Preface
Gal. 5 ... 19
Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery,
fornication, uncleanness (defrauding others
for personal gain), lasciviousness, 20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred,
variance (debating), emulations (striving to outdo others), wrath
(desire for revenge), strife, seditions, heresies, 21 Envyings, murders,
drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I
have also told you in time past, that they which do
such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
Jesus told the woman taken in adultery: "Go, and sin no more." Jn. 8
Jesus told the woman taken in adultery: "Go, and sin no more." Jn. 8
She was
not condemned by Jesus, but she could no longer continue in her sin. And Paul explains that those who continue in
such sins "shall not inherit the kingdom of God."
It is my experience
that after we are born again, we want to know about God. We want to hear things of God. We do not want to sin as we once did.
We must
keep that original fire for God burning inside us. We throw another log on the fire each time we
choose to go in a godly way, keeping our flesh "down", not allowing
ourselves to hate and strive as this world does.
Therefore
Jesus says: Watch and pray that ye enter not into temptation ... the spirit is
willing but the flesh is weak ... Mt. 26:41
"Watch"
... we feel our flesh about to rise up to exalt itself. We feel that hatred against another person. We feel that we are about to strive over
something. We cannot afford to fall
asleep to this. Instead we stay watchful
so that we can take immediate action to stop our own flesh from doing what it
wants to do. We begin praying immediately,
as soon as we see this is about to happen ...
"God
... please don't let me say that ... Please don't let me do that
..."
When I
take this action against my flesh, I find God always overcomes my flesh
and honors my prayer!
Be aware: We never get to the point where the flesh is better ... Flesh does not improve ... Flesh just sits there waiting for the opportunity to take over and exalt itself.
Be aware: We never get to the point where the flesh is better ... Flesh does not improve ... Flesh just sits there waiting for the opportunity to take over and exalt itself.
Our
responsibility is to keep that flesh under the control of God, not allowing the
flesh to speak and to do as it once did.
Paul
explained it as follows:
I
Cor. 9 ... 24 Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one
receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. 25 And every man that striveth
for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a
corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. 26 I therefore so run, not as
uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: 27 But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any
means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.
God tells
us the following in Hebrews 10:
22
Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our
hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure
water.
23
Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is
faithful that promised;)
24
And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:
25
Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is;
but exhorting one another: and so much
the more, as ye see the day approaching.
26
For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth,
there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,
As we
wait for the return of Jesus for the church, we need to surround ourselves
daily with godly exhortations, doctrine, Bible!
Paul once
said to Timothy:
I Tim. 4:13
... Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.
As the world gets
worse, godly thinking can slip unless we keep our minds on what God has to say
about the issues of this life. Though we
know doctrine, we need to refresh our minds to doctrine
as presented in Bible, for this world and the churches today so often
promote "another doctrine". We
must focus on the real doctrine, not on the counterfeit doctrine.
The following exhortations are given to us by the Spirit of God to help us in a time like this.
The following exhortations are given to us by the Spirit of God to help us in a time like this.
Joan Boney
1
Divorce and remarriage after divorce ...
The doctrine of Christ
The doctrine of Christ
Jesus said: Mt. 5:32 ... But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.
- The husband who divorces a faithful wife, will be the cause of her adultery if she remarries.
- The faithful wife
who has been divorced by her husband will commit adultery if she remarries.
- The man who marries
a divorced woman commits adultery. The apostle Paul said the following instruction is the "commandment of the Lord" in the New Testament Church.
I Cor. 7 ...
10 And unto the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife
depart from her husband: 11 But and if she depart, let her remain unmarried,
or be reconciled to her husband: and let not the husband put away his wife.
There are many
perversions taught today in churches concerning the subject of remarriage after
divorce.
We must cling to the
doctrine presented in Bible and reject all deviations.
It is very important
for us to re-read doctrine from Bible over and over.
We see perversions of
doctrine over and over as TV presents approval of man putting down truth of
God.
Therefore we keep
truth of God before our eyes and in our minds by re-reading those doctrines of
God.
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Exhortations For The Church: Volume 9
Available from amazon.com in paperback and eBook
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