What Can We Depend On?

Is there a dependable way to tell the difference between truth and falsehood? You certainly cannot trust what people say or what they profess to be. What is the one thing, the only thing that you can depend on more than your senses?

Today there is a belief that everyone in the world eventually will be saved, but nowhere do we find such an assurance in the Bible. In fact, Jesus Christ Himself taught just the opposite. In the Sermon on the Mount, He said, “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many that go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.” Matthew 7:13, 14. Jesus said that the way that leads to eternal life is narrow and few will go that way, but He is also saying that the majority of people in the world will go down the broad road, which leads to destruction.

Luke 13:24 says, “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able.” The reason is because they cannot take their sinful desires, pleasures, and ambitions with them.

People are in danger of being deceived by teachers of falsehood who are telling them that they don’t need to take such a narrow road, that the broad way will still end up all right. Jesus knew that these deceivers would rise up and seek to draw people away from the narrow path, telling them that they could take the broad road and still have eternal life, so He immediately gave the warning that there are people in this world who intend to deceive: “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them.” Matthew 7:15–20

Notice how we can tell the difference between truth and error: “We are not bidden to prove them [false teachers] by their fair speeches or their exalted professions. They are to be judged by the word of God.” Thoughts from the Mount of Blessings, 145. When we read the context of this verse, we find that it is a strict warning against listening to spiritualist manifestations or supernatural apparitions, or people claiming to speak for the dead or being spirits of the dead. But look what Isaiah 8:20 says, “To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.”

So what is the one and only thing we can depend on more than our senses? It is the word of God.

The wise man Solomon said in Proverbs 19:27, “Cease listening to instruction, my son, and you will stray from the words of knowledge.” What message are we listening to? Is it a message that leads us to fear and reverence God, to love Him, and obey His commandments? If we do not feel the weight of the moral law, if we make light of any of God’s precepts, if we break one of the least of His commandments, we will have no place in heaven, and our claims to be religious teachers will be without foundation, because the teachings that encourage disregard and disobedience of God’s law originate with the prince of darkness, the enemy of God.

So, not all who call themselves Christians are actually Christ’s people. “[S]uch are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works.” 2 Corinthians 11:13–15. Paul is saying here that there are false apostles who pretend to be teachers of righteousness and apostles of Christ, but they actually are serving another master. Jesus says the same thing in Matthew 7:21–23. “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. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ ”

Note, these people call Jesus, “Lord” and themselves His children. These are not people who just come and sit in the pew at church; they are Christian workers. They have “prophesied” in His name and believe they have the Holy Spirit and the gift of prophecy. They have “cast out demons” and worked many miracles in Jesus’ name, and yet He says, “I never knew you.” How can that be?

God’s word, the Bible, tells us that there is a great spiritual battle going on in this world between two supernatural forces. Christ is one of these supernatural forces, but there is another. This force is Satan, and while his methods sadly have met with much success over the millennia, he still has lost battle after battle in this spiritual warfare. Now he has decided to join the winning side and present himself as Christ.

The Biblical word antichrist simply means someone that stands in the place of Christ. Satan is coming to stand in the place of Christ, and anyone serving the antichrist will believe that they are serving Christ. The apostle Paul is very clear on this point, “I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted—you may well put up with it!” 2 Corinthians 11:3, 4

Paul fears that teachers will come teaching a different Jesus than he and others have taught, and as a result, the people would receive a different spirit, all the while believing they were receiving the Holy Spirit. Paul says they will preach a different gospel and they will bring to you a spirit that we did not bring to them. So what is this different gospel?

The gospel as taught by Jesus will set a person free from the power of sin in their life. He that “… commits sin is a slave of sin. And a slave does not remain in the house forever, but the Son remains forever. If therefore the Son shall make you free, you will be free indeed.” John 8:34–36, literal translation. The apostles preached this gospel.

We find that Paul preached this gospel in chapters 6 and 8 of Romans. John preached it in 1 John 2:3, 4: “Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, ‘I know Him,’ and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.” John, considered so loveable and so soft-spoken, did not mince words when speaking to those who claim to be a Christian, but choose to live in violation of the law of God. James is just as clear, “For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble [offend] in one point, he is guilty of all. For He who said, ‘Do not commit adultery,’ also said, ‘Do not murder.’ Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty.” James 2:10–12

The people of God in the last days are those who keep the commandments of God and have the faith of Jesus (Revelation 14:12), but friends, there are many who are in great danger today of thinking that they are Christians while living in sin, and we must be vigilant lest we become like them.

In this world, we are accustomed to doing things mostly right or just right enough to get by, but that is not God’s way. Remember what we found in James 2? “Whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.” A person cannot be a New Testament Christian unless they follow Jesus all the way. Jesus says in Luke 14:33, “[W]hoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.” We cannot take any of the riches or material things of this world into the kingdom of heaven. Only one thing can be taken from this life to the next and that is our character. Everything else we possess here will be burned up. God will create a new world for His children to live in.

New Testament Christianity gives a person victory over their besetting sins and the power to live a new life. So, a person who claims to be a Christian, but is living a life of sin, is in reality a lawbreaker. These are the people who believe they are Christians and are following Jesus, and yet believe they can break God’s law. They will expectantly come to Jesus believing that they are saved, waiting to hear the words “Well done,” but instead they will hear, “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!” Matthew 7:23, last part

They believe they are serving Christ and have the Holy Spirit, and that they are following the gospel, but imagine what a terrible shock it then will be to hear Jesus say He doesn’t know them, because they have instead been serving another Jesus, following a different gospel, being led by some other spirit. There are many people today, as there were when Jesus first spoke these words, who want eternal life, but to them, the price seems too great. Obeying Jesus in everything will cause them to suffer some kind of a loss in this world. We find this described in the story of the rich, young ruler (Mark 10:17–22).

As Jesus closed the Sermon on the Mount, He gave a forceful illustration describing the future destiny of all. “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.” Matthew 7:24–27

Do you see the difference? Does your life conform to what Jesus has said or not? Seven hundred years before Jesus came to this world, Isaiah said “The word of our God shall stand forever.” Isaiah 40:8. And many years after the Sermon on the Mount was preached, Peter quotes these words from Isaiah: “But the word of the Lord endures forever. This is the word which by the gospel was preached to you.” 1 Peter 1:25

When you receive the gospel, you are building on the sure foundation that will last forever, the one and only thing you can depend on, the word of God. This is what the world needs. Whoever builds on it is building upon Christ, and in receiving His word, we receive Christ, the only steadfast and sure foundation. Jesus said, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.” Matthew 24:35. The great principles of the law of God, the very nature of God Himself, are enshrouded in the words of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 3:11, “No other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” And Peter said in Acts 4:12, “[T]here is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” This is the only foundation upon which we can securely build. Building on Christ is obeying His word. He says that if we obey Him, we will be like the man who built his house on the rock, and when the storm came the house did not fall. But if we hear what He says to do, and do not obey, then we will be like the man who built his house on the sand and when the storm came, his house was utterly destroyed.

Holiness is the result of surrendering all to God and doing His will. Jesus places the salvation of man, not upon profession merely, but upon faith that is made manifest by works of righteousness. Doing, not merely saying, is required and expected of the followers of Christ. It is through action that character is built (James 1:22–25).

There are many people today who want to be followers of Jesus Christ, but they don’t know how to start. They know very little about the Bible. There is darkness all around them, and they do not know how to find the light. No matter how little a person may understand about God’s word, it is necessary only to ask for the Holy Spirit’s guidance. We must choose to obey and follow Him. We must set our hearts to obey Jesus Christ and acknowledge Him as the Lord of our lives. The more we follow Him, even if we only know a little, the more light will come. As we build on God’s word, our characters will be made after the similitude of the character of Christ. The path of the righteous, the path of the just, is like a shining light that shines more and more unto the perfect day.

Jesus is the living Stone, the sure Foundation. His life is imparted to all who build upon Him and do His words. Peter said, “[Y]ou also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house … .” 1 Peter 2:5. And Paul said, “[I]n whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord.”  Ephesians 2:21. The living stones become one with the Foundation because a common life dwells in all. That building cannot be overthrown. Every other building built on any other foundation will fall. If we build our characters on human ideas, opinions, forms, and ceremonies, then our building will be destroyed by the fierce tempests of temptation.

But right now, today, before the tempest comes that will end this world’s history, the Lord says, “As I live, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn, from your evil ways! For why will you die?” Ezekiel 33:11.

Do you desire to be a follower of Jesus? The Lord wants to save us and He will save us if we are willing to turn to Him and follow Him with all our heart.

[Emphasis supplied.]

Pastor John J. Grosboll is Director of Steps to Life and pastors the Prairie Meadows Church in Wichita, Kansas. He may be contacted by email at: historic@stepstolife.org, or by telephone at: 316-788-5559.

The Broad Road Or The Narrow Road

Some people believe that it is easier to be saved than to be lost. And others believe that it is easier to be lost than to be saved. Which is it?

We find the Golden Rule in Matthew 7:12. Jesus said, “Whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them.” Immediately after giving this Golden Rule, He said in verses 13 and 14, “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult [restricted] is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.” This was surprising to the people when Jesus told it to them, but continues to be just as surprising to people throughout history.

The Golden Rule excludes all pride and self-seeking, attributes that are allowed on the broad road that leads to destruction. If you want to enter into eternal life, you must climb the narrow road. There will be few on the narrow road, because the multitude will choose the broad, downward path.

The broad road is characterized by worldliness, selfishness, pride and self-seeking, dishonesty, and moral abasement. Almost the entire human race can take this road. It has plenty of room for anyone to have an opinion, doctrine, or teaching that they choose, and enough space to follow any inclination, and whatever their self-love would require. Because of our sinful human nature, there is no need to have to search for the broad road. It seems that we know right where to find it, and the broad road gives us plenty of latitude to do as we please and as our nature leads us to do.

On the other hand, the road that leads to eternal life is narrow and not as easily found. The entrance is narrow and the entire road is restricted and difficult. Clinging to any besetting sin, we will find that the gate is too narrow to go through. Our own ways, our own will, our own inclinations, evil habits and practices must be given up, or we will be unable to follow the narrow road.

If we want to follow the Lord, we cannot serve ourselves. The road to heaven—the narrow road—is too narrow and steep for a person whose life is centered in his or her own ambitions, who seeks the world’s opinion and seeks to follow the world’s standard. It is too steep for the sinful, lovers of pleasure to climb. The Bible says that in the last days there will be people that love pleasure more than they love God, but those people will not be in the kingdom of heaven.

Toil, patience, self-denial, reproach, and poverty were the lot of Jesus Christ when He was here on this world. He endured what the Bible calls “such hostility from sinners against Himself.” (Hebrews 12:3), and it is this same walk that we must walk on the narrow road if we are to enter into the paradise of God.

However, while it appears that the narrow road is the difficult path and the broad road is the easier path, we must remember that the broad road is deceptive. It is a road that leads to death, with much pain and grief, and many penalties, sorrows, and disappointments. Because we feel “free” when we walk the broad road, free to do what we want, say what we want, be what we want, we heedlessly march down the broad road with a purpose. But because of God’s love for us, He has made it hard for the headstrong to obliviously destroy themselves. Satan makes the broad road seem attractive, exciting, but remember that he is a liar and deceit is his specialty. The longer one walks the broad road he or she will soon find bitter remorse, cankering care, pain, and sorrow. It may seem that our selfish plans will achieve flattering prospects and that life is one enjoyment after another, but it will soon become clear that happiness is poisoned and because of the sin in our lives, everything will be wrecked. Thus, that which started out as joyful becomes despairing. Notice what the Bible says in Proverbs 13:15, last part: “But the way of the unfaithful is hard.” Isaiah said, “ ‘There is no peace,’ says my God, ‘for the wicked.’ ” Isaiah 57:21. How often do we think one way, but discover it is not what we thought it would be? The Bible says, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” Proverbs 16:25. The broad road seems more attractive at the beginning. There is nothing to give up to travel that road, but eventually it leads to a terrible destination.

