Not So "Suchy-Much" After All
It's sad sometimes, to see how puffed up, God's people have become. We seem to forget, very quickly who and what we were before God extended mercy to us and redeemed us from the snare of the enemy.
Paul warned the Corinthian church about this attitude:
"It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not tolerated even among pagans, for a man has his father's wife. And you are arrogant! Ought you not rather to mourn? Let him who has done this be removed from among you."
Paul, the apostle, saw in them what we commonly see today--sin, mixed with pride and arrogance. Many of us assume that because we have been born again, and God is faithful to forgive us (if we confess our sins) we have something to boast about. We don't. The only good, righteous and holy thing about any of us has nothing to do with us--it is only the presence of God in us that makes us righteous; and that is only if we choose to let Him make us "perfect and entire, wanting nothing" by the trying of our faith and patience. Their (the Corinthian saints) arrogance and pride was displayed much the same way today's professing Christian displays it. It's a beam and mote thing. It's shows when you deflect away from your own sin and point out the sins of others--particularly (as Paul taught) those who are not even saved.
Do you recognize a pattern, yet? Even as many of us who profess Christianity and scream about Bibles and prayer in schools (which by the way are legal, and always have been--they just cannot be forced on anyone), nativity scenes at Christmas in front of government offices, or protesting at abortion clinics and fight to reverse Roe v. Wade, or show such vehement animosity toward homosexuals and lesbians--even debating whether or not they were born that way, or arguing evolution; we do so not recognizing that we are judging those who are "outsiders", rather than ourselves. Meanwhile, among us, there are pastors and leaders succumbing to adultery, drug addiction, incestuous relationships, molestations and homosexuality, etc. All while, we turn a blind eye and say, "touch not mine anointed and do my prophet no harm!" We have misused this verse to shield leaders from discipline and accountability for so long--yet, it is completely out of context. "And when they went from nation to nation, and from one kingdom to another people; He suffered no man to do them wrong: yea, he reproved kings for their sakes, Saying, Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm." [1 Chronicles 16:20-22, KJV]. As anyone can plainly see, the reference is to the time when God was leading His people to Canaan, and He kept them safe from kings who would do them harm by saying to those kings (who were not apart of Israel) "Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm". It is this dangerous blind eye that now has led to rampant and blatant sin among church leadership--and even to a rash of suicides and stress-related illnesses often blamed on the work of the pastorate. In reality, in many cases it should be linked to presumptuous sin. It doesn't end at leadership--it is spreading like a cancer throughout the Body, and will continue, until we acknowledge its presence and repent. Grace is being abused and trampled underfoot, like wildfire.
Our modus operandi, is to focus on the sin of those without, rather than on the sin of those within. That is not the way of Jesus--or the apostles. Jesus didn't spend His time on earth protesting against publicans, tax collectors, lepers, those who were possessed by demons, the woman caught in the act of adultery or the woman with five husbands. Instead, He touched them, and embraced those who hadn't been touched--even for twelve years. He was willing to touch the "untouchable"--even going against the Law, in lieu of the heart. He often chose expediency (doing what was suitably righteous and just, rather than following the letter of the Law) over legality. The apostles did the same--they didn't win souls by bashing them over the head with a list of sins, and do's and don't's. They, along with Jesus reserved the correction for those within the Body--those already discipled. Jesus often rebuked the "church leaders" of His day--the Pharisees, the high priests, who had twisted and perverted the Law until it was unrecognizable--and until it suited their whims and wishes, and oppressed God's people. Of them Jesus said, "so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, but do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger. They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long, and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces and being called rabbi by others. But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers. And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Christ. The greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted." [Matthew 23:3-12, ESV]
To the scribe and Pharisees, Jesus said, "But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people's faces. For you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves.
“Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.’ You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that has made the gold sacred? And you say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gift that is on the altar, he is bound by his oath.’ You blind men! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? So whoever swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. And whoever swears by the temple swears by it and by him who dwells in it. And whoever swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by him who sits upon it.
