Called to be saints

Dear Friend,

I see it everywhere I go.....Christians willfully and habitually sinning with no thought of what will happen to them tomorrow. They "eat, drink, and be merry" with no regard for Gal. 6:7 which says, "Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap." The end is near and Jesus is coming back for a glorious church, not one marred by willful disobedience and sin.

Recently I was shocked and appalled when I heard a news story out of Egypt. A Muslim cab driver picked up a Christian man and dropped him off at a Muslim brothel. The cab driver was greatly angered that this Christian man would commit blasphemy by going to a Muslim brothel and not one of some other religion.

This cab driver went and put together an angry mob of fellow Muslims. They stormed the brothel and pulled the Christian man outside where they stabbed him 16 times, poured acid on him, and set him on fire. They then went and ransacked all the Christian businesses that were in the area.

My, oh my! What is going on here? 1 Peter 4:17a gives us the answer, "For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God..." My friend, sin is a serious matter but far too many believers sin at will with no regard that they will be held accountable for their words and actions. So why do they dive into the abyss of sin?

Years ago a fallen television evangelist gave us the answer. This preacher was known all over the world but a sexual encounter with a woman in his organi-zation caused him to fall from grace. On top of that a financial scandal sent him to jail for many years. Upon his release he was asked in an interview, "Why did you do these things? Didn't you love God?" His answer should burn in all our hearts. He said, "Yes, I loved God. I still love God. My problem was I didn't fear God."

Sin is rampant in the Christian camp because people do not fear God. Simply put, people are not afraid to sin. Our God is patient and all merciful and because people are not struck down instantly like Ananias and Sapphira people think they can go on sinning and get away with it. Sad to these, these people are in for a rude awakening. The wages of sin is death and we must be diligent to tell believers everywhere that the day is coming when all of us will be held accountable for our words and actions.

In the parable of the 10 virgins Jesus taught us to always be prepared for the coming of the Bridegroom. The 5 unwise virgins were not perpared and were thus locked out of the bridal chamber. One way we prepare for the catching away of the church is to face head-on the issue of sin.

I have written a story that deals with this subject titled "Called To Be`Saints" and I am sending it to you along with this letter (see below). Like a loud trumpet blast use this story to open the eyes of those who are spiritually blind to the consequences of willful and habittual sinful actions.

May this message shake them to the core of their innermost being because, for sure, it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. I pray you are blessed by this timely message. If you are, please forward it on to others so that they also may be blessed. I am your friend and feel free to contact me at any time. Until you hear from me again.....God Bless!

In Christ,

Randall J. Brewer

CALLED TO BE "SAINTS”

ANSWERING THE CALL TO HOLINESS

BY

RANDALL J. BREWER

“SANCTIFY YOURSELVES, THEREFORE, AND BE HOLY,

FOR I AM THE LORD YOUR GOD” (LEV. 20:7).

A long time ago God created a race of people made in His image with whom He could share an eternity of love and fellowship. He began by walking in the cool of the evening with His most perfect creation, Adam. (How uplifting it would be to know the things they talked about.) God loved His new friend so much that He created for him a wife taken from his own side. Then the day came when sin entered the world and the fellowship between God and man was broken.

A mighty angel cast Adam and Eve out of the garden away from the tree of life because if they were to partake of it’s fruit they would become immortal sinners. Also, never again could man look upon God face-to-face because the very brilliance of His glory would cause the instant death of any sinner who looked upon Him.

But God, in His unfailing love, did not give up on man and a plan was put into motion to return people to a right standing with Himself. This plan of redemption eventually led to the birth of Jesus Christ but before it could unfold communication first had to be restored between God and man.

Since God could no longer speak to man face-to-face as He had once done in the Garden of Eden, the great Jehovah was now forced to find new and different ways to correspond and converse with His people. Old Testament scripture records a variety of interesting and highly unusual methods in which this was accomplished.

One time God talked to a shepherd named Moses through a burning bush while another time He used a donkey to speak to a wayward prophet. Visions and dreams were a common occurrence and occasionally a message was personally delivered by an angel. More times than not, however, God chose to speak to His people through the voice of the prophet.

