Battle Plan Series – Intro – Part 2

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Last time we asked the question, , “Do I really want to pursue righteousness and holiness, and count everything loss in order to know Christ and the power of His resurrection in my life?” Do I really want this? Am I willing to work hard, suffer and sweat to gain it?

This is not a trite question. You shouldn’t just read it and go on. In order to help us think about this, I’d like to look at several passages of Scripture.

The Bible speaks about fleeing some things and pursuing others. Hebrews 12:14 says, “Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord.”  One of the things that should be pursued is holiness. To pursue means to chase down or chase after. You’ve seen the police chases. Several squad cars are seen pursuing a car speeding to get away. The point is, they are trying to catch the person. They are not just following along after it like they would be during non-chase normal traffic situations.  So we are to chase down holiness, which the writer says we need if we want to see the Lord. Do you have the desire to see the Lord? Do you have the desire to chase holiness? Are you chasing it?

1 Timothy 6:11 But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness.

There are things to flee, but in this case I’m focusing on the pursuit. Here we are told to pursue several traits. Look these over and ask yourself, “Am I chasing these things?” Look at each one of these traits one at a time.  Do you have a desire chase them? Are you willing to ask God for the desire to chase them? Do you want to chase righteousness? Godliness? Faith? Love? Patience? Gentleness?

2 Timothy 2:22 Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

Am I fleeing and do I desire to flee youthful lusts? Older people can have youthful lusts. Sex is certainly one of these, but young people also have other inordinate desires for prestige, acceptance, power, recklessness, etc. Sometimes as we get older, these lusts don’t disappear. We need to run away from these lusts with as much energy as we can. And here again we are to pursue righteousness and other traits. So if you can picture this, we are to be running away from some things in hot pursuit of other things. This is not a lazy afternoon walk. This is a chase. Paul says he beats his body to keep it under control and in subjection to his mind (1 Corinthians 9:27). The author of Hebrews challenges us by saying that we haven’t resisted to bloodshed in our fight against sin (Hebrews 12:4).

And from Philippians 3:8-14 we learn that, like Paul, we should count things that are normally thought of as gain, we should count them loss. Keeping those things would be a negative. The reason is because of the excellence of Christ. Paul wanted to gain Christ. He described his effort as “pressing for the mark.”  He was like a runner stretching out to be the first person across the line. That is the kind of effort he was making in order to know Christ better and to be found in Him.

Before we go on to any of the strategies that I will outline for us, each one of us needs to ask ourselves the question: Do I really want this?  Do I want to pursue righteousness and holiness?  Do I really want Christ above all things? If the answer is “no” or if the answer is “I don’t think I really care,” or if the answer is a shrug of the shoulders, then there’s no point in going on.

Next time we’ll begin to look at some of the strategies in detail.

Battle Plan Series – Intro – part 1

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Every day we are confronted with temptations that attempt to distract us from our primary focus of service and obedience to Christ. These temptations often derail our attempts to live a godly life. Every day we are engaged in a battle to defeat these temptations and to stay the course. What I hope to do in this series is to review some of what the Bible teaches as to methods and strategies we can use to fight successfully. I plan to provide you with 10 or 11 specific statements that you should be able to make about yourself and about your spiritual life. These will be supported with passages of Scripture to help give you a strong foundation for those statements. If these statements are true of you, you will be in a better position for success in this battle against sin, lust, and temptation. If the statements are not true of you, it should provide motivation and a goal that you can work on in order to improve areas of weakness.

You can download the Battle Plan Chart here.

The first thing we need to realize is that this battle is universal among Christians. As you read this material you are going to be tempted to think that this is a battle for someone else. Often, when we speak of lusts, as we will in the following section, people immediately focus on sexual lust, and if that doesn’t happen to be your problem, you might stop reading thinking that you have everything under control. That is a dangerous position to be in because if you are not aware of a battle for your heart and soul, the devil has you right where he wants you. But as soon as you realize that this applies to you just as much as anyone else, and as soon as you take up arms to defeat your own lusts, you will find a battle greater than you ever imagined could exist.

The first step, then, is to ask ourselves the question: “Do I really want to pursue righteousness and holiness, and count everything loss in order to know Christ and the power of His resurrection in my life?”  In order to accurately answer this question, there are some truths we need to consider.

In 1 John 2:15-17 we read: Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.