But concerning those who choose to go up the narrow way, Proverbs 3:17 says, “Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace.” The Christian life seems restricted at the start. “[This] life is a life of constant conflict. … Every act of obedience, every deed of self-denial, every trial bravely endured, every temptation resisted, every victory gained, is a step forward in the march to eternal triumph.” Ye Shall Receive Power, 357. The Lord has made the road that leads to eternal life plain so that even a terrible sinner need not miss it. The person who is willing to practice righteous and holy living can walk up the narrow road because they are willing “to lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily besets” him or her (Hebrews 12:1). Access is secured for all who want to go through and no soul need ever say, “God does not care about me.” If we take Christ as our guide, laying aside our sins and walking through the narrow gate, He will lead us safely.

The person not yet on the road to eternal life may see it as a rough and steep climb. There may be pitfalls. He or she will have to toil and fight when there is no fight left in them. They may become discouraged, but if they are following Jesus and obeying His word, they will not fail of reaching the desired haven at last. You see, Jesus Himself walked up that way and has smoothed the path for all who follow in His steps. All the way there are wellsprings of joy to refresh the weary and one can find peace, even in difficulty and tribulation. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 7:4, last part, “I am filled with comfort. I am exceedingly joyful … .” Why? Because, the One whom the soul loves, the One that we follow, walks unseen beside us, and at each upward step, we can discern more distinctly the touch of His hand. “The path of the just is like the shining sun [star], that shines ever brighter unto the perfect day.” Proverbs 4:18

The Jews thought that the Messiah would come and give them victory over the Roman Empire and set them up as a great nation, but Jesus disappointed their hopes in the Sermon on the Mount. He had not come to overthrow the world’s great kingdoms or to make Israel a great, worldly kingdom. He told them that He had come to reveal to them the character that is the true glory of His kingdom, offering them not the promise of earthly dominion, but to place before them the opportunity to be one with Him in character and love. He assured them that it would be their supreme desire and worth their sincere effort. He was not calling them to battle against the Roman Empire, but rather to fight the battle against self and to win. He said, “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many … will seek to enter and will not be able.” Luke 13:24

Yes friends, there will be many people who will seek salvation, but will not find it. Many will be lost, while hoping and desiring to be saved. Paul encourages us in 1 Timothy 6:12 to “Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life.” And Philippians 1:30 says, “Having the same conflict which you saw in me and now hear is in me.”

“The Christian life is a battle and a march. In this warfare there is no release; the effort must be continuous and persevering. It is by unceasing endeavor that we maintain the victory over the temptations of Satan. Christian integrity must be sought with resistless energy and maintained with a resolute fixedness of purpose.

“No one will be borne upward without stern, persevering effort in his own behalf.” Reflecting Christ, 312

The field of battle is the human heart. We must struggle against evil within—sinful thoughts and desires, actions and words. The greatest battle that has ever been fought by any man, is the surrender of self to the will of God, the yielding of the heart to the sovereignty of love. The victory over self must be gained if we are to enter the kingdom of heaven. The Bible promises salvation only to those who overcome, but while we must overcome the wickedness that is our natural nature, it is by grace alone that we receive salvation. Salvation can be enjoyed only by those who have been forgiven of their sins and have received the grace of Christ. You must have not only a title to heaven, which the sacrifice on the cross of Calvary provided for you, but you must be fit for heaven and being made fit is the result of this great battle with self. That is why the Bible says that without holiness, no one will see the Lord (Hebrews 12:14, last part). Victory, then, is gained by our choice, but not by human power.

The old nature, the will of the flesh, cannot inherit the kingdom of God. The hereditary tendencies, the former habits, must be given up. If we determine that we are going to enter this spiritual kingdom, then we find that the powers and passions of the unregenerate nature, aided by the forces of the kingdom of darkness are arrayed against us. Selfishness and pride rise up in the heart and attempt to make us stand against anything that would show them to be sinful. We cannot of ourselves conquer these evil desires and habits that strive for the mastery inside. We cannot overcome the mighty enemy who holds us captive. Only God can give us the victory. The Lord desires us to have the mastery over ourselves, to be in control over our own wills and our own ways, but He cannot work in our hearts and change us without our consent and cooperation.

“The victory is not won without much earnest prayer, without the humbling of self at every step. Our will is not to be forced into cooperation with divine agencies, but it must be voluntarily submitted. … The will must be placed on the side of God’s will. You are not able, of yourself, to bring your purposes and desires and inclinations into submission to the will of God; but if you are ‘willing to be made willing,’ God will accomplish the work for you … . For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure.” Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, 142, 143

Second Corinthians 10:5 says, “[C]asting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.” Is our every thought brought into captivity to the obedience of Christ? “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.” Philippians 2:12, 13. This is the reason that so many people who want to take the narrow road do not make it; they turn away from the conditions by which alone they would be able to go through the narrow gate.

There are many today who are traveling down the broad road, but they are not fully satisfied with the path they are walking on, wishing they could break away from the slavery of sin. They look toward the narrow gate and try in their own strength to break some of their evil habits or sinful practices, but  because of their weak but sinful nature, selfishness, love of the world, pride, and unsanctified ambition, they hesitate, falter, and turn back. They would have to renounce their own will, their chosen objects of affection, but this they cannot do. They desire to do good, they even make some effort to do it, but they do not have a settled purpose to secure eternal life, because it would cost them everything.

The only hope for us is to choose to surrender our will to God’s will, hour by hour and day by day. We must be willing to be made willing. We must choose to cooperate with Him. We cannot retain our natural, sinful self and expect to enter into the kingdom of God. If we ever wish to attain holiness, it will be through the renunciation of self and the receiving of the mind of Christ. Pride and self-sufficiency have to be crucified. So the question is simply this: Are you willing to be brought into perfect conformity with the will of God and make the necessary sacrifice to go through the narrow gate and up the narrow road to salvation? The Bible says, “Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?” Amos 3:3. If there is a point on which we and God do not agree, whose mind should be changed?

The Bible tells us of Jacob who came to the great crisis in his life and turned aside to pray. He was filled with one overmastering purpose—he wanted to be transformed in character. He knew that he had lived a very sinful life, and we can read about many of these sins in the Bible. We are told that while he was pleading with God, it seemed to him that an enemy came, placed his hand upon him, and all night he wrestled and fought with what he thought was an enemy who he believed intended to take his life. When his strength was nearly spent, just before the dawn of the day, it was revealed that he had been fighting “the Angel of the covenant.” The Angel put forth His divine power and, at one touch, Jacob was disabled. He was wounded and helpless, but he fell upon the breast of the Angel, pleading for a blessing. He said, “… I will not let You go unless You bless me!” Genesis 32:26, last part. He received the answer to his prayer because he was persistent and determined. He was willing to give up everything so that his prayer could be answered. The Bible says, “Let him take hold of My strength, that he may make peace with Me; and he shall make peace with Me.” Isaiah 27:5

We must be determined and commit our whole heart if we are going to be saved in the kingdom of heaven. We must pray, “Lord, I choose to surrender myself to You, and to follow You all the way.” God will answer your prayer just as He did Jacob’s. God will provide you with the power needed to enter at the narrow gate and walk the narrow road all the way to eternity. Decide now.

“Lord, whatever happens, I surrender my will to You. I choose to follow You all the way, and seek always to do Your will.” [Emphasis supplied.]

Pastor John J. Grosboll is Director of Steps to Life and pastors the Prairie Meadows Church in Wichita, Kansas. He may be contacted by email at: historic@stepstolife.org, or by telephone at: 316-788-5559.

Do Unto Others

He who is guilty of wrong is the first person to suspect wrong in someone else. When human beings start accusing, they are not satisfied with simply pointing out the supposed defect in somebody else, but will resort to coercion to force others to comply with their ideas about what is right. This is what the Jews did in the time of Christ.

In Matthew 7:1, Jesus said, “Judge not, that you be not judged.” When men try to earn salvation by their own works, they inevitably are led to pile up human exactions as a barrier against sin. When they see that they fail to keep the law, they devise all manner of rules and regulations of their own to obey and they esteem these higher than the law or even in place of the law. All this turns the mind from God and toward self, and as a result the love of God dies out in the heart, and with it perishes love for our fellow men. This system of human intervention, with its multitudinous exactions, meant to make people good, will always lead its advocates to judge those who come short of the prescribed human standard. This develops an atmosphere of selfish and narrow criticism, stifling noble and generous emotions, and leading men to become self-centered and judgmental.

The Pharisees were of this class. Ungrateful for the great privileges that God had given them, they left their religious services without any sense of their own weaknesses. Instead, they were filled with spiritual pride, believing their thoughts, feelings, and knowledge made them better than others. Their own attainments became the standard by which they judged everyone else. Putting on a garment of self-dignity and self-righteousness, they mounted the judgment seat to criticize and condemn others.  Jesus referred to the prayer of the Pharisee found in Luke 18:11, where he said, “God, I thank You that I am not like other men.” The people partook of this very same spirit. It intruded upon the conscience and they began to judge one another in matters that should have been kept between the soul and God alone.

It was in reference to this spirit and practice of judging in matters of conscience that Jesus said, “Judge not, that you be not judged.” There is no true standard or ideal except that of God’s law and standard of perfection. It is man’s distortion of God’s standard that results in man setting himself up as the standard, putting forth his opinions, view of duty, and interpretation of scripture as the criteria for everyone else in the world. Man condemns others because they do not come up to his standard of ideals. And he criticizes them, presuming to know their motives, which he cannot truly know, and passes judgment on them.

The apostle Paul says in 1 Corinthians 4:5, “Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts. Then each one’s praise will come from God.” Paul also says there is coming a time when everyone in the world will be judged: “We must all stand before the judgment seat of Christ … to receive a reward for deeds done in the body.” 2 Corinthians 5:10

Jesus said that there is coming a time, according to God’s providence, when everything that has ever been done in this world will be known (Matthew 10). He knows the hearts of mankind, the secret motives that drive them to do what they do, and say what they say. But as human beings, we cannot read the heart. We ourselves are faulty and unqualified to sit in judgment over others because we can only judge by the outward appearance.

God knows the secret springs of action, and He will judge righteously and compassionately. Paul again brings a rebuke to those who are entering upon the judgment seat in Romans 2:1: “Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things.”

Notice, those who condemn or criticize others are also guilty themselves because they do the same things. In condemning others, we pass sentence upon ourselves, and God declares that this is a just sentence, accepting our own verdict. The sin that leads to the most unhappiness is the cold, unforgiving, critical spirit that characterized the Pharisees. When the religious experience has no love in it, the sunshine of Jesus’ presence is not there. No matter how active we may be in the service of Christ, that zeal cannot supply the lack of love.

We may have a wonderful keenness of perception to discover the defects of others, but anyone who seeks to discover these and expose them is a hypocrite. We must first cast out the log in our own eye (Matthew 7:5). When men indulge in this accusing spirit, they will not be satisfied with pointing out what they suppose is the defect in another. If milder means fail to make someone what they think he or she ought to be, they will, as far as lies in their power, force others to comply with their ideas of what is right.

This is exactly what the Jews were doing in the days of Christ and the apostles, and it is what the Christian church throughout history, whenever she has turned away from Christ to follow her own way, has done. When the church has found itself destitute of the power of love, it has relied on the strong arm of the state to enforce its dogmas and execute its decrees. Understand that, and you will understand the secret behind all the religious laws and legislation that have ever been enacted; you also will know the secret of all persecution from the days of Abel to our own time.

Jesus Christ does not use these methods. He does not drive men to be righteous; instead He seeks to draw all men to Himself. Only by love does He compel us to do what is right. Paul says, “The love of Christ constrains us.” It is love that persuades us, causes us to act. But when the church seeks the support of a secular power, it is plainly evident that the church is devoid of the power of Christ, the constraint of divine love.

Today, in the whole world, Christianity must be constrained by the love of Christ to have His character inside. This alone drives us to do that which is right for Christ. When we take upon ourselves His yoke of obedience and service, no one will have to crack the whip over us to make us do what is right. Jesus says that if we need anything, we need only come to Him and ask for it.