As a prelude to the indwelling Holy Spirit, this vessel of honor received a special anointing to become a spokesperson for God. The first words out of a prophet’s mouth were usually “Thus saith the Lord…” And when the prophet spoke, people listened.

Consider the time Nathan boldly stood in the presence of King David and openly accused him of adultery and murder. David took this reprimand as coming directly from God, which indeed it had, and Ps. 51 expresses vividly the sorrowful but yet positive effect it had on his repentant heart that came as a result of this confrontation.

Vast knowledge and wisdom can come from a careful study of the prophets and the messages God spoke through them. Interestingly, Jesus in Matt. 11 tells us what the greatest of these messages was.

John the Baptist, the “voice of one crying in the wilderness” (Matt. 3:3), has the unique distinction of being one of only a handful of men whose birth and ministry were foretold in scripture. Called by Jesus the greatest prophet of all time (Matt. 11:11), John the Baptist’s mission is described in vs. 10, “For this is he of whom it is written: ‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face who will prepare Your way before You.’”

Jesus did not bestow this high honor on John because of who he was as a person but rather because of the message John brought to the people. It was a special time in history and the Son of God was about to be revealed. It was John’s responsibility to prepare the people to receive Him. With a loud voice he would cry out, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” (Matt. 3:2). The message of the greatest prophet of all time was a message of repentance.

Jesus also fulfilled the role of a prophet and He, too, had a message to bring. In total submission to His Heavenly Father, this Son of a virgin always proclaimed that the words He spoke were not His own. John 12:49,50 says, “For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father Who sent Me gave Me a command. What I should say and what I should speak. And I know His command is everlasting life. Therefore, whatever I speak, just as the Father has told Me, so I speak.”

Genesis to Revelation reveal to us the profound wisdom and teachings of our beloved Savior, and each and every one of them point to a central theme. The summation of the message Jesus came to bring is clearly expressed by Peter in his first epistle. “But as He Who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct because it is written, ‘Be holy, for I am holy’” (1 Peter 1:15,16).

The Message translation says, “As obedient children, let yourselves be pulled into a way of life shaped by God’s life, a life energetic and blazing with holiness.” Born as a man, Jesus brought to us from the Father a message of holiness. To prepare the hearts of the people to receive this living telegram from heaven, God sent John the Baptist with the message of repentance. How do these two messages correlate? Simple. True repentance leads to a life of holiness.

We can conclude from God’s desire for us to be like Him that a life of holiness should be the ultimate goal of every believer. Are we not all “called to be saints” (1 Cor. 1:2)? The Message translations describes saints as “Christians cleaned up by Jesus and set apart for a God-filled life.”

Consider Eph. 1:4, “just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love.” Also, the book of Hebrews distinctly expresses the importance of holiness. We are commanded to “Pursue peace with all men, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord” (Heb. 12:14). Without a doubt, God takes the subject of holiness seriously. So should we.

The Bible records the story of two people who were perfectly holy and without sin in their lives. They enjoyed a unique and almost unheard of relationship with their heavenly Father. They walked with Him and shared with Him their most intimate feelings and desires, and He His. Their names were Adam and the one called “the second Adam,” Jesus.

They were without blemish and they were perfect in every way. Nothing could separate them from the close and ultimate fellowship they had with their God. Nothing, that is, except sin. Adam ate of the fruit and along with his wife was forced out of the Garden of Eden. On the cross Jesus was made to be sin on our behalf and the Almighty was forced to turn His back on His beloved Son.

Christ’s greatest pain was upon Him as He cried out, “My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?” (Matt. 27:46). Since light and darkness don’t mix, sin always separates us from our fellowship with God. Because He loves us so much it is God’s greatest desire that we get sin out of our lives so that we can “be holy as He is holy” (1 Peter 1:16) and fellowship be restored.

If we are born-again, God no longer sees us by ourselves but instead sees us united with His Son, Jesus. A marriage, a heavenly covenant, was performed the moment we asked Jesus into our hearts. A wonderful and exciting journey takes place as we begin a lifetime of letting God mold and shape our lives until Christ becomes formed in us (Gal. 4:19).

