Do you know that God has enemies – many enemies? You don’t have to focus on a few evil men in a place far away; just look all around you.
Mention ‘Jesus Christ’ at work, in school, in homes of your relatives; even in your own home you and your wife claim as ‘the Lords.’ See what happens. You do not need the imagery of Syria, Iraq, Iran, Washington D.C. or any other men in any other place to know that God and Christ Jesus have many enemies in the world – far and near – who would do evil and not good.
In fact, look deeply into the mirror of your heart and know that you are deceived into thinking you are better than others; you think that because you are not as evil as these men… as these others, that therefore, you are good. But you are not. I am not.
Jeremiah 17:9 ESV The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?
You do not have to be the Messiah of God to know this. Men are evil and not good.
Much of our traditional preaching has made a bigger deal that the young man with the big question for Jesus is rich – as are almost all Americans and many others. However, note that prior to answering the man’s question, Jesus goes to the man’s motivation for coming to kneel before Him (in worship) and asking Him our burning question about eternal life. (How can I have eternal life?)
Mark 10:18 So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God.
You know it is true. The man had to choose sacrifice before redemption. Yet he would not sacrifice his riches, as many a poor man will not sacrifice his pride.
We often will not even bow down to Jesus (as did this rich young ruler), let alone obey His teachings.
You know the Commandments, Jesus said. Yes we do (as well); yet God knows our deceitful hearts.
Forget your “morality” for others. Forget your “morality” for any other. Do you believe in God? Do you believe in a Biblical standard of good and evil? You need look no further than your own heart. I need look no further than mine. And Jesus asks us, “Why do you call me good?”
A mere man – a mortal man – looks at some small act or a few fine things you have done because you know that it is what Jesus would have you do as witness. And they say, “You are a good man.” (Or you are a good woman.”) You beam in the compliment, say nothing, think that you have witnessed for Christ; but you are deceived in your heart. I have done it.
Yet we should have reacted not out of our pride, but as Paul often taught in the humility of Christ Jesus; for he confesses publicly in his letter to the Romans:
Romans 7:18-19 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out.
The church – all the saints of Christ Jesus – sinners! Yet redeemed sinners, only in Christ Jesus our Lord.
I am a sinner. You are a sinner. Yet in addition to redemption in Christ, we have one thing more:
By the Holy Spirit of God we desire what is good. By the Holy Spirit of God we hate all that is evil, especially that which is evil within us.
“Go into all the world and preach the Gospel.” Yet first, preach the Gospel to your own heart.
IF (for a moment) you have turned off the media and message of the world and tuned in to the headlines of the Holy Spirit through scripture and the Good News for your own heart, then you will truly see that ALL are sinners just like you and me – sinners in need of Christ Jesus.
Paul writes to the Christians at Rome (not to the evil and wicked men and wicked men of the worldly culture that surrounded them; for these flesh-loving Romans were no more wicked than you and I would easily be lured by the social media of their day):
Ephesians 5:
8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light 9 (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), 10 finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. 11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.
15 See then that you walk circumspectly…
It means to look around you as you walk as an obedient follower of Christ Jesus in this evil world. Use your peripheral vision, so to speak, as you walk on the narrow path to pass through the narrow gate of eternity. Walk perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect; walk diligently in your resolve to do what is right in the Lord.
not as fools, but as wise…
Oh, how many christian fools we have seen! and how oft have we been the christian fool!
Yet do not do it. Be wise as serpents, innocent as doves.
I do not want to be a fool. Do you? I do not want do be a fool especially when I know that others witness my walk in this world as a bold witness of Christ (when the Lord fills me with His boldness). I do not want to have them say of me, or of my Christian wife, or of my Christian children, “See, that Christian is just like everybody else.” See how he sins just like me. What difference does Jesus Christ make?”
Therefore, be wise, dearly beloved brother – dearly beloved sister in the Lord.
16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
How do I redeem my time?
How Christians have sadly forgotten that Jesus is our Redeemer, because our hearts have hidden from us the truth of our continued sinfulness. We do claim that slavery is a thing of the past, when slavery lives lavishly in the wickedness of these last days. We have repressed the thought that we must pay for the very slavery of our sinful flesh (if we do not accept Jesus as our Lord and Master, our Redeemer and our King.
Yes, we must bow down to a King! And how we relish our freedom, though we are chained by the flesh to our sins.
Pray deeply on the meaning of the word of scripture translated here as ‘redeeming.’
exagorazō – to redeem – by payment of a price to recover from the power of another, to ransom, buy off
So many souls kidnapped by Satan! even ‘christian’ souls.
Will you forfeit Christ’s ransom by your turning from the narrow path to eternal life? Would you have the Lord declare in tears of you, “I never knew you?”
O, sinful redeemed one, look circumspectly about you at a world which would lure each and every Christian from Light of Salvation and the wisdom that begins with the Lord.
How do you redeem the time – your remaining days of this mortal life? (For each day and each soul is precious in the eyes of our loving Lord.)
This, too, is in the definition:
… make wise and sacred use of every opportunity for doing good, so that zeal and well doing are as it were the purchase money by which we make the time our own.
Tune back in; see so many lost souls (in your circumspect, peripheral vision) and you will readily see that the days are evil. The days, especially these last days, are very evil; for men are evil and not good. Only God is good, however these days in which we witness for Christ Jesus are indeed evil.
These days are evil – ponēros – full of labours, annoyances, hardships; bringing toils, annoyances, perils; of a time full of peril to Christian faith and steadfastness; causing pain and trouble. The root word for this evil you may not know, but you will recognize its condition: ponos –
- great trouble, intense desire
- pain
The persecution of Christians and the diminishing of Christ in places once held for Christ has begun and increases.
Jesus Christ is enemy of the world, yet friend of sinners – sinners like you, sinners like some yet to be won from false gods, false prophets, false spirits, false teachings, false hatred and deceitful love of the things of this world and not the love of God the Father. And I might add, lest the deceitfulness of our hearts hold up our witness for Christ as false: sinners like me.
All are redeemed in the blood of Christ Jesus, not the blood of those opposed to God. (God will can fend for His own righteousness.)
God will judge on the last day. God will not reward your flesh with the fruit of the flesh, but your soul for the fruit of your righteousness in the blood of Jesus Christ. The blood of Christ is the only redemption sufficient for this sinful soul.
See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, 16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
- Do you seek to know what the will of the Lord is in your life?
- Do you look for the Lord’s will in your Bible?
- Do you seek Him in prayer?
The Lord’s will is that you would give up your love for the things of this world. Lay down all your earthly cares and belongings before your King.
For Christ, by His redeeming love for the world, did sacrifice His very flesh and did suffer greatly the price of your punishment for sin – the punishment deserved by me and by you. He has born our sins and paid the full price: redemption for our mortal time, yet resurrection for our now immortal souls.
In Christ Jesus we have faith and hope and love, but the greatest of these is love; therefore redeem your measured days in His love, because the days are evil.
May our Lord, Jesus Christ, hold you near and guide your path in the Light of His righteousness.
Please pray for me, for my wife and for our children.
Amen.
Psalm 42
7 Truly no man can ransom another,