In Matthew 7:7–11, Jesus says, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!”

Jesus does not specify conditions. If we feel our need enough to ask, the Lord promises to hear. Are we hungry for His mercy, do we desire His counsel, long for His love? If we ask in faith and contrition, we will receive. The Lord has pledged His word and it cannot fail. When we ask for the blessings we need so that we might perfect a Christlike character, the Lord assures us that we are asking according to a promise that will be verified. No matter that we may be terrible sinners, we can cry out to Him asking for His mercy and compassion and He will answer.

We do not have to be holy or fulfill some condition before we can come to God because the Bible says there is no one like this. We come as we are, but we must understand that God does not intend to leave us as we are. If we desire Him to cleanse and purify us from our sin, recognizing the utter helplessness that makes His redeeming power a necessity, then we present our need, and our need will be fulfilled.

Job 22:21, first part, says, “Now acquaint yourself with Him, and be at peace.” In 1 Chronicles 28:9, last part, when David was talking to Solomon just before his death, he said, “If you seek Him, He will be found by you.”

The Holy Spirit is the greatest gift that God can give us. All good things are contained in this gift. In fact, the Creator Himself cannot give us anything greater or any better. When we ask the Lord to send the Holy Spirit to dwell in our lives, we are asking Him for a gift that will bring with it every other gift we need. When we ask the Lord to pity us in our distress and to guide us by His Holy Spirit, He will never turn away our prayer.

The Bible asks the question that if a child comes to his or her parent for food, would a parent turn the child away? The question is asked with the belief that the parent would not turn them away, because in this world, there are exceptions. But it is true that some human parents know how to give love and good gifts to their children. So then we can believe that God knows how to, and will, provide the needs of His children. God will never turn away from a longing and needy heart. To people who have felt in their distress that God was not mindful of their need, the Lord has told them, “Zion said, ‘The Lord has forsaken me, and my Lord has forgotten me.’ ‘Can a woman forget her nursing child, and not have compassion on the son of her womb? Surely they may forget, yet I will not forget you. See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands.’ ” Isaiah 49:14–16. When Jesus was nailed to the cross, we were inscribed on the palms of His hands. The Lord says, even though a human parent may forget, I will never forget.

Every promise in the word of God, therefore, brings us subject matter for prayer. They show us what we may pray for. It is our privilege to claim these promises through Jesus. We need only come to Him in faith, confession, and repentance, asking for our sins to be forgiven, and He has promised to forgive (1 John 1:9). We may not only acknowledge our need for forgiveness of sins, but our need for spiritual help, strength, and salvation.

We are perfectly free to come to Him with any temporal concern—financial difficulties, need for food and clothing, shelter—whatever our need is, we are invited to come and ask for it. However, we must remember that in claiming these promises, we also claim God as our Father, acknowledging that we are His children, and have given ourselves to His work. It is to these that Jesus said, “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness …” that He gave the promise, “Ask, and you will receive.”

Jesus said, “… [W]hatever you desire that men should do to you, you do even so to them.” Matthew 7:12. This is known as the Golden Rule. In this text Jesus teaches us that we should not be concerned with what we receive, but rather with what we give. The standard of our obligation to others is found in what we ourselves would regard as their obligation to us were our situation reversed. In our association with others, we need to put ourselves in their place, to enter into their feelings, difficulties, and disappointments, their joys and sorrows—identify with them, and then treat them in the same way we would want them to treat us.

This is the true rule of honesty and courtesy, the genuine expression of the law. Jesus says in Matthew 22:39, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” This is the substance of the teaching of the prophets, a principle of heaven, and everyone who is fitted for the holy companionship of heaven will have developed it in their life before they are allowed to go there. The truest illustration of the Golden Rule is seen in the life and character of Jesus Christ. When we study His life, we see not only softness and firmness, but beauty and sweetness flowing from His very presence.

This same spirit is to be seen in His children. If Jesus is dwelling in the heart, then we will be surrounded with a divine atmosphere, a fragrance of purity. No one who genuinely understands what constitutes true Christian character will fail to manifest the sympathy and tenderness of Jesus Christ. The influence of His grace softens our hard hearts and gives us a heaven-born sense of delicacy, a true sense of propriety. As with all gifts and blessings of this life, whatever we have that our fellows do not have obligates us to those that are less favored. Are there people around us who are sick, widowed, orphaned, fatherless? Are we treating them in the same way that we would want them to treat us?

The Golden Rule teaches, by way of implication, the very same truth that Jesus taught in Luke 6:38, last part, where He said, “For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.” Whatever we do to others, whether it is good or evil, will surely react upon ourselves, whether in blessing or in cursing. Whatever we give, we will receive again.

The earthly blessings that we give to others are often repaid in kind. What we give often does come back to us, even in this world. All gifts are repaid in God’s eternal time of reckoning, both good and evil. Any person who has been free to condemn or discourage or bring hardship upon others, will, sooner or later in his own experience, be brought over the same ground where he has caused others to pass. He will feel what he has caused others to feel.

The Golden Rule is the standard of Christianity. Any religion that leads men to place a low estimate upon those whom Jesus estimated to be of sufficient value to surrender His life on the cross is not a Christian religion. Any person who expresses a careless disregard of the needs, sufferings, and rights of his fellow man is not a Christian and is proving themselves to be a traitor to Jesus Christ. It is because men call themselves Christians while denying His character in their life, that Christianity today has so little power in the world and the name of the Lord is blasphemed.

Friends, we need to ask ourselves, especially if we call ourselves Christians: Is my religion real? If our Christianity is real, we will manifest and practice the principle of the Golden Rule in our lives.[All emphasis supplied.]

Pastor John J. Grosboll is Director of Steps to Life and pastors the Prairie Meadows Church in Wichita, Kansas. He may be contacted by email at: historic@stepstolife.org, or by telephone at: 316-788-5559.

Seek Ye First

Some people believe that their prayers have merit. If this is so, then it could easily be concluded that the longer the prayer, the greater the merit. But is it true that if a person prays long enough, their prayer will have enough merit to atone for sin, or are eloquent prayers just idle words?

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said: “And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.” Matthew 6:5, 6

In these two verses, the Lord is not telling us that we should not pray in public. Jesus Himself prayed in public many times. Rather, He is teaching that a private prayer should not be made public. In our private devotions, our prayers are to reach the ears of no one except a prayer-hearing God. No curious ear is to hear the burden of our private petitions.

Jesus said, when you pray, go into your room, have a place for secret prayer. He had select places for communion with God. In fact, it was because He so often went to Gethsemane in the evening to pray that Judas Iscariot knew where to lead the soldiers when he betrayed Him.

We also need to have a private place, however humble, where we can be alone with God. Jesus said, “Pray to your Father who sees in secret.” In the name of Jesus, we may come into God’s presence with the same confidence that a small child comes to a parent. We do not need a man, a priest, or pastor as a mediator. Through Jesus, we may open our hearts to God as One who knows, loves, and hears us.

In the secret place of prayer, where no one but God sees or hears, we are free to pour out to Him the most secret and hidden desires of the heart, and the Father has promised that He will hear. Remember, He is a Father of infinite love and pity and He never fails to answer the cry of human need. He will speak to us when we take time to talk to Him. In James 5:11, last part, it says, “ [T]he Lord is very compassionate and merciful.” He waits with unwearied love and pity to hear the confessions of the wayward and to accept their penitence.

In the same way as a mother watches for a smile of recognition from her beloved child, He wants us to understand how earnestly and tenderly His heart yearns over us. He wants us to bring to Him our trials, our sorrows, our troubles, our wounds, our weaknesses, and our emptiness, and He will supply all of our needs (Steps to Christ, 100). The Bible teaches that no one who comes to Him will be disappointed.

Psalm 34:5–10 tells us how the Lord answers the prayers of even the humblest of His children: “They looked to Him and were radiant, and their faces were not ashamed. This poor man cried out, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him, and delivers them. Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him! Oh, fear the Lord, you His saints! There is no want to those who fear Him. [T]hose who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing.”

When we come to the Lord in secret and tell Him our needs, and plead with Him for help, we will not plead in vain, because Jesus said, “… your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.” If we make Jesus our daily companion and friend, we will realize, that although we cannot see it, the powers of the unseen world are all around us. By looking to Jesus, we will become assimilated to His image and the result will be an increase in piety, purity, and fervor.

In Matthew 6:7, Jesus said, “And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do.” The heathen, then and now, look upon their prayers as having merit in and of themselves to atone for sin. If they could become holy by their own efforts, they would have something in themselves for which to rejoice, some ground for the boasting. This idea of prayer is the outworking of the principle of self-expiation, which actually lies at the foundation of false religion. The Pharisees adopted this pagan idea of prayer, and it is by no means extinct, even in our time, even among some who profess to be Christians.

When we pray using set, customary phrases, and the heart feels no need of God, we are just offering up words of the same character as the vain repetitions of the heathen. Nobody wants to talk to a friend who is just mumbling set words and phrases in their mind, but their heart is not in it, and this type of prayer is not acceptable to the Lord either.

Prayer does not atone for sin. It has no virtue or merit of itself. All the eloquent words that we might command are not equivalent to even one holy desire. So the most eloquent prayers can be worthless, idle words if they do not express the true sentiments of the heart. Praying from an earnest heart, expressing the real wants of our soul, the same way that we would ask an earthly friend for a favor and expect that it would be received, we have then prayed a prayer of faith, and we trust that prayer will be answered.

God does not need our ceremonial compliments. But the unspoken cry of a heart that is broken and subdued with a sense of sin and utter weakness and helplessness, will find its way to the Father of all mercy.

As He continued to talk about the Christian life, Jesus said, “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

Notice, He did not say you should not serve God and mammon. He says, you cannot serve God and mammon. Mammon is a Greek word that simply means real estate, money, property, wealth, material possessions. Jesus is saying you cannot serve God and material things. In other words, no one can occupy a neutral position. There is no middle class who neither loves God nor serves the enemy of righteousness. If we do not give ourselves completely to God, the facts of the matter are, we are completely under the control of another power, listening in our minds to another voice whose suggestions are of an entirely different character.

If we attempt to give God only half service, we are actually placing ourselves on the side of the enemy as a successful ally of the hosts of darkness. When men claim to be Christians, soldiers of Christ, but then engage with the confederacy of Satan, they actually prove themselves to be enemies of Christ instead of His friends as they profess to be.

We are talking about a battle for the mind and heart, not just about outward words or behavior. The strongest bulwark of vice in our world is not the terrible life of some abandoned sinner or degraded outcast, but the life which appears virtuous, honorable, and noble, fostering one sin, indulging one vice. When there is someone struggling with a terrible temptation, the example of such a person is one of the most powerful enticements to sin. Thus, a person who claims to be a Christian but indulges one sin, is used by Satan to be a stumbling block to others so that they not only stumble in this life, but may even forfeit eternal life.

The apostle John talks about this problem in 1 John 2:15, 16, saying, “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.”

Jesus says that we should not allow ourselves to be caught up in the sum and substance of our lives—making a living, making sure we have food to eat and water to drink, a home and clothing to wear—but instead we must be careful to seek first the kingdom of God. This is a better, higher way to live, so that we are not pressed down all the time, just trying to survive. Jesus tells us in Matthew 6:31–33, “[D]o not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”

Jesus was opening to them the treasures of heaven, but the people who were listening to these words were still anxiously waiting for Him to announce that He would set up an earthly kingdom. Uppermost in their minds was how a connection with Him would best advance their prospects in this new kingdom. Interestingly, that is the same question many people ask today. What church can I go to that will best advance my worldly interests, my professional or business interests?

