Tag: sinful desires

30.i. “To make you understand what is to happen to your people in the latter days”

 

2 Timothy 3:1 But understand this: In the last days terrible times will come. For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, without love of good, traitorous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. Turn away from such as these!

 Daniel 10:14    and came to make you understand what is to happen to your people in the latter days. For the vision is for days yet to come.”

 2 Peter 3:3    knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires.

 Philippians 2:21   For they all seek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ.

 Romans 1:29   They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips,

 Proverbs 6:17   haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,

 1 Timothy 6:4    he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions,

 Jude 1:19   It is these who cause divisions, worldly people, devoid of the Spirit.

“We should note what the hardness or danger of this time is in Paul’s view to be, not war, not famine or diseases, nor any of the other calamities or ills that befall the body, but the wicked and depraved ways of men.” (Calvin) We should be able to discern when the last days are; or at least when world conditions are like the Bible described they would be in the last days.  Apart from the second Advent of our Lord, the world is more likely to sink into a pandemonium than to rise into a millennium.” (Spurgeon) Jesus rebuked the religious leaders of His day because they did not or would not understand the meaning of their times: Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times (Matthew 16:3). It is possible that Jesus would have the same rebuke for some Christians today who are unaware of the last days and the soon return of Jesus Christ. (Guzik) People are told to love themselves unconditionally and that such self-love is the foundation for a healthy human personality. We don’t need to be encouraged to love ourselves; we naturally have such a love. Neither should we be taught to hate ourselves.  This love of self is the foundation for all the depravity that follows. (Calvin) The moment a man makes his own will the centre of life, divine and human relationships are destroyed, obedience to God and charity to men both become impossible. The essence of Christianity is not the enthronement but the obliteration of self.” (Barclay) The love of money is nothing new, but today people have the ability to pursue our love of money like never before. Boasting, pride, and blasphemy are nothing new; but today, they seem far more prominent than ever. Today boasting, pride, and blasphemy are apparent everywhere, especially among the celebrities that our cultures idolizes. Men have always told hurtful lies about other men; but today, in media and in politics, slander has been elevated to both big business and big money.  In politics, candidates routinely and knowingly distort their opponent’s positions, just to make their competition look bad – and they don’t feel bad at all about the lying if it helps them get elected. In media, editors and news directors serve as prosecutor, judge, jury, and executioner to innocents who are wrongly suspected – and usually refuse to apologize when they are proven to be wrong. In our self-obsessed world, people feel very free to have a “salad bar” religion – they pick and choose what they want. They feel free to be very “spiritual,” but sense no obligation to be Biblical. People who do the things on this list are not only common today but they are often also our cultural heroes. The simple responsibility of Christians is to turn away not only these attitudes, but also from the people who do these things.

28.i. “Shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life”

Philippians 2:14   Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life

 Numbers 14:27   “How long shall this wicked congregation grumble against me? I have heard the grumblings of the people of Israel, which they grumble against me.

 Psalms 106:25    They murmured in their tents, and did not obey the voice of the LORD.

 James 5:9  Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door.

 Jude 1:16    These are grumblers, malcontents, following their own sinful desires;

 Hebrews 12:14    Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.

 James 3:18   But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.

Do all things without complaining and disputing: without criticizing, speaking out against, find fault with, opposing, and objecting to. Without argument, quarreling, conflict, deny, question, doubt, protest against. I have to think Do all things without complaining and disputing, refers to both personal conflicts between us and others, as well as us with God.  It seems no matter how far we go back in time, complaining and disputing between us and other Christians and us with God is a constant.  It can be displayed in both passive and aggressive means, direct confrontation or covert acts, and willfully leading dissension or allowing to be ourselves to be influenced into ungodly thoughts, words, and actions. What amazes me is the skill at which some are able to do this.  They seem to be either speaking out of love but in truth, it is nothing of the kind or they come out throwing hand grenades or a combination of both.

We are to be different, shining lights, rejoicing in Christ.  We should be able to discern both direct and covert, passive and aggressive willful ungodly attitudes, words, thoughts, and actions.  The problem is the world around us is so full of this that it seems to be the way of life.  Far too many Christians are neglectful and complacent in their walk with God.  They are more influenced by the world than they are by the Holy Spirit. This is how and why such things are brought into the church and between brothers and sisters of Christ.  Paul is basically saying you ought to know better than to think, act, and speak this way.  There needs to be an intentional choice made deep in each heart, soul, and mind, that desires and seeks to be ever-present under the influence of the Holy Spirit for the single purpose of honoring and glorifying Jesus Christ.