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel!
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean.
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people's bones and all uncleanness. So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous, saying, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ Thus you witness against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers. You serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to hell?" [Matthew 23:13-33, ESV]
Jesus never spoke to a sinner in such harsh terms. That speaks volumes. We shouldn't, either.
We really have forgotten our way--and who we are, in Christ. The Corinthians, did, too.
Don't forget to remember what God delivered you from--and that only His arm could or would do it. In our flesh dwells no good thing. "'Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.' For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends."
Paul warned the Corinthian church about this attitude:
"It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not tolerated even among pagans, for a man has his father's wife. And you are arrogant! Ought you not rather to mourn? Let him who has done this be removed from among you."
Paul, the apostle, saw in them what we commonly see today--sin, mixed with pride and arrogance. Many of us assume that because we have been born again, and God is faithful to forgive us (if we confess our sins) we have something to boast about. We don't. The only good, righteous and holy thing about any of us has nothing to do with us--it is only the presence of God in us that makes us righteous; and that is only if we choose to let Him make us "perfect and entire, wanting nothing" by the trying of our faith and patience. Their (the Corinthian saints) arrogance and pride was displayed much the same way today's professing Christian displays it. It's a beam and mote thing. It's shows when you deflect away from your own sin and point out the sins of others--particularly (as Paul taught) those who are not even saved.
"What [business] of mine is it and
what right have I to judge outsiders? Is it not those inside [the
church] upon whom you are to pass disciplinary judgment [passing
censuring sentence on them as the facts require]? God alone sits in judgment on those who are outside. Drive out that wicked one from among you [expel him from your church]." [1 Corinthians 5:12,13 AMP]
Our modus operandi, is to focus on the sin of those without, rather than on the sin of those within. That is not the way of Jesus--or the apostles. Jesus didn't spend His time on earth protesting against publicans, tax collectors, lepers, those who were possessed by demons, the woman caught in the act of adultery or the woman with five husbands. Instead, He touched them, and embraced those who hadn't been touched--even for twelve years. He was willing to touch the "untouchable"--even going against the Law, in lieu of the heart. He often chose expediency (doing what was suitably righteous and just, rather than following the letter of the Law) over legality. The apostles did the same--they didn't win souls by bashing them over the head with a list of sins, and do's and don't's. They, along with Jesus reserved the correction for those within the Body--those already discipled. Jesus often rebuked the "church leaders" of His day--the Pharisees, the high priests, who had twisted and perverted the Law until it was unrecognizable--and until it suited their whims and wishes, and oppressed God's people. Of them Jesus said, "so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, but do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger. They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long, and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces and being called rabbi by others. But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers. And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Christ. The greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted." [Matthew 23:3-12, ESV]
To the scribe and Pharisees, Jesus said, "But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people's faces. For you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves.
“Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.’ You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that has made the gold sacred? And you say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gift that is on the altar, he is bound by his oath.’ You blind men! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? So whoever swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. And whoever swears by the temple swears by it and by him who dwells in it. And whoever swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by him who sits upon it.
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel!
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean.
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people's bones and all uncleanness. So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous, saying, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ Thus you witness against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers. You serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to hell?" [Matthew 23:13-33, ESV]
Jesus never spoke to a sinner in such harsh terms. That speaks volumes. We shouldn't, either.
We really have forgotten our way--and who we are, in Christ. The Corinthians, did, too.
"When one of you has a grievance against another, does he dare go to law before the unrighteous instead of the saints? Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases? Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, then, matters pertaining to this life! So if you have such cases, why do you lay them before those who have no standing in the church? I say this to your shame. Can it be that there is no one among you wise enough to settle a dispute between the brothers, but brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers? To have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you. Why not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather be defrauded? But you yourselves wrong and defraud—even your own brothers!
Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. [1 Corinthians 6:1-11, ESV]Don't forget to remember what God delivered you from--and that only His arm could or would do it. In our flesh dwells no good thing. "'Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.' For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends."
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