Jesus is trying to show us that in making the things of this world our supreme anxiety, we will become like the worldly people around us, living as if there were no God whose tender care is over all His creatures. Jesus said, the nations seek after these things, but your heavenly Father knows what we need (Luke 12:30) and He tells us instead to “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”

In other words, Jesus is telling us that He has come to open to us a kingdom of love, righteousness, and peace. We must open our hearts to receive this kingdom and make its service our highest interest. Even though it is a spiritual kingdom that He offers us, we are not to fear that the needs of this life will be uncared for. If we give ourselves to God’s service, the One who has all power in heaven and earth will provide for our needs.

This does not, however, release us from the necessity of effort. Jesus does not say we have nothing to do, that God just hands us whatever we need. He said, “Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them.” Matthew 6:26. How does the heavenly Father feed the birds? Does He put the food in their mouth? Absolutely not. He provides the food, but they have to go and find it.

In the same way, God provides for the needs of all of His children in this world, but that does not release us from the necessity of effort. When Adam and Eve sinned, God said to Adam that he would eat bread, the product of his personal effort from that day forward. As Christians, Jesus teaches us that we are to make Him first, and last, and best in everything. We are not to engage in any business, or follow any pursuit, or seek any pleasure that would hinder the outworking of His righteous character in our lives. Everything we do is to be done with this as our uppermost and first interest.

Friend, God’s everlasting arm encircles every soul who turns to Him for aid, however feeble that soul may be. Poverty or wealth, sickness or health, whether educated or uneducated, simple or wise, all are provided for in the treasures and promises of His grace.

The Bible tell us that the precious things of this world are going to pass away, but the soul that lives for God will abide with Him. The apostle John says, “The world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.” 1 John 2:17. If we learn to lean on God for wisdom, seeking Him for direction, if we commit our lives to Him, He will not only be our comfort and hope in this world, even amid loss and affliction, but in the world to come He will welcome us to an everlasting home. “ ‘For the mountains shall depart and the hills be removed, but My kindness shall not depart from you, nor shall My covenant of peace be removed.’ says the Lord, who has mercy on you.” Isaiah 54:10

For this reason, because God cares for everyone who turns to Him for help and shields them and protects them, we do not need to live a life of worry. One of the biggest health problems in the western nations today is depression brought on by continual anxiety and worry. When on this earth, Jesus lived a dignified life in all its details by keeping before men the glory of God and subordinating everything else to the will of His Father. If we follow His example, He gives us the assurance that all things needful for this life will be added.

He does not promise that we will have the luxuries of life, but He does promise that what we will have in the future world will far exceed anything we could have here. For now, what is promised is what you need, not necessarily what you want. Since we are assured of this promise, if we commit our lives to Him, we will have no need to worry. Jesus says, “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” Matthew 6:34

If you have given yourself to God to do His work, you do not need to worry or be anxious about what is going to happen tomorrow, because the One whose servant you are knows the end from the beginning (Isaiah 46:10). The events of tomorrow, which are hidden from our view today, are open to the eyes of Him who is omnipotent. If we decide we want to manage our own life without His aid, to take matters into our own hands, if we want to depend on our own wisdom for success, then we are taking upon ourselves a responsibility that belongs to God, and thus are really putting ourselves in His place. As a consequence, we may well experience anxiety and apprehend danger and loss.

But, if we really believe that God loves us and means to do us good, we will be able to cease worrying about the future because we will have placed out trust in God as a small child trusts a loving parent. Our troubles and torments will then disappear, for our will is swallowed up in His will.

While Jesus is promising us this kind of help for today, He does not promise us that He would bear the worry, or anxiety, or burdens of tomorrow. Instead He said to Paul, and to us, in 2 Corinthians 12:9, “My grace is sufficient for you … .” Like the manna that He gave the children of Israel in the wilderness, His grace is bestowed each day for that day’s need. One day alone is ours and during this day we are to live for God.

Just this one day, we must put our hand in the hand of Christ, and trust Him with everything in our life—our purposes, our plans—casting all our care upon Him. He says, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11. “In returning and rest shall you be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength.” Isaiah 30:15

Dear friend, if you seek the Lord and are converted every day, if you will of your own spiritual choice be free and joyous in God, you will find peace and joy in His service, and an eternal home with Him.

Pastor John J. Grosboll is Director of Steps to Life and pastors the Prairie Meadows Church in Wichita, Kansas. He may be contacted by email at: historic@stepstolife.org, or by telephone at: 316-788-5559.

In Danger of Hell Fire

If a person cherishes a spirit of malice and unkindness, he is cherishing a spirit that will result in hatred and a desire for revenge. This is why the Bible says that a person who hates his brother is a murderer and cannot hope to have eternal life. The question is, how can this spirit be removed or changed?

Across the Sea of Galilee from where Jesus gave the Sermon on the Mount was the land of Bashan. This land, filled with wild gorges and wooded areas, had for a long time been a favorite lurking ground for criminals of all descriptions. Even in Jesus’ day, there were reports of frequent murders and robberies committed in the area. People thought that if Jesus was teaching the law, He would have a stern rebuke for the people committing these crimes. They were shocked when He quoted the sixth commandment that says, “You shall not murder,” and showed that the commandment applied to them.

The people of that time cherished bitter hatred against the Romans and other people of their own country who did not in all things conform to their ideas. They were contentious and passionate, and so Jesus said to them, “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’ But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ [an empty-headed, vain fellow] shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ [a person who has abandoned himself to wickedness] shall be in danger of hell fire.” Matthew 5:21, 22

Actually, many of the most accurate and ancient manuscripts leave out the words “without a cause.” The text would then read: “I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council.”

This spirit of hatred and revenge is at the basis of murders. It originated with Lucifer, the leading angel of heaven. His name became Satan, which means adversary, devil, or slanderer. This spirit led him to put to death the Son of God. The New Testament is very clear, the person, the intelligence that was behind the crucifixion of Jesus, was not just the Jewish leaders or the Roman government or Pilate, but an influence of supernatural forces. The devil wanted to destroy the Son of God, so he engineered and programmed the whole event. The heavenly universe saw and knew exactly what was going on, but the people of the earth did not know or understand.

So, as with the devil and many in ancient Israel, whoever today cherishes malice or unkindness is cherishing the same spirit and its fruit will be death. The revengeful thought is the seed that once grown or unfolded, produces the evil deed. The Bible says, “Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.” 1 John 3:15

In the gift of His Son, given for our redemption, God has shown how high a value He places on every human soul. He gives no one permission or liberty to speak contemptuously about another human being. It is true, having eyes and ears, we will see and hear of faults and weaknesses in other human beings. But God claims these as His property, first because He created them, as we find in Psalm 24:1, “The earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness.”

But human beings are doubly His because He purchased them back by the blood of His Son, Jesus Christ. So, since all human beings were created in the image of God, even those that have been most degraded by sin, we are to treat one another with respect and compassion. When we study the life of Jesus, we find that He treated even His persecutors with politeness and courtesy.

Jesus teaches us in the Sermon on the Mount that God will hold us accountable if we speak contemptuously about anyone for whom Jesus laid down His life. The New Testament also is very strict about this principle. Notice what it says in 1 Corinthians 4:7: “For who makes you differ from another? And what do you have that you did not receive? Now if you did indeed receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?”

Paul says that everything you have received is from God, so why do you talk as if you produced something on your own? Paul also says in Romans 14:4: “Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand.”

We are not to speak contemptuously of any human being no matter how degraded they are because of a life of sin. We are not to condemn our brother or sister as someone who is beyond the reach of salvation, as though they cannot be saved. If we pronounce judgment on someone else and say that we believe they cannot be saved, Jesus says that we are in danger of hell fire ourselves. The book of Jude provides us with an example of how we should talk and treat our fellow human beings. “Yet Michael [one who is like God] the archangel, in contending with the devil, when he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him a reviling accusation, but said, ‘The Lord rebuke you!’ ” Jude 9. Jesus did not bring a railing accusation against the devil. If He had, He would have placed Himself on Satan’s ground for accusations are the weapon of the wicked one. Revelation 12:10 says, “Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, ‘Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down.’ ”

This scripture calls Satan “the accuser of the brethren.” Jesus did not bring an accusation against the devil; He left it for His Father to decide the condemnation and judgment of the devil. We are to follow His example. When we are brought into conflict with the enemies of Christ, for He still has many enemies in this world, we are to say nothing with a spirit of retaliation, or anything appearing to be a reviling or railing accusation. If we stand as a mouthpiece for God, as all Christians should, then we should not utter words that even the Majesty of heaven would not use when contending with the devil. We must leave with God the work of judging and condemning.

The love of God is a positive, active principle, a living spring ever-flowing out to bless others. If the love of Christ really dwells in our hearts, we not only will refrain from cherishing evil against our brother or sister, or speaking in a contemptuous way to them or about them, but we will ever and always seek to manifest love for them. In Matthew 5:23, 24, Jesus said, “Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.” In other words, don’t even go to church to worship the Lord in public until you have made things right with the person that you have wronged. We cannot expect to be able to express faith in God’s pardoning love if we are indulging an unloving spirit.

If, when we come before God, we remember that someone else has something against us, then we are to leave our gift of prayer, thanksgiving, or freewill offering, and we are to go to that brother or sister with whom we are at variance, and in humility confess our sin and ask them to forgive us. If we have in any manner defrauded or injured them, we are to attempt to make restitution. This has been a principle in the Bible from the most ancient times.

Ezekiel 33:15 says, “If the wicked restores the pledge, gives back what he has stolen, and walks in the statutes of life without committing iniquity, he shall surely live; he shall not die.” So, if we have unwittingly borne false witness against a brother or sister, if we have misstated their words, if we have injured their influence in any way, we need to go to those with whom we have conversed about them and take back all the injurious misstatements.

If Christians would do this in matters of difficulty between Christian brothers or sisters, if instead of laying them before third parties we went frankly and honestly to speak directly to them to make things right, in the spirit of Christian love, how much evil might be prevented. How much bitterness, would be avoided, and how closely Christians would be united in a bond of brotherly love (Hebrews 12:15).

As Jesus presented His sermon, the Jews prided themselves on their morality and they looked with horror upon the sensual practices of the Romans and other nations. But when Jesus showed them that the sixth commandment had to do with what was in the mind and heart, not just in the action, He also revealed something shocking about the seventh commandment. He said in Matthew 5:27, 28: “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” When the thought of evil is loved and cherished, even secretly, it shows that sin still reigns in the heart.

He who finds pleasure in dwelling upon scenes of impurity, he who indulges the evil thought and the lustful look, may behold in the open sin the result of what he has been thinking. The Bible is very clear that all human beings are tempted in this world. But temptation does not create the evil that is revealed; it only develops or makes manifest that which was already in the heart, although it has been hidden. The Bible says, “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.” Proverbs 23:7. “For out of it [the heart] spring the issues of life.” Proverbs 4:23, last part

To prevent a physical disease from spreading to another part of the body and destroying the life, a man would submit to having a part of his body, an arm or a hand, amputated. How much more should a person be willing to surrender whatever imperils the life of his soul? In Matthew 5:29, 30, He said, “If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.”

This is a spiritual principle: whatever endangers the soul must be given up. If we are looking at something that endangers our souls, then we must stop looking at it. If we are handling something that endangers our souls, we must put it away. If where our feet take us is somewhere that endangers our souls, we must stop going there, because, through the gospel, souls that have been degraded and enslaved by Satan, by sin, are to be redeemed and are to share the glorious liberty of the sons of God. God’s purpose is not just to deliver us from the suffering that is the inevitable result of sin, His purpose is to save us from sin itself.

The gospel purifies, transforms, and sanctifies the soul that has been corrupted and deformed. It is to be clothed in “the beauty of the Lord our God.” Psalm 90:17. It is “to be conformed to the image of His Son.” Romans 8:29. The Bible says that “ ‘Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.’ ” 1 Corinthians 2:9. In fact, eternity alone can reveal the glorious destiny to which every man and woman may be restored.

If we are going to reach this high ideal, whatever causes our souls to stumble must be sacrificed. It is through the will that sin retains its hold upon us. Often it seems to us that if we surrender everything to the Lord, we will be maimed, or crippled, or unable to do the things we have been planning to do. But it is through the surrender of the will to God, represented by Jesus as the plucking out of the eye or the cutting off of the hand, that we are freed from sin’s grip.