There is a distinction between the things of the world and the things of God. These verses very clearly teach that it is not possible to love the world and love God at the same time. This means a decision is required. Do I really want to abandon the world for Christ?  This is an overarching decision, but it is also a decision that has to be made hundreds of times a day. Making the decision during a momentary temptation without having made it as a principle of your life will make the battle ultimately impossible to win. So, before you go any further you need to decide – Christ or the world.

In this passage, the Bible focuses on lust.  Lust is a strong desire that is excessive to the point of being sinful. In this passage we have three components given for worldliness – the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. We don’t have time to go into each one in detail, but if you think about it you will realize that many of the things we do and decisions we make are made based on these lusts. We covet what we see other people have. We lust for sex or excitement or other flesh-based pleasures. We desire to have people look up to us as someone important or powerful or contented.  All of these temptations come from the world and not from God.

In James 1:14-15 we read this:  But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.

Here’s the issue then. The world and Satan provide attractions that feed the lusts that John referred to.  But our temptations come from within us, from our own lusts or desires and we are drawn away by them. Everybody has their own set of personalized lusts. Because of them, we are pulled in a wrong direction. The desires come from deep within us. They are part of our sin nature, our fallenness, our brokenness. As these desires are conceived and gestate within us they give birth to sin. Sin is a thought or deed that is not within the will and character of God. These sins begin to grow and then, as James writes, they bring forth death. The Bible teaches that sin has wages and those wages are death.

A Christian, having been born again and now a child of God, has a new desire in competition with the old tendency, and therein lies the conflict. Paul writes it this way in Galatians 5:17 – For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.

So this leads us back now to the first point in what I’m calling Battle Strategies for the war on lust and sin. The first step is to ask ourselves, “Do I really want to pursue righteousness and holiness, and count everything loss in order to know Christ and the power of His resurrection in my life?” Do I really want this? Am I willing to work hard, suffer and sweat to gain it?

We’ll follow up with part 2 next time.

Ephesians 5:12-13

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Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible,

It’s been more than a month since I’ve written in this commentary. Life gets busy and attempts to bring order and discipline in the midst of busy-ness is difficult.

In verse 11, Paul told us that we should not take part in the unfruitful works of darkness. But instead, we are to expose them, to let the light shine in. That is what expose means. He makes his point clear in verse 13. “When anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible.

It’s interesting to me that just as in the discussion about putting off certain things, Paul had added that not only should we put off, but we must put something on. Here in this passage, we should not partake in or even speak of the things they do in secret. But it’s not just a matter of avoiding. There is something to do. The unfruitful works of darkness should be exposed.

Verse 13 tells us that anything exposed by the light becomes visible. Rather than being done in secret, these things must be made visible. But it is a puzzle to me how to shed light on secret, unfruitful behaviors, without speaking about them. It seems as though speaking would be the only way to expose. But perhaps he is saying that speaking is necessary, but it is shameful at the same time. For me at least, this passage is going to take more meditation.

More on this passage next time.

Exported from Logos Bible Software, 11:25 AM July 17, 2021.

O Great God

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VERSE 1

O great God of highest heav’n occupy my lowly heart
Own it all and reign supreme, conquer every rebel pow’r
Let no vice or sin remain that resists Your holy war
You have loved and purchased me, make me Yours forevermore

VERSE 2

I was blinded by my sin, had no ears to hear Your voice
Did not know Your love within, had no taste for heaven’s joys
Then Your Spirit gave me life, opened up Your Word to me
Through the gospel of Your Son gave me endless hope and peace

VERSE 3

Help me now to live a life that’s dependent on Your grace
Keep my heart and guard my soul from the evils that I face
You are worthy to be praised with my every thought and deed
O great God of highest heav’n, glorify Your Name through me

By Bob Kauflin

Ephesians 5:11-12

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Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret.

Paul is taking us through the characteristics of the Christian walk — the way Christians should conduct themselves and the attitudes they should have. He is doing this having told us to put off the old and to put on the new. These verses we have been studying in chapter 5 are showing us how to do that.

The first thing we note in verse 11 is that we are to have no part in the unfruitful works of darkness. Having no part means not to have fellowship with. In 2 Corinthians 5:14, after having told the Corinthians not to be unequally yoked together with unbelievers, he asks some questions. All of these questions expect the answer, “None.”

He asks, “What partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? What fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial?” and What portion does a believer share with an unbeliever?” The answer should be none. There is nothing in common.

He’s making that same point here in Ephesians. We should not have anything in common with the unfruitful works of darkness — period!

Unfruitful means that the works associated with the kingdom of darkness produce no lasting , edifying fruit. Everything that comes from that source is rotten, and Christians should not share in it.

