cares about seeking and doing true justice, righteousness and truth and especially for the least. While the so called children of the kingdom have not heard nor understood the words of Jesus who said:
"Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance." Mark 2:17
"And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. "But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." Matthew 8:11-12
The proof is in the pudding. Men are full of their own half-understandings. We see the evidence of their false beliefs everywhere. The church is impotent, cold, powerless, weak, sick and fractured. Christians behave in a worldly, secular fashion that has nothing to do with God and His true desires for them.
Sunday morning is one of the most segregated hours in America. Many prominent religious ones are pretending to be God’s and are deceiving and deterring the sheep from doing what’s right and of greatest faith. They are only impostors and deceivers who do not care for the sheep but only for their own hidden agenda and selfish and greedy gain.
Many are not financially accountable and do not doing things honestly in the sight of God and men. The secular media is full of horror stories about so called men of God such as Jim Bakker, Jimmy Swaggart, Henry Lyons and the Straders who lack integrity, righteousness and truth. Men who do not care about the sheep but only their own interests.
For the fact of the matter is that when someone is fully controlled by pure motives and the person of the Holy Spirit then they are doing God’s perfect will for their life and those around them. Because they will not accept the evil they will see around them and do something to change it. They will have the wisdom and discernment to do it right and the courage to face the consequences as Apostle Paul did on his many journeys.
He faced imprisonment, stoning, curses, shipwreck, nakedness and many other perils. Why? Because he knew the real Jesus Christ, understood the importance of truth and put action to his convictions. He was not afraid of the face of man or the consequences for his actions. He loved God in the truest sense of the words and did not compromise his values because he might be inconvenienced. He loved the truth and lived it. He sought to teach men the truth and took the consequences when they rejected it and him. He was a true Christian soldier.
Jesus did the same knowing it meant our salvation. He suffered the curses of men and horror of the Cross so many of us could be saved, healed and changed into spiritual beings. Jesus did nothing we have not been given power to do. We can do and be just like Jesus. Our problem is we like the old ways of the world and our comforts and we don’t want to change in our old habits because it requires effort on our part. The greatest barrier man faces in entering the Kingdom of God is his own comforts and learned behavior. We have to give up our comfort zone and follow Him. Then we can grow into the spiritual image of Jesus Christ that we were meant to be. Then we will listen to the King’s command and go and do likewise.
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