Jesus says it is better to enter into life, even if we are maimed or crippled, than to continue in sin and lose our souls. You see, God is the fountain of life and we can only have life as we are in communion with Him. Sin separates us from God and if we are separated from God, we may exist for a little time, but it is inevitable that we will die. The only way that we can truly live is when we surrender to the Lord as our Master and Saviour, and through that surrender we will receive what the Lord wants to give to us.

If we refuse to yield our will to God, if we cling to self and sin, then we are choosing death because sin is going to be destroyed (1 John 3:8), and we will be destroyed along with it.

Friend, what will be your destiny? You have a choice to make. Will you forsake your sin and live, or will you hang on to it and be destroyed?

Pastor John J. Grosboll is Director of Steps to Life and pastors the Prairie Meadows Church in Wichita, Kansas. He may be contacted by email at: historic@stepstolife.org, or by telephone at: 316-788-5559.

I Came to Fulfill, Not Destroy

Many people today are very confused about what the word love means. They think it refers to sexual passion or a wonderful romantic feeling, but actually, it is a spiritual condition that multitudes of people have not experienced.

There was a time when Moses, the man of God, made a request of the Lord, “Show me Your glory.” Exodus 33:18. The Lord said that he would be allowed to see as much as it was possible for him to see and live (Exodus 33, 34). In Exodus 34 when the Lord answered his prayer, it says, “And the Lord passed before him and proclaimed, ‘The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin.’ ” verses 6, 7, first part. So the Lord on this occasion told Moses what His character is like. The Lord clearly articulated the principle of the kingdom of heaven when He gave the children of Israel His law upon Mount Sinai. That law is an enunciation of the principle of love.

The Bible says repeatedly that the person who has love in his heart will keep the ten commandments (1 John 5:2, 3; Romans 13). The giving of the ten commandments was a reiteration to the children of Israel and to all the peoples of this earth, of the law that governs the kingdom of the heavens. This law was ordained in the hand of a Mediator. It was spoken by Him who has the power to change the hearts of men to bring them into harmony with the divine principles.

God had revealed the purpose of giving this law to the children of Israel before He gave it to them on Mount Sinai (Exodus 22:31). The Lord said to Israel, “You are to be holy men to Me.” The Bible says that no one can see the Lord, and no one can have eternal life if they are not holy (Hebrews 12:14). Without holiness we can never see the Lord.

The trouble was, and still is, that Israel did not perceive the spiritual nature of the law. It was seen as a series of things to do or not to do. Notice what the apostle Paul says in Romans 7:14: “For we know that the law is spiritual.”

Too often Israel’s professed obedience was simply an observance of forms, rituals, or ceremonies and not the surrender of the heart to the sovereignty of love. When Jesus Christ came to this earth, He represented to men what God is like in His character, His work, and His teachings, His holiness, His benevolence, and His paternal attributes. At the same time, He presented to them the worthlessness of mere ceremonial obedience. But when He did these things, the Jewish leaders did not understand what He was talking about, thinking He dwelt too lightly upon the requirements of the law, when He actually was setting before them the foundational principles on which the law is based.

Since these rulers were only looking at the externals and not at the principles underlying them, Jesus was accused of trying to overthrow the law. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus revealed in unmistakable language that this was not at all His purpose. He says in Matthew 5:17, 18: “Do not think that I came to destroy the law or the prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.”

Notice that it is Jesus Christ, the Creator of mankind, who is speaking. The Bible says very clearly that He created the world and upholds everything by the word of His power. He gave the law on Mount Sinai. He declared that it was not His purpose to set aside any of the precepts of the law, not even the smallest part of a letter of the law. When we study science or nature, whether something under a microscope or something in the heavens through a telescope, we know that everything in the natural world is under a law. Upon obedience to these natural laws, the order and the harmony of the natural world depend.

In the same way that there are laws that govern nature, there are also great principles of righteousness that control the lives of all created beings. And upon conformity to these righteous principles, the well-being of the entire universe depends. Before this world was ever called into existence, God’s law existed. The angels of heaven were governed by it and for the inhabitants of the earth to be in harmony with heaven, man also must be obedient to the divine statutes.

Psalm 103:20 says that the angels obey God’s commandments. To man in Eden, Christ made known the precepts of the law. When Jesus came to earth, He made it clear that His mission was not to destroy the law, or even part of it. His purpose was, by His grace, to bring man back into obedience to the precepts of the law of God. The beloved apostle John, who listened as Jesus spoke these words on the Mount, writing many decades later under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, described this law as a perpetual obligation saying, “Sin is the transgression of the law.” 1 John 3:4, and that whoever commits sin transgresses also the law. He makes it very clear that this law is not some new commandment. This law existed from the beginning (1 John 2:7), at creation, and was later reiterated on Mount Sinai.

Study the book of Genesis, and you will find that the people of that time understood the ten commandments and knew that to violate those principles was wrong and worthy of death. They called the breaking of these principles sin. I encourage you to read through the book of Genesis and write down every time one of the principles of the ten commandments is mentioned.

So speaking of the law, Jesus said, “Do not think that I came to destroy the law or the prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.” Matthew 5:17. He uses the word fulfill in the same sense that He said to John the Baptist, “Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness [that is, fulfill the measure of the law’s requirement, to give an example of perfect conformity to the will of God].” Matthew 3:15

In the Old Testament we see the prophetic mission of the Messiah was to magnify the law, to make it honorable (Isaiah 42:21) and to show mankind its spiritual nature, to present its far-reaching principles and to make plain its eternal obligation. We see that Jesus does this in His sermon. He names the different commandments and shows that they extend not merely to outward observances, what you do or don’t do, but also to the heart and mind.

When we look at the character of Jesus, we see there a divine beauty, of whom the most noble, the most gentle among mankind are but a faint reflection. Concerning His character, the wise man Solomon wrote in prophecy concerning Him, that He is “chief among ten thousand. Yes, He is altogether lovely.” Song of Solomon 5:10, 16

When David saw Him in prophetic vision, he wrote, “You are fairer than the sons of men.” Psalm 45:2. Jesus is spoken of in the New Testament as the express image of the Father’s person, the brightness of His glory (Hebrews 1:3). And the self-denying Redeemer, throughout all of His pilgrimage of love on earth, was a living representation of the character of the law of God. To keep the law of God in its purpose and intent from the heart is to reveal the character of Jesus Christ. He said, “I have kept My Father’s commandments.” John 15:10. He also said, “I do always those things that please Him.” John 8:29

Jesus made manifest in this world what heaven-born love is like and how it reveals itself. Christlike principles underlie the principles of the ten commandments. He said, “[T]ill heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle [that is, part of a letter] will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.” Matthew 5:18. In His own life and character, He showed the unchangeable nature of God’s law. He proved that by His grace God’s law can be perfectly obeyed by every son and daughter of Adam. He said, “And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one tittle of the law to fail.” Luke 16:17

Jesus proved and taught that the law of God, the ten commandments, are unchangeable and will last forever. He did not teach that the law would be repealed or lose any of its authority, or that He had come to do away with it because the law of the Lord is perfect and it cannot be changed.

So long as heaven and earth continue, the holy principles of God’s law will remain.

It is impossible for sinful men, in themselves, to meet the standard of the law’s requirement. The apostle Paul said, “[T]he law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin.” Romans 7:14. That is why you and I need the gospel. That is why Jesus came as our Redeemer. It was His mission, not only to pay the price in His own body for our sins, but to make us partakers of His divine nature (2 Peter 1:3, 4). It was His mission to bring us back into harmony with the law that governs the entire universe.

When we forsake our sins, when we choose to quit breaking God’s law and come to Jesus, and we see and accept Him as our Saviour from sin, as the Lord of our life, then the law is not done away with, but exalted. He then gives to us the Holy Spirit and enables us, by His grace and power, to live a life that is in harmony with His law. The apostle Paul says in Romans 3:31, “Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law.” How is the law established? When a person repents of his sin and chooses to forsake it, he realizes that he needs to come into harmony with the law that governs the whole universe of God, and Jesus gives him the Holy Spirit, enabling him to keep that law (Romans 8). Hebrews 10:16 says, “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them.” But you must take care, because if you receive the Holy Spirit and do not obey God, then you are insulting the Holy Spirit.

Now it is true that the systems of types and ceremonies that pointed to Christ as the Lamb of God that would take away the sin of the world would pass away at His death, but the principles of righteousness embodied in the ten commandments are just as unchangeable as God’s throne. Not one command has ever been annulled. Not one precept has been changed. Those principles were made known to man in paradise as the great law of life and those principles will exist unchanged in paradise restored. When Eden again blooms on the earth, God’s law of love will be observed by all.

Think of this: the seventh commandment says, “You shall not commit adultery.” It is one of the most widely broken commandments all over the world today. But even before the ten commandments were ever given, the people in the time of Genesis knew that it was wrong to commit adultery.

Joseph was a slave manager in Potiphar’s house, and the Bible says, “It came to pass after these things that his master’s wife cast longing eyes on Joseph, and she said, ‘Lie with me.’ But he refused and said to his master’s wife, ‘Look, my master does not know what is with me in the house, and he has committed all that he has to my hand. There is no one greater in this house than I, nor has he kept back anything from me but you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?’ So it was, as she spoke to Joseph day by day, that he did not heed her, to lie with her or to be with her.” Genesis 39:7–10

As a result of his refusal to commit adultery, Joseph was thrown into prison. He would rather go to prison an innocent man than commit adultery. He said, “How can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?” Genesis 39:9

The Bible says that in heaven, God’s word is forever settled (Psalm 119:89). Nobody in heaven has any question about God’s law. Psalm 111:7, last part, 8, says, “All His precepts are sure. They stand fast forever and ever, and are done in truth and uprightness.”

Psalm 119:152 says, “Concerning Your testimonies, I have known of old that You have founded them forever.” If you really love God, you will keep His commandments. The apostle John says, “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.” 1 John 4:7, 8

How do you know that you really love God? First John 5:2, 3 says, “By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.”

The same problem existed in the days of the apostle John that we see in the Christian world today. People said that they loved God, but they hated their neighbor and they did not keep His commandments. John says in 1 John 3:7–11, “Little children, let no one deceive you [on this point]. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God. In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother. For this is the message that you heard from the beginning.”

Oh, friend, is the love of God truly in your heart today?

Pastor John J. Grosboll is Director of Steps to Life and pastors the Prairie Meadows Church in Wichita, Kansas. He may be contacted by email at: historic@stepstolife.org, or by telephone at: 316-788-5559.

Persecution and Character Development

Some people are persecuted because of their wrong-doing and others stir up resentment and opposition by their extreme or rigid ideas. But some people are persecuted because they have done what is right. Sounds strange, doesn’t it?

In Matthew 5:10, Jesus gives the last of the beatitudes in the Sermon on the Mount when He says, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” In the previous beatitudes, Jesus has been describing the development of Christian character, but in this last beatitude He instead describes what would develop in the world once a person becomes Christlike. And it is indeed a strange reception that is accorded them. You might think, when you first read the gospel story, that a person with the character described by Jesus, one that is gentle, who loves righteousness, and is merciful, pure in heart and is a peacemaker, would be welcomed everywhere by everyone. But Jesus said that it would be just the opposite.

He declared that if you climbed this ladder of spiritual growth, it would lead to opposition and persecution; that a genuine Christian character would stir up enmity and hatred on the part of those in the world who do not have these virtues. The Bible gives abundant evidence that such is the case.

The apostle Peter says, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world” (1 Peter 5:8, 9). So the development of a genuine Christian character would engender enmity, persecution, and hatred as Jesus predicted.

Character development produced by the experience of a person who has followed these first seven beatitudes arouses the enemy of all righteousness. He is especially incensed when those who climb this ladder reach the blessed realm of purity of heart, with a vision of God that qualifies them to become peacemakers to other alienated and troubled souls. This makes the prince of strife and confusion furiously angry with these ambassadors of peace, and he makes war upon them. His fiercest anger and his most relentless persecutions will be manifested against the remnant church just before Christ returns.

Revelation 12:12 says, “… rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time.” Then verse 17 says, “And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest [or the remnant] of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.”

The reason that genuine Christians are persecuted, as seen in 1 Peter 1:1, is because they are strangers and pilgrims in the earth. Paul, in describing the faithful people of God in past ages, said, “These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth” (Hebrews 11:13). Genuine Christians are not citizens of this world. They are living in a land which Satan, the great adversary, claims as his, as its prince and ruler. The devil is called in the Bible the god of this world (2 Corinthians 4:4 KJV). “For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning” (1 John 3:8).

Sin is the breaking of God’s law (1 John 3:4). As long as you live in sin, the devil will give you comparative rest because you are part of his kingdom. But when you choose to renounce the kingdom of Satan and follow Jesus Christ, obedient to the laws of heaven, the devil is very angry because he has lost you as one of his subjects. That results in his satanic wrath and persecution, and from that, no real Christian can escape. Jesus said, “In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). He also said in John 15:20, “ ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you.”

You have to remember that you must forsake all sin if you are going to be a peacemaker, because it is sin that disturbs our peace. When you decide to forsake your life of sin and follow Jesus Christ, and you receive the Holy Spirit, then you begin to live a new life. You have transferred your citizenship to heaven by choosing to follow Jesus Christ and acknowledging Him as your Lord and Saviour.

This persecution foretold by Jesus was not limited just to the disciples to whom He was speaking or to others at some other certain time. Paul says, “Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution” (2 Timothy 3:12). Just as Christ loves righteousness and hates lawlessness (Hebrews 1:9), Satan loves lawlessness and hates righteousness. And in this rebellious world we live in, vital holiness will provoke hatred and opposition because holiness is a disturbing element. The light of truth always exposes the darkness of error. It sweeps away the black mantel that covers the sins of the ungodly and it makes manifest the necessity of change, the need for reform. This revelation may be welcomed by some, but it is resented by those who want to cling to their sins.

To Nicodemus Jesus said, “He who believes in Him [that is, in Christ] is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed” (John 3:18–20). That is the very same problem the Christian has faced in all ages; the same problem that Jesus Himself faced. Those who are not willing to forsake their lawless deeds begin to war against the truth and its advocates and hatred against truth and godliness is manifested by persecuting those who are sanctified by the truth.

If it is true that all who live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution, why is there comparatively little persecution in Christendom in the western world at the present time? The book of Acts and the epistles of Paul tell us that in the time of the apostles, the church of God suffered great persecution. Some of the epistles of Paul were actually written from a Roman prison. After the time of the apostles in the second and third centuries, there was persecution of the Christians by the pagan Roman Empire that lasted for more than 200 years.

Again, during that long period of history known as the Dark Ages, persecution raised its ugly head and millions of Christians were martyred in many parts of the world. In the 16th century during the Reformation and again during the revivals in the time of John Wesley, there was persecution of the church. Persecution has appeared whenever there has been a revival of primitive godliness. And the reason that there is so little persecution in the modern church today is because vital godliness is lacking.

Notice what Jesus says to the church that would live in the last epochal period of Christian history: “ ‘I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit [spew] you out of My mouth. Because you say, “I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing”—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked—I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments [raiment], that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me’ ” (Revelation 3:15–20).

Do you understand what has happened? The church has compromised with the world and conformed to worldly standards so that there is very little vital godliness in the church. Christianity has become popular with the world and therefore awakens no opposition. A church that has lost its first love, that has become lukewarm in its affection for both God and man, could hardly be expected to arouse the hatred of the enemy. He is so very well satisfied with the present spiritual condition of the church because he knows that few of its members have climbed the beatitude ladder.

But when there is a development of primitive godliness, a revival of the faith and power of the apostolic church, there will be a revival of persecution. The enemy will become aroused as soon as the church begins to awaken from its slumbering condition. However, we must always remember that Jesus said, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake” (Matthew 5:10).

This persecution is not because of a person’s own wrong-doing or the natural consequence of their own course of conduct. There are many today who think themselves martyrs, and are anxious for persecution, and will follow a course that brings persecution upon themselves. They are not happy unless they are creating resentment and stirring up opposition; this is especially true of certain extremists and fanatics. Jesus is talking about the persecution that results from a person being personally righteous.

When Jesus was here on earth, He said that He was rejected and persecuted because He was not of the world, because He was different from the world. His godly life was a rebuke to sinners, and it made them angry. They hated and persecuted Him because He was righteous, and it exposed their unrighteousness. He was insulted, maligned, reproached, and finally murdered, not because they could find evil in Him, but because they could not. In fact, at His trial, Pontius Pilate said three times, “I find no fault in Him at all” (John 18:38).

Jesus says that His followers would receive the same treatment for the same reasons. Being like Christ they would be different from the world, and somehow, difference will always awaken opposition. The life of a genuine Christian, his very presence, is a reproof and rebuke to those who are selfish and proud. This makes them feel uncomfortable and arouses in them enmity and resentment. This last beatitude is the only one that Jesus enlarges upon. And He emphasizes its importance with this statement found in Matthew 5:11 and 12, literal translation: “Blessed are you when they revile you and persecute you, and say all manner of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets which were before you.” Jesus explains in these verses what He means by persecution for righteousness’ sake. He enumerates some of the forms in which the persecution would come and He emphasizes the greatness of the reward.

Sometimes when someone is persecuted, we tend to sympathize with them. We might be inclined to pity ourselves if we are being persecuted and ill-treated by others. But Jesus offers His congratulations to those who are persecuted. He declares that those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake should rejoice. This is true, because it is an evidence that they actually are the children of God, and thereby have become a menace to Satan and his kingdom.

So persecution is often evidence that a person is climbing the ladder of spiritual growth, traveling the highway of holiness that leads to the Holy City, the celestial city of God. Jesus assures us if we are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, that we have the kingdom of heaven and should rejoice. He also tells us that we can rejoice because of the company that we are in. All those who have gone before you—the prophets, the apostles and many other godly Christians—were persecuted and the brunt of Satan’s attacks.

All of the prophets were opposed and persecuted and many suffered martyrdom because they were holy men of God acting as His spokesmen (2 Peter 1:19–21). It is the fate of prophets and sages to be rejected because the world will not bear rebuke. When we study the life of the apostles, we find that all except one of the 11 apostles died for their faith and that one, John the Beloved, suffered banishment to the Isle of Patmos. Many millions of Christians were persecuted and martyred during the pagan Roman persecutions. And many millions more, during the Dark Ages. If you are persecuted, remember Jesus says that you are in the company of the best people that have ever lived. To join the company of the persecuted, therefore, is cause not for sorrow, but for rejoicing.

Another cause for rejoicing is that persecution is one of the best of all purifiers and character developers. When we study Christian history, we find many times that the church has always been in its purest and most godly state while passing through persecution, and at such times, had its greatest power. Why? Because godliness awakens opposition and Christian character develops faster and becomes more vigorous under the strain and opposition of being persecuted. Godliness always precedes persecution, and persecution then performs an important part of burning out the dross and perfecting Christian character. The two blend together. Persecution increases with the increase of godliness. If you want to be ready to meet Jesus Christ when He returns to this world, you must be willing to follow Him through evil report as well as good report.

Revelation describes those who are ready to meet Jesus when He comes. John was asked, “ ‘Who are these arrayed in white robes, and where did they come from?’ And I said to him, ‘Sir, you know.’ So he said to me, ‘These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb’ ” (Revelation 7:13, 14).

If you want to be ready to meet Jesus when He returns, you must be ready to go through, by His grace, the great tribulation. The Bible is very clear that before Jesus comes again, there will be a time of trouble in this world such as has never been since there was a nation. And we are rapidly approaching right now that time described in Daniel 12:1. Now is the time for us to prepare to go through the great tribulation and to be ready to meet the Lord when He returns.

Pastor John J. Grosboll is Director of Steps to Life and pastors the Prairie Meadows Church in Wichita, Kansas. He may be contacted by email at: historic@stepstolife.org, or by telephone at: 316-788-5559.

Blessed are the Peacemakers

We live in a world of troublemakers, fighters, and makers of war, glorified and given honor and praise by the nations of this world. But who is the real author of war and what is it that blocks the way to peace?

Looking at the seventh step on the spiritual ladder found in Matthew 5:9, Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.” Every step up this ladder raises a person to a loftier realm of spiritual blessedness. The highway of holiness is a pathway of continually increasing joy and peace. Proverbs 4:18 says, “But the path of the just is like the shining sun, that shines ever brighter unto the perfect day.” So here we see what happens to the person who first is poor in spirit, one who mourns, is gentle and meek like Christ, hungers and thirsts after righteousness, and is merciful and pure in heart. The person becomes a peacemaker.

The first six steps are blessings on character condition, however in the seventh step Jesus pronounces a blessing upon good works. This is a spiritual experience produced by the first six steps that qualifies the person for missionary work as peacemakers among their friends and neighbors.

How utterly contrary are these steps to the maxims and philosophies of the world in which we live. Since the fall of Adam and Eve and the entrance of sin into the world as recorded in Genesis 3, benedictions and blessings have been given to those who are good soldiers and fighters. In fact, human history is composed largely of biographies of warriors who are eulogized and praised and it has been this way for thousands of years. From a worldly point of view, the blessings and glory go to the peace breakers, the troublemakers, makers of strife and those who foment war.

The lovers and makers of peace are more often held in derision, considered weaklings and cowards. If they strive to promote peace, they are perceived as disloyal or treasonous to their country because the world is largely ruled, not by Christ, but by the antichrist. The principle intelligence that stands in the place of Christ as the prince of strife is the devil himself. The Bible calls him the god of this world and the author of war, and he is the world’s greatest troublemaker.

The devil has made war his chief occupation since his fall and constantly strives to stir up the nations of the world to war. And he has been very successful at it, since we have been in a war of one kind or another somewhere in the world almost constantly since World War II. Satan is the one who sowed the seeds of discord that broke up the peace and harmony that once existed in the universe. His very religion is termed by God as Babylon the great or great confusion. His children are all peace breakers and fomenters of strife. Why? Because there can be no peace where there is sin. The Bible is very clear about this. “ ‘There is no peace,’ says my God, ‘for the wicked’ ” (Isaiah 57:21; 48:22). Where sin (wickedness) is, peace cannot exist.

The characteristics of a sinner, a person who has not been converted by the gospel, have been recorded by the apostle Paul in Galatians 5. Paul says, “Now the works of the flesh are evident … .” and he then lists a long series of things, among them “… hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, murders, revelries, and the like …” (verses 19-21).

Sinners cannot truly be peacemakers. So long as there is sin, there will be strife and war, and it will be impossible to have peace. James says, “For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy” (James 3:16, 17). He goes on to say in chapter 4:1 and 2, that wars and unrest among us are the results of the sinful cravings (lusts) that are in our members.

But Jesus is called the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6). He is the great Mediator between those who have been alienated. First Timothy 2:5 calls Him the “… one Mediator between God and men.” He is the great peacemaker bringing reconciliation to those who have been at war with God and man.

Paul says in Ephesians 2:14, “He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation [partition] …” between us. Christ alone is the only one who can break down the barriers in the home, in society, among the nations. Where Jesus rules there is peace, whether it be in the kingdom of glory or in the kingdom of grace, in heaven above or in a human heart. And the Bible says the peace He will bring will become greater and greater.

Isaiah 9:6 and 7, first part, says, “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end.” This promise includes not only His rule over the nations, but also His rule in the individual heart. The preeminent qualification for a person to be a peacemaker is, first of all, to have peace himself in his own mind and heart. How can you help somebody else to have peace if you yourself have not experienced peace within? Jesus Christ was the supreme peacemaker because He possessed perfect peace. The Bible says, “… in Him is no sin” (1 John 3:5 KJV). And because He knew no sin, He was able to say, “… the ruler of this world [the devil] is coming, and has nothing in Me” (John 14:30). Because Jesus was in perfect harmony with God, He was also at peace with man. It was for this reason that He was able to love and bless His enemies. He was never fretful or irritated. Nothing ever disturbed His peace. This is what qualified Him to be the preeminent peacemaker, the Prince of Peace.

Jesus promised that if you are a peacemaker, you will be called children of God. The supreme essential to becoming a peacemaker is to become Christlike, so only a child of God can be a peacemaker. If we enthrone Jesus Christ in our hearts, we will have peace with God (Romans 5:1 KJV), and this peace cannot be fully explained.

The apostle Paul described it in this way: “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Jesus Christ” (Philippians 4:6, 7). He said that the internal peace you will possess cannot be explained by any human being. But with peace comes wisdom from above, as James described it, that is first pure and then peaceable (James 3:17).

James also says that if there is envying, strife, and dissension which come from pride and selfishness, then there is an evil work afoot and there will be no peace. Love, joy, and peace is the fruit of righteousness, and is of the Spirit and not of our own making. Never have we needed peace more in the history of this world than we need it today, but peace does not come by itself; it must be made. Something must be done in order to have peace. Someone once said, “It is hard enough to keep the peace, but it is still more difficult to bring peace where it is not.” But that is the very work of the children of God. “Blessed are the peacemakers.” They are to bring forth the peaceable fruit of righteousness. This is a very delicate task requiring divine tact, skill, and patience.

Human beings alone can never manufacture peace, because human peace plans do not change the heart, and it is from the heart of man where trouble begins. The Bible is very clear on this. The heart of the sinner is like a troubled sea when it cannot rest (Isaiah 57:20). So, a man-made peace between individuals is no more permanent than a peace between nations. When nations become angry, their peace treaties are no more binding than pieces of paper. It is only by the grace of Christ that we can create and perpetuate peace. When this is implanted in the heart, then the evil passions that produce strife and dissension are cast out.

Our peace is destroyed by disobedience, both by disobedience to human law and more especially by disobedience to divine law. If people could understand this, they would have a completely different view of the ten commandments. It is because we break God’s law that we do not have peace and we will never have peace as long as we continue to break it. The Bible says in Isaiah 48:18, “Oh, that you had heeded My commandments! Then your peace would have been like a river.”

Obedience brings peace, but disobedience to God’s law brings only strife, trouble, and dissension. Peace is destroyed by disobedience. It takes the experiences of the first six steps in the development of character to qualify us to become peacemakers and able to bring peace to others. When the peace of God comes into our own hearts, then we will no longer break the peace by being disobedient to God’s law. Instead, the fruit of the Spirit will become manifest in our life. Love, joy, peace, and longsuffering, the first four fruits of the Holy Spirit, are characteristic of a peacemaker and the peacemaker receives the highest of all privileges: to be called a child of God. They are so named because they have become like the Son of God, the ultimate peacemaker, in life and character. They likewise become children of peace and carry on the work of peacemaking that the Prince of Peace began.

The apostle Paul describes this Christian life in 2 Corinthians 5:17–20. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.” You must be reconciled to God before you can have peace within and before you can help anyone else find peace. Peacemaking was described in the beatitudes by Jesus as the price of becoming an heir. “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God.”

Concerning Jesus, the great peacemaker, His Father said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17). And the Father is also well pleased with those who through the new birth, become His children and act as did His only begotten Son, their Elder Brother. When we become peacemakers, we can then be called by Jesus the children of God. This places us in the kingdom of heaven and places the kingdom of heaven in us. It makes us, as the Bible says, “… meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light” (Colossians 1:12 KJV).

The blessedness of being a peacemaker has been described by a number of Christian writers. Ellen White expresses it so beautifully, “By the life we live through the grace of Christ, the character is formed. The original loveliness begins to be restored to the soul. The attributes of the character of Christ are imparted, and the image of the Divine begins to shine forth. The faces of men and women who walk and work with God express the peace of heaven. They are surrounded with the atmosphere of heaven. For these souls the kingdom of God has begun.” The Desire of Ages, 312.

“As through Jesus we enter into rest, heaven begins here. We respond to His invitation, ‘Come, learn of Me.’ … The more we know of God, the more intense will be our happiness. As we walk with Jesus in this life, we may be filled with His love, satisfied with His presence. All that human nature can bear, we may receive here.” Ibid., 331, 332.

This is nothing, however, to be compared with what will be given to the saints of God in the hereafter. We must break every connection with the prince of strife and the author of war and become connected with the Prince of Peace. We must truly be a child of God; not just by profession, but by our words and actions as well. If we are to be considered in heaven a child of God, we must take the seventh step: we must become peacemakers. Jesus said, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest to your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:28–30).

When you accept that yoke, then you will receive the blessing that comes to the peacemaker.

Pastor John J. Grosboll is Director of Steps to Life and pastors the Prairie Meadows Church in Wichita, Kansas. He may be contacted by email at: historic@stepstolife.org, or by telephone at: 316-788-5559.

Blessed Are the Pure

Probably anyone who has studied microbiology and hygiene understands the value of cleanliness to prevent sickness, but physical cleanliness is not the only kind of cleanliness. Spiritual cleanliness is even more important. Without it, no one can receive the gift of eternal life, but the question is, “How can an impure mind become pure?”

Jesus introduced the sixth step of the spiritual ladder that will lead a person into the kingdom of God in Matthew 5:8: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” Purity of heart and life is developed as a result of living the spiritual experience of the first five beatitudes. The person who first of all recognizes his spiritual poverty and mourns over his sinful condition until God makes him humble or meek, and who has thirsted for a righteousness that he cannot generate and becomes merciful will then be purified from pride, malice, deceit, and other heart-defiling sins. There is no other road to purity of heart than the beatitude road, and the steps need to be taken in that order. This beatitude, like the others, is not introducing something new. It actually is a restatement of a truth that is as old as the plan of salvation.

In Psalm 15, David asks the question Who is going to be saved? “Lord, who may abide in Your tabernacle? Who may dwell in Your holy hill” (verse 1)? He answers: “He who walks uprightly, and works righteousness, and speaks the truth in his heart” (verse 2). Upright walking, righteous working and truthful speaking from the heart are the outworking of a pure heart. The person who does these things will be saved.

After David had fallen into sin, he recognized that a divine miracle was needed in his life. Notice what he said in Psalm 51: “Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, and in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom” (verse 6). Thinking of all the awful things he had done and how he had sinned, David said in verse 5: “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me.” He understood that he had been conceived and born in sin and because of this understanding, he continues in verse 10, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” David was afraid that because of his grievous sins, he had committed the unpardonable sin against the Holy Spirit and that he was lost. He pleads, “Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me” (verse 11). I know that my heart is wicked, lustful and impure, but Lord, I want a different heart. I want You to recreate my heart. The Lord heard his prayer and gave him a new heart and a new spirit.

Receiving a new heart and spirit is so important that Jesus said that unless it happens, there is no chance for any of us being saved. Speaking to Nicodemus Jesus said, “ ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God’ ” (John 3:3). Notice, a birth represents a new creation, like a new being is coming into the world when a baby is born. And here Jesus is saying that if you haven’t been born again, you won’t be in the kingdom of God. Nicodemus responded in verse 4, “ ‘How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?’ ”

“Jesus answered, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God’ ” (verse 5). Unless you have been born, not just of water, but of the Holy Spirit, you cannot enter the kingdom of God. You see, our hearts are impure, wicked, and unholy. The only way we can have a pure heart is by God’s creative power; He makes us a new creature. The apostle Paul talked about this in 2 Corinthians 5:17 when he said, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”

If you and I are ever to have a pure heart, we must be a new creation. The Lord must create within us a clean heart, a new mind, and a new spirit. That is what being born again is all about. It is through the Holy Spirit that the heart is made pure. Many people are confused today about the work of the Holy Spirit. They think that the work of the Holy Spirit is the ability to do some kind of magic or miracles, or speaking in tongues, or doing some scientific wonder that unconverted people can’t explain. But the work of the Holy Spirit, as Jesus pointed out to Nicodemus, is to give you a new heart and a new spirit and to cause you to be born again. Unless that happens, Jesus said there’s no chance for you to be in the kingdom of heaven.

Only he who becomes a new creature in Christ Jesus can have a new heart, a new spirit, new thoughts, new feelings, new motives, all created by the Holy Spirit in that person’s mind. The wise man Solomon said in Proverbs 22:11, “He who loves purity of heart and has grace on his lips, the king will be his friend.” The heart is the emotional center of a person, the fountain of life. The character and conduct are determined by the spiritual condition of a person’s heart.

The Bible says in Proverbs 23:7, “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.” What a person is in his heart determines the kind of a character he will have. It is for this reason that the wise man counsels us to guard our hearts. Notice what it says in Proverbs 4:23: “Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.” Another version of the Scriptures translates it this way: “Keep your heart above all that thou guardest.” The heart is a fortress, a citadel that is to be guarded against the attacks of the enemy. The chambers of the heart should be most diligently and heavily guarded. Why? Because out of the fountain of the heart flows the stream of character and conduct. Our words and our actions are simply the result of what is in our hearts. Jesus said in Matthew 12:34, “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” All the evil in our world has its source in an evil heart. The evil nature of the human heart is a part of our inheritance from Adam and Eve, our first parents.

When the Lord spoke to Noah after the flood He said, “And the Lord smelled a soothing aroma. Then the Lord said in His heart, ‘I will never again curse the ground for man’s sake, although the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done’ ” (Genesis 8:21). Notice, the Lord said the imagination of a man is evil from his youth. How evil is our imagination? How evil is our heart? Jeremiah 17:9 says, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?” During His life on earth, Jesus made it very clear that the heart is the source of all evil. In Mark 7:21–23, Jesus said, “For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness [licentiousness], an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within and defile the man.”

That was the cause of the terrible wickedness that came on the world in Noah’s time, before the flood, and brought the judgment of a world-wide deluge. The Bible says in Genesis 6:5, “Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” And continuing in verse 11, “The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.”

Jesus stated very clearly that this same condition of wickedness would occur in the world before His second coming (Matthew 24). Prophecy explains, to a large extent, the cause of the present tidal wave of crime and iniquity, hatred and lawlessness that is sweeping over all the earth today. The source of it all is the corrupt and unregenerate hearts of mankind.

The patriarch Job asked, “Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? No one” (Job 14:4)! No human being can bring a clean heart out of an unclean heart. No one is able to cleanse the heart. The purpose of the gospel is to tell the world that there is one power in the universe that can give you a new heart and spirit and make you a new creation. Jesus is the great purifier and cleanser from sin and that is the genius of the Christian religion. The core of the Christian religion is that when you accept Jesus as Saviour and Lord of your life, the Holy Spirit will recreate your heart and your mind.

All forms of false religion tend toward corruption. Purity of heart does not find any prominent place in the teachings of Socrates or Aristotle, or other heathen philosophers. The wisest and the greatest of them were impure and they knew it. They were corrupt in their teachings and in their practice. But the gospel will produce purity and holiness, not just on the outside, but in the heart. It brings the heart and the life into conformity with the divine law which is the standard of righteousness.

During His life on this earth, Jesus Christ was the very incarnation of purity. He said in John 8:46, “Which of you convicts Me of sin?” They had no response. The Bible says that if we accept Him and hope to meet Him, we will be made pure as He is pure (1 John 3:3).

Only the pure in heart will see God. This purifying process cleanses our motives. When right principles are enthroned in the heart, then we will do what is right because it is right. The pure in heart aren’t controlled by sinful nature, only doing right because of policy or expediency, or to escape punishment, or for hope of reward.

Here is a question that many Christians should ask themselves, and many likely would be shocked by what they discover. Why do I obey God’s law? Is my obedience for the purpose of avoiding punishment, or because of an inborn love of what is good and right? This beatitude says that the pure in heart will see God. If my heart is full of sin, then my vision is beclouded and I cannot see or understand God. The disease of sin produces spiritual blindness and the Bible talks about that in many places (see 2 Peter 1; Revelation 3:17). Sadly, this spiritual blindness leaves you ignorant of your true spiritual condition.