Rather than having fellowship in it, these deeds should be reproved and exposed. The kind of things the lost of the world are involved in should be exposed for what they are. We should make sure young people and young Christians are aware of the dangers and damage that the deeds of darkness can do. The explanations should be clear enough so that people will know what we are talking about, yet vague enough not to incite destructive trails of thought in the minds of those we are trying to teach.

Verse 12 goes on to tell us that these deeds are so bad and so evil, that it is shameful even to speak of them. That is why we have to be careful how we describe the evil we are talking about.

I think there are a lot of applications of this. But, for one thing, there are many activities and behaviors displayed on TV and in movies that portray the unfruitful works of darkness. Most of the time these works are not presented for the purpose of exposing their source in the kingdom that is opposed to God. What is troubling is that many Christians are content to hear and see these things portrayed as entertainment. How does that fit with the fact that evil and immoral deeds are to be exposed and not even spoken about because it is shameful to do so?

Exported from Logos Bible Software, 2:48 PM May 26, 2021.

Ephesians 5:10

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And try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord.

Try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. The word for discern here means test or examine. The Greek word is a word we get the verb document from. When you document something, you ascertain its authenticity. So I think what is being said here is that we should evaluate what we do and other potential behaviors or activities we might be involved in, and determine if those things would be pleasing to the Lord.

It’s true that we are not under law, but under grace. But even in human relationships, isn’t it true that we try to please those we love just because of that love, and not merely to be obedient to some law?

Hebrews 11:6 says that without faith it is impossible to please God. Isn’t that a strong implication that our goal in life is to please him?

Galatians 1:10 says, “For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.”

From this passage we can clearly see that pleasing God is the aim, no matter what the rest of the culture may think about it.

Pleasing God is the result of having a relationship with God — being born again. Paul tells us in Romans 8:8 that those who are in the flesh, i.e. those who have not been born again, cannot please God. That means that no matter how many times they attend worship services, or pray, or give to the poor, they are not pleasing God.

So as we live our lives, let’s take time to consider our plans and our activities and document the fact that they are pleasing to God.

As Paul says in 1 Thess 5:21, “Test everything; hold fast what is good.” By the way, the word test there is the same word we had in Ephesians 5:10. Document it! Is it pleasing to God?

Exported from Logos Bible Software, 10:27 AM May 13, 2021.

Ephesians 5:7-9

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Therefore do not become partners with them; for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true),

I briefly alluded to verse 7 last time. The wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience because of the kinds of things that Paul listed earlier in the chapter. Then in verse 7, Paul says that for this reason we should not participate with them in the things that they do.

In verse 8, he gives an additional reason. At one time, or in other words, before you were born again, you were darkness. But now you are light in the Lord.

There is a difference in a person’s life when he or she is regenerated by the Spirit of God. Before the new birth, we are in darkness. Afterwards, we are light. In 2 Corinthians 5:17, God tells us that if we are in Christ, we are new creatures. The old has passed away and the new has come.

Since we are children of the light, we should live what we are. We should walk as children of light. There should not be a discord between who we are and how we act. The two should match. Since we are children of light, we should live like it. That’s the goal. Be who you are in Christ.

Verse 9 begins with another “For.” All of what has just been said is because the fruit of light … In other words the results of the light being present in a person’s life, is found in all that is good, right, and true.

Light leads us to the truth because light is truth. And we are not speaking of light as a feeling that we might feel drawn to. Our feelings have nothing to do with it. The word of God is light. It is the only light. That’s why Jesus said, “If you abide in my Word, you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.”

Exported from Logos Bible Software, 8:06 AM May 12, 2021.

Ephesians 5:6

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Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.

We’ve come now to verse 6. Paul begins with the command, “Don’t let anyone deceive you with their empty words.” In the first part of the warning, he tells us not to allow deception. In other words, we are supposed to be able to detect deception when we hear it, and then we are to prevent ourselves from believing the deceptive rhetoric.

This is not always easy because deception often comes in the form of smooth and sophisticated language. We are to be so steeped in the Word of God that deception is easy to pick out. This means taking the time to be in the Word and to be meditating on it frequently.

In the remainder of the sentence we learn why we should not be deceived. Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the disobedient. What things is he talking about? I think he is referring back to verses 3-5. Sexual immorality, impurity, covetousness, and the like are not proper for Christians. We already discussed that. But here in verse 6, Paul is telling us that there will be people speaking smooth words who will try to tell us that these things are so common and characteristic of us human beings, that they are not all that bad. But the truth is, these sinful deeds are the reason the wrath of God will be coming.

