Good day
We have been discussing the sanctification process, in
other words becoming holy, from Philippians 2:12-16a for quite a few weeks now.
So what would the end result be that the Lord would
like to see in us?
Philippians 2:15-16a
tells us: “Do all things without complaining and
disputing, that you may become blameless and
harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse
generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding
fast the word of life...”
From the passage above,
which is the last section of the passage we have been discussing over the last
number of messages, I have picked out a few key words describing what the Lord
wants to see in us: blameless, harmless and without fault. The
context within which this kind of life is to be lived is within a crooked
and perverse generation – in other words completely different from the
world. We would all agree that we live in a crooked and perverse generation,
would we not?
The problem we have
today – and they maybe even had those years, which is why Paul brought this up,
is that Christians often blend in too well with this crooked and perverse
generation, and most do not consider that what they do as wrong. We often
justify ourselves with the fact that we are weak, or that all things are
permissible (1 Corinthians 6:12), or that we are free in Christ. In all areas
of life people fear to be different and then follow the crowd and in the
process compromise a lot of individuality and happiness.
One issue that came to
mind is for example film piracy. I know Christians that have a lovely Christian
witness when it comes to words, but who download pirated films from the
Internet by the hundreds. When I brought to their attention that it is stealing,
my words were shrugged off and I was made felt that I am old fashioned.
Needless to say they did not give the error of their ways a second thought – to
them nothing was wrong with it. Some behaviour is intentionally corrupt, such
as this example, but other behaviour is circumstantial, such as speeding
because I am late. This can be changed through better planning, and the excuse
that I am late would not change the fact that I still are open for blame, which
affect my Christian witness as well as my relationship with the Lord and His
blessing, since I disobey His commandments (John 14:21-23).
We so easily justify our actions, but God's
standard is clearly set in the Bible - “be perfect as your Father in heaven is
perfect” (Matthew 5:48), “become blameless and harmless, children of God
without fault,” (Philippians 2:15) and so on. Then we ask why the Lord does not
seem to answer our prayers.
Shall we jog our
memories a bit and answer the following questions honestly to ourselves:
- What is it in your life and behaviour
that prevent you from being blameless?
- Put differently; what in your behaviour
can the world accuse you of/blame you for, in which you are none different
from them, especially those hidden sins that nobody but you and the Lord know
about.
- How often do you harm others, whether it
be emotionally by your words or attitude, financially by taking money that
should not belong to you (even if you harm the government of big
organisations, or the church) or spiritually by not sharing with them the
love and gift of Jesus.
- How many faults do you justify yourself
for, in other words you know your should work at your weakness(es), but
you accept it as okay, since you feel nobody is to judge you for it, even
if this weakness harms others.
“For narrow is the gate and difficult is the way that
leads to life, and there are a few who find it, (Matthew 7:14).” There is not
much space for anything but you and the Lord on this road and the Bible states
there are only a few that will find this way. So how then about the millions of
people calling themselves Christians? “ For the time will come when they will not endure
sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for
themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to
fables, (2 Timothy 4:3-4).” “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord,
Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father
in heaven.” (Matthew 7:21)
Dear friends, we have no time or space for a double
life – a life that is divided between the Lord's desires for our life and our
desires, which usually are those of Mammon, the god of money and materialism. “No one can serve two masters; for either
he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one
and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.” (Matthew 6:24)
Today I want to put all of us before the
same challenge than Elijah did Israel in 1 Kings 18:21: “How long will you falter between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.”
To Israel Baal represented the Lord’s enemy, so does mammon and self to us.
I think it is important to go into your inner room, to
search you heart and ask how far are you short of being blameless, harmless and
without fault in terms of God's standards as compared to the world's standards,
for you are responsible for those “among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding
fast the word of life,” (Philippians 2:16a). In other words, what does the
world see – your sinful nature or the word of life you hold on to?
Holy Spirit, I want to
be blameless, harmless and without fault, shining as a light in the world,
holding fast the word of life. Please guide me.
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