19.o. “So as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God.”

Romans 6:13  Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God.

Colossians 3:5    Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.

James 4:1   What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you?

Romans 7:5 When we were controlled by our old nature, sinful desires were at work within us, and the law aroused these evil desires that produced a harvest of sinful deeds, resulting in death.

 Isaiah 55:7   let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

 2 Peter 2:13-15   suffering wrong as the wage for their wrongdoing. They count it pleasure to revel in the daytime. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions, while they feast with you.  They have eyes full of adultery, insatiable for sin. They entice unsteady souls. They have hearts trained in greed. Accursed children!  Forsaking the right way, they have gone astray. They have followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved gain from wrongdoing,

2 Chronicles 30:8    Do not now be stiff-necked as your fathers were, but yield yourselves to the LORD and come to his sanctuary, which he has consecrated forever, and serve the LORD your God, that his fierce anger may turn away from you.

1 Corinthians 6:20     for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. 

1 Peter 4:2     so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God.

A person can be “officially” set free, yet still imprisoned. If a person lives in prison for years, and then is set free, they often still think and act like a prisoner. The habits of freedom aren’t ingrained in their life yet.  In the fourteenth century two brothers fought for the right to rule over a dukedom in what is now Belgium. The elder brother’s name was Raynald, but he was commonly called “Crassus,” a Latin nickname meaning “fat,” for he was horribly obese. After a heated battle, Raynald’s younger brother Edward led a successful revolt against him and assumed the title of Duke over his lands. But instead of killing Raynald, Edward devised a curious imprisonment. He had a room in the castle built around “Crassus,” a room with only one door. The door was not locked, the windows were not barred, and Edward promised Raynald that he could regain his land and his title any time that he wanted to. All he would have to do is leave the room. The obstacle to freedom was not in the doors or the windows, but with Raynald himself. Being grossly overweight, he could not fit through the door, even though it was of near-normal size. All Raynald needed to do was diet down to a smaller size, then walk out a free man, with all he had before his fall. However, his younger brother kept sending him an assortment of tasty foods, and Raynald’s desire to be free never won out over his desire to eat. Some would accuse Duke Edward of being cruel to his older brother, but he would simply reply, “My brother is not a prisoner. He may leave when he so wills.” But Raynald stayed in that room for ten years.  

This accurately illustrates the experience of many Christians. Jesus set them forever free legally, and they may walk in that freedom from sin whenever they choose. But since they keep yielding their bodily appetites to the service of sin, they live a life of defeat, discouragement, and imprisonment. This accurately illustrates the experience of many Christians. Jesus set them forever free legally, and they may walk in that freedom from sin whenever they choose. But since they keep yielding their bodily appetites to the service of sin, they live a life of defeat, discouragement, and imprisonment. Your members are the parts of your body – your ears, lips, eyes, hands, mind, and so forth. The idea is very practical: “You have eyes. Do not put them in the service of sin. You have ears. Do not put them in the service of sin.”  The parts of our body are weapons in the battle for right living. When the parts of our body are given over to righteousness, they are weapons for good. When they are given over to sin, they are weapons for evil. (Guzik)   

It is a test of our claim to be Christians. Does anger have dominion over you? Does murmuring and complaining? Does covetousness have dominion over you? Does pride? Does laziness have dominion over you? If sin has dominion over us, we should seriously ask if we are really converted. It is a promise of victory. It doesn’t say that “sin will not be present in us,” because that will only be fulfilled when we are resurrected in glory. But it does promise that sin will not have dominion over us because of the great work Jesus did in us when we were born again. It is an encouragement for hope and strength in the battle against sin. God has set you free in Jesus. This is encouragement for the Christian struggling against sin, for the new Christian, and for the backslider. (Spurgeon)

16.j. “Your grumbling is not against us but against the LORD.”

Philippians 2:14  Do all things without grumbling or disputing.

Exodus 16:8   Your grumbling is not against us but against the LORD.”

Numbers 14:27   “How long shall this wicked congregation grumble against me?