In verse 7 he says “Therefore, do not be partners with them.” Do you really want to involve yourself in the same activities the godless are practicing, when you know that those very activities are what triggers the wrath of God to come upon them? What would that do to your testimony? And what would be the irony on judgment day when your friends see you released from judgment because of the blood of Christ, and they themselves are being condemned; and they know that you participated with them in the same sinful activities?

This is cruel at many levels. You knew all along that what you all were doing was going to bring judgment, and yet you, knowing the remedy and means of salvation, still participated with them in the activities that would condemn them. That is cruel on its face!

God says that the kind of activity described in this passage should not be named among us, it is not proper for saints, and these very activities are what is bringing judgment on the world. Steer clear!

Exported from Logos Bible Software, 3:56 PM May 4, 2021.

The Good Shepherd

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The Good Shepherd

In multiple passages of the Old Testament, God criticizes and pronounces judgment on the shepherds of Israel. See for example Ezekiel 34, Jeremiah 6, and Zechariah 10. The problem was that the shepherds, in other words, the priests and prophets, were taking advantage of their position, and instead of feeding their flock, they were letting them go to the wolves while enriching themselves. In Ezekiel 34:11, the prophet writes, “For thus says the Lord God: ‘Indeed I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out. As a shepherd seeks out his flock on the day he is among his scattered sheep, so will I seek out My sheep and deliver them from all the places where they were scattered on a cloudy and dark day’” (NKJV).

Jesus fulfills that promise as He gives us a picture of the good shepherd in Matthew 18:10 -14 as He describes the shepherd leaving the 99 and going after the one lost one. And then in John 10, He tells the people very clearly that He is the good shepherd. Let’s turn to John 10 to see what we learn from Jesus’ explanation of Himself as The Good Shepherd.

He explains in this passage that the one who enters the sheepfold another way than through the door, is a thief and a robber. Such a “shepherd” does not really care for the sheep, but does what he does for his own gain. And when danger comes, he runs away, because he has no concern whatsoever for the sheep.

In John 10:7, 11, and 14, Jesus tells us that He himself is both the door for the sheep and also the Good Shepherd. What I want to do now is look at the characteristics Jesus gives of Himself as the Good Shepherd, and those of His sheep.

First, in verse 3, we learn that the real shepherd calls his sheep by name. He knows each of His sheep individually. In Isaiah 43:1 we read: “But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel: ‘Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are Mine.’”

In Jeremiah 31:3, Jeremiah writes, “The Lord has appeared of old to me, saying: ‘Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore, with lovingkindness I have drawn you.’” In this passage, it doesn’t mention that God used Jeremiah’s name, but it does say that God had an everlasting love for Jeremiah as a person. That love is what motivated God to draw him to Himself with lovingkindness.

There are many other examples. When Samuel was lying in bed, he heard a voice saying, “Samuel, Samuel.” When Elijah was pouting by the cave entrance, God came and said, “Elijah, what are you doing here?” When Moses went to check on the bush that was burning but wasn’t consumed, the voice came from the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!” And one last example: When Saul was on the road to Damascus and the light shown down from heaven, the voice of God came to him saying, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” God knows His sheep and calls them by name.

Next, the Good Shepherd leads the sheep, and they follow (John 10:3, 4). Notice that there are two parts to this. The shepherd leads, and the sheep follow. Sheep naturally need to be led, just as we human beings need to be led, especially when it comes to spiritual things. We need the shepherd. Alone, we wander and get lost. Jesus is the Good Shepherd, and His sheep follow Him. Why? Because they know the voice of the shepherd (10:5). The Bible says explicitly that they will by no means follow a stranger (10:5). Why? Because they don’t recognize the voice of a stranger. Notice that the sheep don’t merely know who the shepherd is and observe him leading. They follow. This should cause some self-examination in each of us. Are we following the Good Shepherd, or merely observing what He is doing? If we claim to be one of the sheep, and yet are not following, this is an indication that we are not among His sheep. How can I say that? Because Jesus says that the sheep follow Him. They recognize His voice and the fact that He is their leader in the pastures of life, and they follow. They know Him (10:14). And get this: They don’t follow the stranger, the false shepherd. They don’t recognize his voice. So if you see others following someone other than Christ, or if you yourself are doing that, you must not be one of the sheep. The sheep don’t follow the stranger.