To become more and more like Jesus should be the daily goal of every believer. One of the first things we learn is that there is an enemy arrayed against us, a thief who comes to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10). The name of that enemy is Satan and his biggest weapon is sin.

It cannot be emphasized enough the alarming words of Is. 59:2, “But your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you so that He will not hear.” Sin, regardless of it’s degree, always separates us from God. Light and darkness do not mix. If continued long enough, this separation can and will lead to spiritual death as it did to Adam in the Garden of Eden.

True, the death penalty for sin is broken when one believes in Jesus and physical death only becomes the doorway into the presence of God. Sin will have a dire effect on the believer in that it hinders his fellowship with God. It is hard to believe that a Christian man will have a close relationship with God if he is committing adultery on his wife.

Habitual sin in the life of a believer is a terrible thing and is not to be tolerated. While it is true that all believers will trip and fall into sin, some more than others, it is never necessary for him to do so. Jesus broke the power of sin over our lives and left us an example of how to live a sin free life. John wrote in 1 John 2:1, “My little children, these things I write to you, that you may not sin…” This should be the goal of every believer. Thus God’s desire for us to be holy as He is holy.

Before we go any further, we need to understand just what “holiness” is. Simply put, holiness means to be without sin. And since God commanded us to be holy, we can rightfully surmise that a life of holiness, a life where sin does not have a stronghold on our behavior, is an achievable goal.

In order to attain holiness we need to purge ourselves from sin. 2 Cor. 7:1 tells us, “Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” The Message translation says this, “With promises like this to pull us on, let’s make a clean break with everything that defiles or distracts us, both within and without. Let’s make our entire lives fit and holy temples for the worship of God.” And the way to be released from the bondage of sin is through the gateway of repentance.

As one walks and grows in the Christian faith a deep love relationship develops between a born-again believer and his blessed Savior. A wholesome dread of displeasing God begins to grow in one’s heart and this in turn compels the committed Christian to face head on the problem of sin. Daily we are instructed to “crucify the flesh” (Gal. 5:24) and to become a slave of righteousness.

The writer of Hebrews in chapter 6 lists “repentance from acts that lead to death” (vs. 1) as the first of many basic foundations for Christian living. The believer should never condone or attempt to excuse his sin. There are only two things that should be done about sin: confess it and forsake it. Forgiveness comes when we confess our sin (1 John 1:9) while repentance is the act of forsaking our sin. Forgiveness is an attitude of the heart whereas repentance is an action.

The road to holiness always begins with a Godly sorrow for having sinned, which means to “miss the mark.” David says in Ps. 38:18, “For I will declare my iniquity; I will be in anguish over my sin.” James also tells us to “Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom” (James 4:9).

The Message translation says, “Quit dabbling in sin. Purify your inner life. Quit playing the field. Hit bottom, and cry your eyes out. The fun and games are over. Get serious, really serious. Get down on your knees before the Master; it’s the only way you’ll get on your feet.”

Also, do not confuse a genuine Godly sorrow with the prideful sin of feeling sorry for yourself. When a person feels sorry for themselves they regret having sinned but don’t do anything about it. Basically, they’re just sorry they’ve been caught and they regret that they will have to pay the consequences for their sin.

True Godly sorrow, however, causes a heaviness to come to one’s heart and this compels a person to rise up and do what’s necessary to get the sin out of their life. It is pride that causes a person to feel sorry for themselves whereas humility will push a person to the point where one strives to get to the position where that particular sin will no longer be a stronghold in their life.

After telling us to “mourn” for our sins, James next tells us to “Humble yourself in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up” (James 4:10). Before you ask for forgiveness, you must humble yourself and admit you have sinned. You must own up to what you did wrong and take upon yourself the responsibility of doing something to change your wrongful behavior.

Humility is the ability to hear the truth about yourself. David said in Ps. 32:5, “I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord, and You forgave the inequity of my sin.’” The word “confess” means ‘to acknowledge or say the same thing as.’

