In all things, the Word and the Spirit must agree. This agreement can be problematic for those who have expressed faith in the Lord but are not prepared to believe that the Word -- through which we are sanctified -- is truth. Or, that without His Word, as the Lord speaking through Hosea said, "My people perish for lack of knowledge!: (Hosea 4:6) Indeed, the scriptures tell us -- "Thy Word is truth." (John 17:17)
And then there are others who have not ever heard the truth concerning the Word of God, and when these do, they hunger and thirst after His righteousness. As a consequence, the latter desires to be filled with the presence of the Lord in their heart, and will not stop desiring more of Jesus every day of their life. These believers in Jesus seek His goodness and grace, and His wisdom and knowledge.
Paul (who was Saul before meeting the Lord Jesus) was a prime example. As an adherent to the Jewish faith, Saul's religious radicalism was so radical that if he lived in today's society, he might be classified as a terrorist. Certainly, he pursued believers in Jesus Christ with a vengeance, throwing them into prison. All this until one day, the Lord met Saul on the road to Damascus.
As we can see. the Lord Jesus wasn't waiting for Paul to find him hunting Christians. He was going to connect with Saul just where he was.
And thus, right there on the road, the Lord confronted Paul head on saying, "It is hard for you Saul to kick against the pricks." This was the arrow that penetrated right into Saul's heart. Prior to this, Saul was caught up in his religious duties. attempting to climb the ladder of fame and fortune. The dilemma was that Saul, in so doing was violating himself.
So, here is a question! How many people today are like Saul before taking on the new name -- Paul? Caught up in religious institutional practices or other pursuits taught to them as children? A pursuit that in the end has essentially disabled them from being themselves, unable to listen to their heart?
In Saul's case, it was being confronted with the Word of JESUS that changed the situation. It was hard for Saul to kick against his conscience. That conscience which pricks the heart with guilt, like a fire alarm going off in one's heart. If left unattended, there is a place where it can actually sears one"s conscience, so that nothing pricks their conscience again. This is termed as the hardening of one's heart.
Such was the case when a Jewish crowd became angry with table servant Stephen. [He was one of the seven chosen earlier, full of the Holy Ghost]. Herein, we see that the crowd had completely hardened their hearts. Stephen told the people, "You always resist the Holy Ghost even as your fathers did before you."
Imagine the reaction to the "so also do you." This is when they began to stone Stephen, possibly thinking that they were doing a great service to God. Little did they know at the time (that like Adam and Eve who were put out of the Garden), so now would their people also be cut off from the same blessings of God in their conscience. Instead, as the scriptures point out, the crowd was left as it were to continue in their fanatical religious ways, totally estranged from God.
The result? The Jews were no longer somebody but rather now demoted to join the ranks of nobodies. Remember, JESUS had wept over Jerusalem saying, "Oh Jerusalem, Jerusalem, how often would I have gathered you under my wings, even as a chicken gathers her brood and you would not come. Now your city is left to you desolate."
So they were cut off from the vine JESUS and the Gentiles who had previously been on the outside looking in, were now being grafted into the vine JESUS. This same status remains even today because of unbelief or not desiring to seek Jesus with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. As a consequence, many today are departing from the grace and mercy of Jesus and His good news gospel. Instead, their hearts are returning to the house of bondage which is the Law.
But the scriptures state that no man is able to keep the Law, which is why in this current dispensation of grace, the Law serves as a schoolmaster for us to turn our heart to the Lord. If we return to the Garden, we learn that the Law was the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil defined. JESUS fulfilled the Law of sin and death liberating all believers from the same law which had been imposed upon all of Adam’s sin prone descendants. The forgiveness of sins for each and every one of us because God became our Saviour. (Titus 3:4-7)
The good news is that we are no longer under the Law. Rather, we are saved by grace through faith, not of ourselves but because salvation is a gift of God. His abundance of love clothing us with His garment of righteousness. All believers who have repented before God and willingly been baptized into JESUS' death have become a new creation, a purchased and redeemed people resulting from the sacrificial death of God Himself as a Son at Calvary!
This is why John the baptist said to Jesus, "Behold, the Lamb of God!" Because He is our Saviour, the promised Messiah, the prophesied Christ. He is the One and Only -- the Alpha and Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the ending. (Revelation 1:8, 11)
And she shall call His Name Jesus -- both Lord and Christ. (Acts 2:36) And by asking Jesus to be Lord in our life, we become the ISRAEL of GOD! Peace to ALL who stand fast in the liberty wherewith is JESUS! Praise His holy Name.
Stand in the offering plate.
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