Next, we see that the Good Shepherd gives His life for the sheep, and gives abundant life (10:10,11, 15). Unlike the false teachers and the worldly system all around us, the Good Shepherd has laid down His life for us so that, as a result, He is able to give us abundant life. And, as the Bible says it, not just life, but life more abundantly! Unlike all of the human shepherds in Israel and many in the world today, the Good Shepherd actually cares for the sheep and their most essential needs. That need is eternal and abundant life. In order to satisfy the righteousness of a Holy God, the Good Shepherd sacrificed Himself to take upon Himself the sins of the world.

Another thing we learn from this passage is that there are other sheep which also must be brought into the fold. Jesus said, “And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice and there will be one flock and one shepherd.”

Jesus said there were other sheep. It was His intention to go get them. Would He be successful? Jesus says He will be. He says, “Them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice, and there will be one flock” In other words, He is saying the same thing He said earlier, “My sheep hear my voice and they follow me.” In this particular context, I think He is talking about the fact that He is going to go out and call a people for Himself from among the Gentiles and they, together with Jewish believers, will be one body. (See also Acts 15:14-17.) According to the book of Revelation there will be people from “every tribe and language and people and nation” in His flock (Revelation 5:9).

As Jesus was teaching these things, there was a division among the Jews as to Jesus’ authority and the statements He was making. Some said He had a demon and others said that someone with a demon could not teach this way. They asked for a plain explanation. He told them that He had already explained it to them, but they didn’t believe Him. He then made an astounding statement: “You do not believe, because you are not of My sheep.” Jesus didn’t say that they were not His sheep because they didn’t believe. He said the reason they didn’t believe is because they weren’t His sheep!

To explain this more clearly, He repeated what He had said earlier. “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” It can’t be any clearer than that. Think about your own life. Do you claim to be a Christian? The question is, do you hear the voice of God through His Word, and does He know you, and do you follow Him? Jesus said that if we don’t take up our cross and follow Him, we can’t be His disciple (Matthew 16:24). You can’t really be a Christian unless you are a follower, a disciple, a learner. That’s what a Christian is.

But for those who truly are His sheep, what does He provide? He tells us in verse 28: “And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. I and My Father are one.”

There you have the bottom line. The sheep are in the best hands possible. The Shepherd has them in His hands and God the Father has them in His hands as well. No one is able to get them out. No wolf, no false teacher, no incompetent shepherd. The sheep are safe eternally. Why? Because there is a Good Shepherd, and His name is Jesus.

Ephesians 5:5

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For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.

In verse 4, Paul had finished telling us that sexual immorality, filthy talking, and crude joking were not to be found among us as Christians.

Now in verse 5 he says that there is something we may be sure of. We can be confident of a particular truth. What is that truth? Read the verse. Everyone. Let that word sink in. Everyone who is sexually immoral or unclean or covetous (which is the same thing as idolatry) has no inheritance in the kingdom of God.

Now we can try to skirt around this in any number of ways, but I don’t think there is a way of dodging it.

How can this be. Aren’t we all sinners? Putting this verse together with the rest of the New Testament, I think we can say a couple of things. First, I think this has to do with a way of life and not with momentary temptations and transgressions. Any of us can be tripped up by any number of things. As Christians, all of our sins are forgiven — past, present, and future.

For example, if we are tempted with and fall into a sexually immoral sin, this does not mean we are living in a sexually immoral lifestyle.

We have to be careful though, because we are so susceptible to self-deception. We can commit a sin here, and then another there and continue in that pattern and then tell ourselves that we aren’t immoral, when in fact that is our behavior pattern.

John tells us in his first epistle that a person who has been born of God does not practice sin (1 John 3:6-10). So don’t let yourself be deceived. If you are living a sinful lifestyle, no matter what you have professed about your faith, your deeds betray you. If that is the case with you, you need to go to God, admit the sinful nature of your life, repent of that sin, and accept Christ’s forgiveness.

When you are born again, you will have new motivations, the law of God written on your heart, a new heart, and the Holy Spirit, all of which will work against the sin that has been defeating you in the past.

Your love for God’s word will grow, your desire to be with God’s people will increase. Your desire to keep your communication with God strong through prayer will become a central part of your character and life. All of these will help maintain the victory that the new birth brings.

It is only through the rebirth of your spirit that you can be assured that you will inherit the kingdom of God. Professions and commitments are meaningless if your being has not been transformed by the saving work of Christ.

Exported from Logos Bible Software, 11:09 AM April 19, 2021.