The worst thing a person can do is run away from God when a sin has been committed. Acknowledge your sin and run to God because He is merciful and is able to cleanse us completely from anything that is inconsistent with His own moral character.

Our God is faithful and just. He can be counted upon to keep His word and He is just in dealing with and forgiving our sins because Jesus paid the price for them on the cross. There is no sin too great or too small that is not covered by the blood of Jesus which He willfully poured out for us.

One of the most remarkable chapters in the Old Testament is Psalm 51. This Psalm contains the actual words of David’s confession after being confronted with his sin of murder and adultery. Like David, we must admit our sin, regret the actions of our sin, plead the blood of Jesus over our sin, and most important of all, we must forsake our sin.

As we do we must believe that God has indeed done what He promised, namely, to cleanse us from sin and restore us to fellowship and service. A side note to be added here is that if we expect God to forgive us our sins, we must in turn be willing to forgive those who have sinned against us (Matt. 6:14,15).

Having received forgiveness and cleansing, the believer next is to forsake his sin and yield himself completely to God. This is called “repentance” and in so doing the believer is restored to full fellowship with God. Remember, forgiveness is an attitude whereas repentance is an action.

Forgiveness will not do us much good if no action is taken to remove the sin out of our life. Our deep sorrow and remorse for having sinned should make us so contrite in our hearts to the point where we are willing to change our sinful ways. Repentance always brings change! Is.1:16 tells us precisely what the actions of a repentant believer are, “Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes. Cease to do evil.”

Also, James 4:7,8 says, “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. (Notice that the devil will not flee from you unless you are totally submitted to God.) Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”

Do not play games with yourself and God by thinking you can ask Him to forgive you without the willingness to change your sinful ways. If you don’t perform the proper actions that true repentance demands you are only hurting yourself. If you refuse to change your ways and habitual sin becomes a stronghold in your life, you will not “escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will” (2 Tim. 2:25).

There is always a penalty to pay for habitual sin. Gal. 6:7,8 says, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.”

A special promise is given to us in 1 Cor. 10:13, “…but God is faithful Who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape (bring the temptation to an end) that you may be able to bear it.”

This verse clearly shows us that there is no reason for any born-again believer to sin. No, the devil didn’t make you do anything. When we sin we do it knowingly and willingly. Jesus walked the earth as a man and if He can walk daily before His heavenly Father without sinning then so can we. Jesus came to be our example and when tempted to sin the first words out of His mouth were “It is written…”

A walk of holiness is accomplished by daily absorbing the Word of God into our hearts. Ps. 119:9-11 says, “How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your Word. With my whole heart I have sought You; Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments! Your Word I have hidden in my heart that I might not sin against You.”

Naturally, repentance is always coupled together with obedience to God’s Word. Is. 1:19,20 says, “If you are willing and obedient you shall eat the good of the land. But if you rebel you shall be devoured by the sword; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

In the Bible our life as a Christian has been compared to being on a straight and narrow road. Called the “Highway of Life,” our destination is always to become as Christlike as we possibly can. To do that we must put our spiritual gears in motion and with great determination and tenacity hook up with God as He leads us on the road to holiness.

On that road we will oftentimes “miss the mark” and fall short of our goal. Paul tells us precisely what our attitude should be during those times when we fall. “Not that I have already attained or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead. I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:12-14).

When we fall, the apostle Paul tells us to press on with our walk with the Lord. Go forward! Don’t look back at past failures. The Word says, “Old things have passed away, behold, all things become new” (2 Cor. 5:17). Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt but they looked back to their time of bondage and slavery. Eventually all but two people of that entire generation died in the wilderness and they missed the blessings of the promised land.

Lot’s wife looked back to sinful Sodom and Gomorrah and was turned into a pillar of salt. Be like Joseph who despite all his setbacks always looked forward to the blessings he knew God would one day give him. No where in scripture do we read of a spot or blemish in the life of Joseph, a man who always pressed on. When you fall, pick yourself up, wipe the dust off your clothes, and keep going forward knowing in your heart that God has a preplanned destiny for your life. Indeed, you have been “called to be saints.”

PRAISE GOD
BLESSED BE THE ONE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD