11-16-2024      Puddle, pond, lake, ocean

 

How deep is our faith in Jesus?

In 1054, Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox churches split and the protestant reformation began in 1517.  According to the National Congregational Study Survey, in the U.S. alone, there are more than 200 Christian denominations.  All declaring allegiance to Jesus Christ, our Lord.  These splits all came from ‘theological differences.  Everybody didn’t believe exactly the same.  Many claiming that if one didn’t believe exactly as they declared, that soul was not saved.  We are one body and that body has many parts (1 Corinth. 12:14-27).

So!

What did Paul tell the Romans?  When we confess with our mouth the Lord Jesus and believe with our heart that God has raised Him from the dead, we shall be saved (Rom. 10:9). Then he clarified that those stronger in the Lord should bear the infirmities of the weak (Rom.15:1).  Our job is not to tear down but edify the church, the body of Christ (Eph. 4:11-12).  We all may not sit as one of the 5-fold offices, but we all do have a part in the 5-fold ‘ministry’.  Everything that we do stems from the 5-fold ministry – Evangelist, Apostle, Pastor, Teacher and yes, even the Prophet.  We are God’s tabernacle!  In his eyes, the devil has done well in dividing the body of Christ.

Note that Romans 10:9 says ‘shall’, not ‘are’.  Paul cautions the Romans that “it is impossible for those who once enlightened, have tastes heavenly gifts or are partakers of the Holy Ghost (associated with, partnered with, allowed into our lives) and tasted the good Word of God and the powers of the world to come, that they should fall away, then renew repentance seeing that they (then) crucify the lord Jesus again putting Him to shame” (Heb. 6:4-6).  What this passage tells is that when we truly love the Lord, with all our heart, mind, soul and strength, we will not turn from Him. 

However, there is a flip-side to this coin.  Should we turn away from Jesus, after we have confessed and were baptized, our original confession is in jeopardy because it implies that we may truly have not given our hearts to Jesus.  Note the commitment to depth of faith in this passage, it is secured in ‘as we believe’.  If we profess Jesus, then turn back to the old ways, how sincere was our original commitment?

(1) Just knowing about Jesus (being enlightened) is not a guarantee for our salvation.  Satan and his devils believe and know that God exists (James 2:19).  In fact, the first two chapters of “Job”, God issues a challenge to Satan concerning Job (Job 1:6-12, Job 2:1-6).  Satan believes, what about us?  Ananias and his wife Sapphira showed their true hearts when they lied to the Holy Spirit by holding back part of what they promised (God-Acts 5:1-11).  Man can believe in and be baptized in Jesus but that is just the beginning.  Jesus tells us that if we love Him, we will keep His commandments (John 14:15).  His commandment is to LOVE (Matt. 22:36-38) and as we love Him, we will do so with all our heart, mind, soul and strength (Mark 12:30).  That means with everything that we are!  That lack of true commitment was displayed when many of the people decided to no longer follow Jesus because they felt His teachings were too hard (John 6:59-66).

Paul tells the Corinthians that even though only one crosses the finish line first, all run the race expecting to win.  A man strives to master all things he encounters (resist the devil’s attacks) to receive an incorruptible crown.  Know what our goal is and don’t be like a boxer who shadow boxes, punching the air,  but bring our bodies under subjection (of our heart) so we will not have not run the race in vain (1 Corinth. 9:24-27).

Have we confessed Jesus, been baptized in water then come to a screeching halt in our relationship?  Have we become content with where we are at?  Are we still living in the puddle?

(2) Even though we have received blessings from Father, that does not guarantee our eternal life.  Later in life, I realized how Father has been watching over me.  Blessing me even when I didn’t acknowledge Him.  My dad worked for the department of Interior and would occasionally go to audit various national parks.  When I was going into the third grade (@ 7 years old), that summer, he brought the family to come be with him in Boulder City, Nevada.  There was a rock formation protruding into Lake Mead called Black Rock which, as a family, we walked up the path.  Dad had gone a little farther ahead and I was with mom and my sister when I decided to go catch up with my dad.  But as I went up the path I found a split in the path so I stretched my seven year old legs across the gap to the other side.  U oh!  I spanned the gap but I could neither pull myself forward nor could I back up.  I don’t know how high we were up on Black Rock, I just knew I was higher than I cared for being in my predicament.  Mom yelled for dad and honestly, the last thing I remember is seeing my dad running back to get me.  I know I didn’t fall because I’m here writing about this today.  Thinking back, that was a huge blessing for me – I’m still here (Psalm 121:5-8)!  Father knew me and He was watching over me.

Father will bless us to get our attention, even when we don’t acknowledge Him (personal life experiences), yet He does tell us that as we obey Him, blessings will come our way (Deut. 28:11-14).  Jesus tells us those who hear the Word of God and do it shall be blessed (Luke 11:28).  As we keep God’s law and keep His commandments Father will bless us with long life and peace (Prov. 3:1-2) and more.

Father keeps bringing Job to mind.  A man who endured much hardship without denying God and though he lost all that he had, in the end, Father blessed Him many times over because of his dedication and obedience (Job 42:10-17).  Father can and does bless us for our obedience.

But bear in mind, Father does bless us according to His will but those blessings don’t bring us a guarantee salvation nor are they a guaranteed product of professions of faith, but Father uses them as encouragement for our continuing obedience to our Lord Jesus!  Blessings are great but How long will we stay wading in the pond?

