SOVEREIGN GRACE LIFE

Revived ~ Renewed ~ Restored ~ Reformed

Lasaro Flores / P.O. Box 298 /Boling, TX 77420 

MY PURPOSE

As I have stated in my first newsletter that the purpose of it is fourfold: To Revive, Renew, Restore, and Reform those who have experienced the Sovereign Grace Life of God. That this can be said of God’s people is obvious. Not only do the Holy Scriptures teach that we still have a sinful nature that will manifest itself in our disobedience and falling into sin, and that we need to be brought back to a holy walk and life with God, but even our own experience as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ attest to that fact. If that wasn’t true, then we would never need to be Revived from the deadness of sin in our lives, and to be Renewed in our desires for our Redeemer, and to be Restored in our relationship with Him, and most surely, to be Reformed from the way we have been walking in pleasing ourselves. But what true Christian would dare deny that this isn’t true of them? Oh, how we need to pray with Jeremiah: “Turn thou us unto thee, O LORD, and we shall be turned; renew our days as of old” (Lamentations 5:21)!

At this time, let us consider what it means to be Revived. The New Expanded Webster’s Dictionary word means ‘to return to life; to recover new vigor; to bring again to life; to refresh’. The Hebrew word means ‘to live’, and the Greek word whenever it is used simply means ‘to recover life.’ We understand, then, that Revived means to return one to life who is at the point of dying; or to keep one from death by reviving that person. Now, we have to say that this can only be true of one who has Life but is in the danger of losing that Life unless there is Divine intervention on behalf of that person. This is very true with respect to physical death. In spite of all the medical technology and wonders, when it comes to it, our physical life is in the hands of our Creator. Hannah in 1 Samuel 2:6 declares: “The LORD killeth, and maketh alive: he bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up”. Then Job says: “Seeing (man’s) days are determined, the number of his months are with (God), thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot pass” (14:5). Also, the prophet Daniel told the pagan king Belshazzar that “the God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified” (Daniel 5:23). So, no matter what the means might be by which our physical life is ended, He who is Sovereign, determines it for us! Having said that, that doesn’t mean we are not responsible to keep ourselves healthy and to take care of ourselves; nevertheless, we have to recognize that “in him we live, and move, and have our being” (Acts 17:28).  Amen.

Now, what I have said with respect to our physical life, is also true of our spiritual life. That is why I referred to it as the Sovereign Grace Life. But keep in mind that this is only true of those who have experienced the New Birth; for they are the only ones who have “passed from death unto life” (John 5:24), and so now have the life of God’s Son, as the apostle John states: “And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life” (1 John 5:11,12). In other words, those that do not have Him are still “dead in sins” (Ephesians 2:5) and are “alienated from the life of God” (4:18). So, therefore, it is only those that have Life that are capable of being Revived and to stand in need of Revival. But why would one who has been “born of the Spirit” (John 3:6), and NOW has spiritual life have the need of being Revived? Isn’t one who is a believer of the Lord Jesus Christ have eternal life, and therefore, can never, and ever, die spiritually? Isn’t that what is meant by John 5:24 when the Lord Jesus states: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life”. Yes, that is very, very true!

So, even though it is true that a true believer can never lose their Life in Christ Jesus, or salvation; for they have been “saved in the LORD with an everlasting salvation” (Isaiah 45:17); yet, it is also true that they can lose that ‘quality’ of Life that will manifest, or prove, that they have the Life of Christ in them. Yes, true believers can BACKSLIDE into sin, disobedience, worldliness, carnality, etc., to the point that one can see them as not being a Christian, although they can still be religious; and this because their STYLE OF LIFE contradicts their profession as Christians. Of course, what has happened is that their Life in Christ Jesus is no longer seen in their backslidden condition. To illustrate this, let us consider a beautiful flower, or fruit, plant. What would happen to it if it is not watered, fertilized, cultivated, and protected from infestation and infection? It would start to wither and all that occurs when these conditions are present; and eventually it would die if someone does not intervene to prevent that from happening. But do that that is necessary to keep the plant from dying, and it will be REVIVED!!!