Spiritual blindness is the reason that the majority of the Jews failed to recognize Jesus. Their spiritual blindness prevented them from seeing anything in Him that would lead them to desire Him and this is true with the mass of mankind today. It explains the reason why there are so many modern thinkers or philosophers who see Jesus only as a man. Oh, they may believe He was a very good man, but still only a man. To them, the beauty of His matchless character is no evidence that He is the Son of God. To them, Jesus is just the same as they are. You see, sin dims our vision of God. But when we have a vision of God, sin is revealed and we are given a vision of ourselves and our condition. The Bible says that without holiness, no one will see the Lord (Hebrews 12:14). When Job saw the Lord, He said, “I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes” (Job 42:6). A vision of the Lord’s glory had the very same effect upon other Bible writers: Isaiah (Isaiah 6), Daniel (Daniel 10), Peter (Luke 6), Paul (Acts 26) and the apostle John (Revelation 1).

We can never know the blackness of our sin until we see the purity of the character of Christ. And once we really see that, the contrast awakens us to the realization that we need a complete change in character. We will say with Isaiah, “Lord, I’m all undone.” In response, the Lord says, “I will purge your iniquity and give you a new heart and a new mind.”

Jacob was a crooked dealer, a cunning trickster, a person that you would not want to do any kind of business with. His very name meant deceiver or supplanter, and he lived up to that name. But his character was completely changed one night when he wrestled with the Lord Himself (Genesis 32). He was a spiritually bankrupt man, but he was changed into a prince of God. What was the secret of the wonderful transformation that he experienced?

The apostle Paul had that same experience. It was the vision of the crucified One on the road to Damascus that transformed him into a different person and changed the whole course of his life. From that day forward, he sought only to behold Jesus and to be changed into His image.

Paul tells us that by beholding we will become changed (2 Corinthians 3:18). Jacob said, “I have seen God face to face …” (Genesis 32:30). This is the secret of the wonderful transformation that must be accomplished in our lives.

Have you beheld the purity of Christ? The spiritual vision of God must eventually involve seeing Him face to face. We must see Him now with the eye of faith and then we will see Him in the kingdom of glory, because He has promised to His people, “Your eyes will see the King in His beauty” (Isaiah 33:17).

But when Jesus comes, only those who are pure in heart and have seen the beauty of His character in the present life will see Him face to face. They have seen God with the eye of faith in this life and they will be blessed with a vision of His immaculate loveliness when He returns and they will have fellowship with Him in the future immortal life. Everyone else will be calling for the rocks and mountains to fall on them (Revelation 6:16) so that they will not have to see Him. They will be destroyed by the brightness and glory of His person.

Friend, are you reading your Bible and studying to understand not just the words, but to see the character of Jesus Christ? How else will you know His character? You must become like Him if you are going to be with Him. The apostle Paul says, “Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known” (1 Corinthians 13:12, last part). He says, “Now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face” (verse 12, first part, KJV). Those who are pure in heart, in whom the Holy Spirit has created a new heart and a new spirit, only these will see Him face to face.

Pastor John J. Grosboll is Director of Steps to Life and pastors the Prairie Meadows Church in Wichita, Kansas. He may be contacted by email at: historic@stepstolife.org, or by telephone at: 316-788-5559.

Sermon on the Mount – Have Mercy

Matthew 5:7, gives us the fifth step in the ladder of spiritual progress leading a person to the kingdom of heaven. Jesus said, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.” Another translation reads, “Blessed are the compassionate, for they shall receive compassion.” Of all the beatitudes, this is one that causes us to search our hearts. How many times have I made cutting criticisms of someone? How many times have I passed prejudiced judgments before I had all the facts? How many times have I said or done something that has resulted in wounding somebody else? When we think about it, the prayer of the tax collector seems very appropriate. He said, “O God, be merciful to me a sinner” (Luke 18:13, last part)! But the Bible makes it abundantly clear that there is a certain kind of person who will not be allowed any mercy in the day of judgment.

Without the experience of the first four steps it will be impossible for a person to experience the fifth step, because no person can really be compassionate in his dealings with others until he has first recognized his own spiritual destitution, mourned over his sins, become meek and humble in heart causing him to hunger and thirst for a righteousness outside of himself, which he cannot generate. Only when a person has experienced these things is he able to be compassionate or merciful to others who may be stumbling and making mistakes like himself.

Those who are spiritually blind do not understand their condition or need and they tend to become more unmerciful to those with whom they are dealing. The Pharisees in Jesus’ time were destitute of mercy and sympathy because they were proud in spirit. Remember, the beatitudes begin with the declaration, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3).

Having themselves never been humbled by a recognition of their own spiritual poverty, the Pharisees looked with contempt and disdain upon the weaknesses of others. Since they believed that they were perfect (Luke 18), they were harsh and even cruel in dealing with the imperfections of others. This spirit is sure evidence of what the Bible calls a carnal or fleshly mind, an unregenerate heart.

This spirit is characteristic of people who have not been born again for the spirit of Phariseeism is not something foreign to us, but is the natural spirit of human nature. In fact, this same spirit controls everyone who has not been made a new creature and a partaker of the divine nature (2 Peter 1:3, 4). However, there are given to us promises, “… exceedingly great and precious promises” (verse 4) so that we might be partakers of the divine nature.

If we are unconverted, if we have the spirit of the Pharisees, then we will use human standards to judge all who fail to come up to the standard that we have made. This spirit creates an atmosphere of selfish and narrow criticism and causes men to become self-centered judges and petty spies. Their own ideas and attainments are made the standard of morality by which they judge and condemn their fellow men who are not coming up to the standard that they have set.

If we are unmerciful, then we cannot obtain mercy ourselves. Jesus said, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.” In this beatitude, there is restated by Jesus, not something new, but an old truth, an eternal and unchanging law. It is everywhere and always operative in nature and in human society. It has been called the self-acting law of retribution or, in simple language, “we get what we give.” What we give to others eventually comes back in full measure to us. Jesus stated this truth to Peter on the night of His betrayal. Notice in Matthew 26:52: “But Jesus said to him, ‘Put your sword in its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword.’ ” If you deal the sword to others, you will receive the sword from others.

How accurately this has been fulfilled in the history of mankind. The great kingdoms of the past have perished by the very weapons they used against others. Those who showed no mercy, received no mercy. Proverbs 18:24 says, “A man who has friends must himself be friendly, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.”

If I am friendly to others, I will have friends in return. But if I give out enmity to others, I will receive enmity in return. Friendship bestowed upon others brings a reward in friendship. But if I deal out captivity, the sword, death to others, the same will return to me. It’s restated again, many times in the Bible. Revelation 13:10 says, “He who leads into captivity shall go into captivity; he who kills with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.”

Proverbs 11:25, literal translation, says, “The liberal soul [one who has a giving spirit] shall be made fat: and he that waters shall also be watered himself.” As Jesus said, even if you only give a cup of cold water to someone, you are not going to lose a reward. What you give to someone else will eventually come back to you.

A stingy person will eventually receive back in the same measure that they give. Jesus said, “Give, and it will be given unto you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you” (Luke 6:38).

This is a natural, a self-operating law even in this life. And it is the law by which God will measure the reward that will be given to His servants. “And, behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work” (Revelation 22:12).

Jesus said that you will be rewarded for what you work out here, whether good or bad (Matthew 16). The apostle Paul stated the same thing in 2 Corinthians 5:10. Jesus further developed this principle in Matthew 7:12, calling it the golden rule. It is the greatest of all codes of ethics and the basic principle of all true courtesy and genuine culture. Jesus said, “Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.” If we are merciful to others, we will receive mercy. If we retaliate, we will receive retaliation. If we are unjust with others, we will receive injustice ourselves. If we impart evil to others, that evil will return to us again.

Jesus also stated the golden rule in the negative when He said, “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the same measure you use, it will be measured back to you” (Matthew 7:1, 2).

To be merciful is to show a person compassion, forgiveness, and forbearance. The merciful person does not nurse grudges nor does he brood over wrongs or show a revengeful spirit. He does not go about with a microscope hunting to find the mistake or the flaw in someone else’s character when he knows he has flaws in his own character. If we render judgment before evidence, then we can be sure that we will receive the same kind of judgment in return. In fact, prejudice is simply an abbreviated form for pre-judgment. Pre-judgment is the result of prejudice. This instruction regarding judgment is more evident in the principles of the fifth beatitude when we read Luke 6:36, 37, “Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful. Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.”

Mercy includes having a spirit of forgiveness. In fact, this is so important that Jesus said, “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” (Matthew 6:14, 15).

To receive mercy and forgiveness from God, I must have the same spirit toward those who have injured me. This law of reciprocity is stated in different ways in several places in the Bible. Paul says, “Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things. But we know that the judgment of God is according to truth against those who practice such things. And do you think this, O man, you who judge those practicing such things, and doing the same, that you will escape the judgment of God” (Romans 2:1–3)?

Jesus illustrated this in a very striking parable that is hard for many people to read and accept. He said, “Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that ‘by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.’ And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector. Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:15–20).

Jesus gave His disciples explicit instructions about how they were to deal with someone who was sinning against them. They were to go directly to the person who had sinned against them and talk to them about it in an effort to resolve the matter. If the matter could not be resolved, then they were to take two or three others and talk to this person about the matter that was disturbing the whole church. If they would not listen to them, then the third step was to “tell it to the church.” The church then needs to labor with the brother or sister, but if they will not listen to the church at large and persist in living a sinful life, then let them live outside the church. As Peter was listening to this, he thought, if my brother sins against me, how many times should I forgive him?

In Jesus’ day the Jewish leaders had rules about how many times you needed to forgive someone. Some thought that three times was plenty. Peter thought that he would be very liberal and very forgiving in spirit. The Bible says, “Then Peter came to Him and said, ‘Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times’ ”  (verse 21)? Surely, if my brother hasn’t ceased to sin against me after forgiving him seven times, then I shouldn’t have to forgive him anymore, should I?

In response to that request, “Jesus said, ‘I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven. Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. And when he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents’ ” (verses 22–24).

This person did not have enough money to pay his debt. The Bible says, “But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold [into slavery] with his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be made. The servant therefore fell down before him, saying, ‘Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all’ ” (verses 25, 26). Now actually, he never would be able to pay that big a debt and the master knew it.

And so it says, “Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt. But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii [that is, just a few dollars]; and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, ‘Pay me what you owe!’ So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you all.’ And he would not, but went and threw him into prison” (verses 27–30).

So this man was thrown into debtor’s prison until he should pay the debt. “So when his fellow servants saw what had been done, they were very grieved, and came and told their master all that had been done. Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?’ And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him. So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses” (verses 31–35).

You see, if we do not forgive, then we cannot be forgiven. We must realize just how much we have been forgiven. As a result of my sins, Jesus Christ went to the cross of Calvary. That was the price that had to be paid to cancel our debt of sin; it is a price that we cannot pay. The only way that we could pay this debt is if we were to die eternally and never wake up. But to make it possible for us to enter the gates of paradise and not have to die eternally, Jesus Christ went to the cross of Calvary, to pay the price in our behalf and forgive our debt.

And, after having done that, if we do not forgive and exercise mercy toward our fellow servant, then Jesus said, our heavenly Father will not have mercy upon us, either. The Bible is very clear that the Lord is very merciful, even to His enemies because He delights in mercy (Micah 7:18). James 5:11 says, that the Lord is very pitiful and of tender mercy.

O friend, if you and I want to be forgiven, we must become merciful people ourselves, because the Bible says in James 2:13, that “judgment will be without mercy upon him who has shown no mercy.”

Pastor John J. Grosboll is Director of Steps to Life and pastors the Prairie Meadows Church in Wichita, Kansas. He may be contacted by email at: historic@stepstolife.org, or by telephone at: 316-788-5559.