(3) Even if we’ve memorized passages from (or even) the whole bible, it is not a guarantee for a blessed life ‘ever after’. 

Isaac was the son of Abraham, and Abraham was considered the ‘founding’ patriarch of Judaism and Christianity sprang from Judaism.  In the natural, Jesus was born into this world a ‘Jew’ via his mother Mary.  He was obedient to His Father (God).  As we confess and accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we become His brothers, therefore we fall into that Spiritual lineage in our rebirth into the New Covenant (in Jesus).  In his old age, Isaac’s eyesight dimmed which enabled Jacob (his son) to trick him into receiving the blessing of the eldest son (Gen. 27:15-30).  In short, we age and often natural, physical attributes slow down or fail.  We may assume that it is by Father’s design, for whatever His reason, our life flows as it does.

In our youth (in church) we are encouraged to read and memorize bible verses and this continues into our adulthood.   This is good!  The more Word we have in our heart and mind, the better for us.  Paul encourages us, in his letter to the Romans, to present our bodies a living sacrifice to the Lord by renewing our minds as an expression of our faithfulness (Rom. 1:1-2).  Father also tells us to receive His Words, know His commandments, desire understanding and seek knowledge with all our heart, so we will come to understand who God is and we will gain His wisdom (Prov. 2:1-5).  Father has given us the written Word for our learning that through our patience in so doing, we find comfort and our hope is reinforced (Rom. 15:4)

A parrot can resound the words which we teach it.  The bird knows the words, but he has no understanding of what they mean, it is just imitating sounds.  We go to school to, among other things, learn words and basically, their meaning so we can properly use them in life. 

Most biblical speakers cite ‘book, chapter and verse’ but how many actually help us understand what God is truly saying?  Knowing the words and being able to use them correctly in a sentence is good, but if someone asks us “what do you mean?’, do we just give them a blank stare?  Or are we able to help them get a deeper understanding of what is being said?  Do we have that deeper meaning of what Father is saying in our heart?

It is great to have read the whole bible (Genesis to Revelation) once, twice ten times or more.  What I am asking is ‘what are we retaining’?  For myself, I have learned that reading a verse, a passage, a chapter, a book, etc. I learn.  PTL!  But I have found that each time I’ve read that verse, passage, chapter or book, Father takes me to a deeper understanding of what that portion of the bible which  I’ve read means.  He shows me something more, something deeper than what I have seen in all the times before.  AND, even though I made no deliberate attempt to memorize many of these passages, I find Father brings them back to my memory when needed!  The Holy Ghost will give us what to say (Mark 13:11).

We’ve grown in knowledge and, at least, a basic understanding but are we still just neck deep in the lake of our understanding?

(4) Even as we have learned about future heavenly existence, it is not an indication that we are signed, sealed or delivered.  Understand that ‘delivered’ implies that we would then be in the literal presence of Father.

No one knows when the lord is coming back (Matt.24:44).  For this reason, we should always be ready and watching (Matt. 25:13).  However, Jesus does give us some things that might give us a hint.  False prophets, wars and rumors of wars, nations, kingdoms and even families divided, disease, famines, earthquakes in unusual places, and Jesus says the end is not yet (Matt. 24:4-8).  Look at history, these things have been happening ever since Jesus ascended (Acts 1:9), even since the beginning of the world (2 Peter 3:4).  How many people have tried to predict when the tribulation period will be (it signals Jesus’ return) - ?  Even today, how many of us look at the world situation and say “the end times are near?  Even before, but certainly since Jesus’s time, there have been false prophets, wars, famines, etc. and still we are waiting.  When Jerusalem is surrounded by the armies (Luke 21:20-28) the Lord will come with the shout of the archangel and the trump of God (1 Thess. 416-18),

In the meantime, are we yet totally immersed in Jesus’ ocean of love?  totally committed in living for Him?

Getting our feet wet is just the beginning.  Waist deep, we are learning.  Neck deep shows our commitment.  Totally immersed?  Knowing and living in God’s Word and sharing it with those whom we encounter, is this total immersion?  Absolutely land completely Are we totally immersed – in God’s eyes? 

Enoch pleased God, so God took him form the earthly realm (Gen. 5:21-24).  Neither did Elijah see an earthly death (2 Kings2:11-12).  The testimony of both men is that they pleased God, yet God took Enoch but Elijah had to wait until his mission was complete.  Have we actually given our complete heart, soul, mind and strength (Mark 12:30) over to the Lord?

When we willfully sin and turn our backs on Jesus, the odds of our repentance becomes less and less a possibility.  The farther we stray, the harder it will be to come back.  For when we turn from Father, we put Jesus to shame because we have called Him a liar – He didn’t really save us!

Jesus says “Abide in Me (John 15:4).  As we grow in Christ Jesus, we venture farther and farther out into the water.  Endeavoring to become totally immersed in His love.

Peter walked on the water (Matt. 14:22-33), but Father promised Isaiah to be with him through the waters and fire and he would not be harmed (Isaiah 43:2-3a).  This promise is also ours.

So, just how deep is our water?  Do we get our feet damp by walking in a puddle?  How about waist deep in the pond as we grow?  Is the knowledge of God up to our neck in the waters of the lake?  Or are we totally immersed as walking into and being overcome by the ocean of Father’s love? 

Father brings to my mind the song “Rush” by the group Voux.  I first heard this song at church and I was so-so with it.  Later, I looked up the lyrics and then I understood.

Amen

attach Rush