Now, since Christians are referred to as plants (cp. Matthew 15:13 – “Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall
be rooted up”), what do you think would happen to a Christian if, spiritually speaking, of course, they are not ‘watered, fertilized,cultivated, and protected from infestation and infection’? Well, they will start to “wither and droop” which will be seen as a weakness against temptation and an inability to overcome sin in their lives, the beauty and the fragrance of the “flowers of grace” will no longer exude from them, and if they have any “fruit” it will either be retarded or tasteless; and of course, they will be “infested” with worldliness and carnality, and “infected” with the disease of sin. Also, the Word of God no longer has any effect in their lives because they are not being ‘watered, fertilized, cultivated, and protected from infestation and infection’ by it! Why? Because of sin and disobedience in their lives, God has commanded “the clouds that they rain no rain upon” (Isaiah 5:6) them so they don’t get watered with the “showers of blessing” (Ezekiel 34:26), which comes from the Word of God, as Moses states: “Give ear, O ye heavens, and I will speak; and hear, O earth, the words of my mouth. My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distil as the dew, as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as the showers upon the grass” (Deuteronomy 32:1,2). But as Solomon states in his prayer of 2 Chronicles 6:26, “When the heaven is shut up, and there is no rain, because they have sinned against thee…”, then the LORD himself tells Solomon, “If I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people; If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land” (7:13,14).

So, you can see, then, that sin is the reason that true Christians can find themselves in a condition of dying, i.e. spiritual death and in need of being Revived from their backsliding; and the only hope they have of being Revived is the Sovereign Grace of God. Remember, a plant that is dying cannot do anything of itself to keep from dying and to revive itself – the gardener has to be willing because it pleases him to intervene in favor of the plant. Otherwise, the plant WILL die! What about the backslidden Christian? What can they do? Let me say it: Absolutely nothing! Just as we couldn’t do, or did, anything in order for God to give us Life in the first place, it is also God who has to keep us from dying spiritually. That is what is meant by Eternal Life; for as the Lord Jesus himself said in John 11:25,26 – “I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die”; and in chapter 10:28 – “And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish”. Therefore, the promise is that none of God’s people will ever be lost, even though at the present, they might find themselves in a backslidden condition; for He promises: “I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely: for mine anger is turned away from him” (Hosea 14:4). Oh, may this be true as it was of Samson: “But God clave an hollow place that was in the jaw, and there came water thereout; and when he had drunk, his spirit came again, and he revived” (Judges 15:19). What should we do, but heed to the exhortation of Hosea 14:1,2 – “O Israel, return unto the LORD thy God; for thou hast fallen by thine iniquity. Take with you words, and turn to the LORD: say unto him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously: so will we render the calves of our lips”, i.e. we shall praise Him for His glorious grace. Hallelujah!!!

 In conclusion, we can then see that in being Revived, it is God intervening in favor of those of His people who have backslidden, but are “preserved in Jesus Christ” (Jude v.1) and “that is able to keep (them) from falling (i.e. dying spiritually), and to present faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy” (v.24). That is what Revival is all about – God of His Sovereign Grace and Mercy commanding the clouds of His grace to again rain upon His withering people, so that not only He won’t lose any of them, but also so that they will LIVE for Him! Amen.

EVIDENCES OF A BACKSLIDDEN CONDITION

From Revival

By Richard Owen Roberts 

Backslidden Christians are evident everywhere. They are in the churches and out of the churches. They are in the pews and in the pulpits. They are on boards and are bored. They are on committees and teach Sunday School. The backslidden seem to be more numerous than the upright and their influence throughout the world vastly more profound. While backsliders do not all manifest the same traits, evidences of their condition are not difficult to pinpoint. The following characteristics merit our serious attention.

1.       When prayer ceases to be a vital part of a professing Christian’s life, backsliding is present. It is shocking to realize that many churches have no public prayer meetings of any kind. More upsetting is the fact that many individual Christians have no regular stated seasons of private prayer during which they commune alone with God. How can a person be both Christian and prayerless? However, prayer does not need to be entirely lacking from a person’s life for backsliding to prevail. When prayer becomes perfunctory and without moral earnestness, there is more than ample evidence of backsliding. Some who say their prayers every day never pray. The formulation of thoughts and ideas along religious lines, the mouthing of words, the bowing of the head and body and the repetition of phrases, do not in and of themselves constitute real prayer. If the heart does not earnestly commune with God, no genuine prayer is present. The mere repetition of written prayers, no matter how beautifully constructed or seemingly sincere, does not guarantee genuine prayer. When the heart of man and the heart of God meet in communion, there is prayer. Prayerlessness and mere formality in saying prayers are unmistakable marks of a backslidden condition.