Psalms 106:25    They murmured in their tents, and did not obey the voice of the LORD.

James 5:9     Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door.

1 Peter 4:9     Show hospitality to one another without grumbling.

Jude 1:16    These are grumblers, malcontents, following their own sinful desires; they are loud-mouthed boasters, showing favoritism to gain advantage.

In Philippians 2:14, Paul said, “Do all things without grumbling or disputing.” Now, that’s convicting, isn’t it? Grumbling isn’t an outward, loud complaint. Instead, it’s that under-the-breath murmuring you do at your job, in traffic, or in church. Make no mistake about it: God hates grumbling.

Why does God hate grumbling so much? One reason is that grumbling is a sign of ingratitude toward God. In Exodus 16:8, Moses said to the Israelites, “Your grumblings are not against us but against the Lord.” When you complain, you are really saying, “God, You don’t know what You’re doing. I could do a lot better job if I were in charge.” Another reason God judges grumbling is that it robs other Christians of their joy when they listen to your complaints. Grumbling spreads like a disease. When Paul said, “Do all things without grumbling or disputing,” he was talking about your job. He was talking about your homework. He was talking about your chores. He was even talking about your ministry in the church. What is the benefit of doing all things without grumbling? Paul said in Philippians 2:15-16, “So that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life.” The reason God wants us to live obediently is so we can stand out in this dark world that has lost its thirst for God.

You may remember the children’s song, “This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine.” That song is cute, but it’s misleading. The word in verse 15, “lights,” is not a little light. It literally means “luminary.” God wants our witness for Christ to be a big, shining light–like a star or a planet–not to illuminate ourselves, but to illuminate God. That’s why Jesus said in Matthew 5:16, “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” That’s what happens when we live obediently. When we live a distinctive life, it causes God to be glorified. (Robert Jeffress)

God of Knowledge

“ Because the sentence against an evil deed is not executed speedily, the heart of the children of man is fully set to do evil.”

“knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires.  They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.”

“Talk no more so very proudly, let not arrogance come from your mouth; for the LORD is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed.”

Malachi 2:17  You have wearied the LORD with your words. But you say, “How have we wearied him?” By saying, “Everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the LORD, and he delights in them.” Or by asking, “Where is the God of justice?”

Psalms 95:9  when your fathers put me to the test and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work.  For forty years I loathed that generation and said, “They are a people who go astray in their heart, and they have not known my ways.”

Isaiah 1:14     Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hates; they have become a burden to me; I am weary of bearing them.

Isaiah 43:24     You have not bought me sweet cane with money, or satisfied me with the fat of your sacrifices. But you have burdened me with your sins; you have wearied me with your iniquities.

Jeremiah 15:6    You have rejected me, declares the LORD; you keep going backward, so I have stretched out my hand against you and destroyed you— I am weary of relenting.

Ezekiel 16:43    Because you have not remembered the days of your youth, but have enraged me with all these things, therefore, behold, I have returned your deeds upon your head, declares the Lord GOD. Have you not committed lewdness in addition to all your abominations?

Psalms 73:3  For I was envious of the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.  For they have no pangs until death; their bodies are fat and sleek.  They are not in trouble as others are; they are not stricken like the rest of mankind.  Therefore pride is their necklace; violence covers them as a garment.  Their eyes swell out through fatness; their hearts overflow with follies.  They scoff and speak with malice; loftily they threaten oppression.  They set their mouths against the heavens, and their tongue struts through the earth.  Therefore his people turn back to them, and find no fault in them.  And they say, “How can God know? Is there knowledge in the Most High?”  Behold, these are the wicked; always at ease, they increase in riches.

Zephaniah 1:12    At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps, and I will punish the men who are complacent, those who say in their hearts, ‘The LORD will not do good, nor will he do ill.’

Discerning the will of God is a life long process.  Each day we are led into new understanding of serving Him.   Each day we find new mercies and blessings given to us by the grace of God.  This we find when we have a heart desire to humbly serve, honor, follow and obey Him.  However if we do not we will find ourselves like many in the past who have become complacent and turned away from full commitment to Him.  These scriptures today explain the mind and thoughts of man.  You can see the application of the word of God and service to Him being diluted by complacency.  They do not even see that the path they are on is not God honoring.  Let each of us learn from this.  He will reward those who fully delight and desire to serve Him.