2.   When the quest for Biblical truth ceases and one grows content with the knowledge of eternal things already acquired, there can be no mistaking the presence of backsliding. Almost all backsliders demonstrate a sense of satisfaction with the truth already in their possession. Backsliders are rarely diligent in their study of the Bible. They do not find themselves in the grip of a passion to mine treasures from the Word of God. They are content with the little pearls of wisdom their mothers hung about their necks in the days of their spiritual infancy or with the gems the pastor mines on their behalf. They do not find themselves daily in the garden of the Lord plucking flowers rare and fragrant. They are content with the wilted bouquet they carried to their baptism. If any new Biblical truth comes to them, it must come by the effort of another, not their own. This is not to say backsliders never read the Bible. Many backsliders have long established habits of dutiful devotion they have never broken, but while they go on reading Bible words, backsliders are content with the truth of God in their possession. 

My Heavenly Friend
By George Muller

The precious Lord Jesus Christ is our friend. Oh, let us seek to realize this! It is not merely a religious phrase or statement, but truly He is our friend. He is the Brother " born for adversity," the one who "sticks closer than a brother." Who will never leave and never forsake us. 

How precious even on earth to have a heavenly friend, for this brings the joys of heaven in a little degree into our hearts now. This is just what our heavenly Father desires regarding His children, that they might be as happy as they are capable of being while here in the body. Have we entered into this, that the One who is "altogether lovely " is ready hour by hour, to be our Friend? 

When we cannot sleep at night, say to Christ, " My precious heavenly Friend, wilt Thou give me a little sleep?" When in pain, say, " My precious heavenly Friend, if it may please Thee, wilt Thou take away this pain?  But if not, if Thou sees better that it should continue, sustain, help, and strengthen me, my precious heavenly friend!"  When we feel lonely and tired, turn to the precious Lord Jesus; He is willing to be our friend in our loneliness.  For sixty-two years and five months I had a beloved wife, and now in my ninety-second year I am left alone. But I turn to my precious Lord Jesus as I walk up and down in my room, and say, " My precious Lord Jesus, I am alone, and yet not alone, Thou art with me; Thou art my friend; now Lord, comfort me and strengthen me, give to Thy poor servant everything Thou sees he needs."  

Oh, this is a reality, not a fable, that the Lord Jesus Christ is our friend. We should not be satisfied till we are brought to this, that we know the Lord Jesus Christ experientially to be our friend and habitually to be our friend. Just ponder this. Habitually, never leaving, never forsaking us, at all times and under all circumstances ready to prove Himself to be our friend. 

He is willing not merely to grant this for a few months, or a year or two, but to the very end of our earthly pilgrimage. David, in Psalm 23 says: "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me." Oh, how precious this is. For this "Lovely One" is coming again, and soon. Soon He will come again; and then He will take us home and there we shall be forever with Him. Oh, how precious is that bright and glorious prospect. Here again the practical point is to appropriate this to ourselves. "He is coming to take me-poor, guilty, worthless, hell-deserving me-He is coming to take me to Himself."  And to the degree in which we enter into these glorious things, the joys of heaven have already commenced!

Expository preaching necessary for true revival, Stephen Olford says
By Jeff Robinson
May 9, 2002

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (BP)--Anointed expository preaching is absolutely necessary if the church is to experience true revival, Stephen Olford recently said at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Olford, founder and senior lecturer of the Stephen Olford Center for Biblical Preaching in Memphis, Tenn., was on campus in April for the annual Power in the Pulpit conference, a series of sermons intended to strengthen pastoral skills. His son, David, was the other featured speaker.

"All across the land we see men, women, boys, and girls turning aside to myths and fables," Stephen Olford said. "Every day [in America] a new cult arises. Perhaps one of the most sinister is the New Age movement with its tentacles in most every area of life, especially in corporate life.

"We need to read the times, but we need to heed the trends in light of all this. There must be a return to anointed expository preaching of the Word of God calling for a divine verdict."

Olford, 84, is the voice of the daily radio program "Encounter," which is heard on Christian stations in the United States, Canada and overseas. He has authored several books, including perhaps his best-known work "Anointed Expository Preaching," co-written with his son and ministry partner, David. David is president of Olford Ministries International.

The elder Olford told students that expositional preaching will develop in believers a comprehensive Christian worldview and enable them to confront cultic and doctrinal error.

Authentic expository preaching does not fail to bring out Christian doctrine, which Olford says is critical to build up the church on orthodox moorings. Olford pointed out that doctrinal preaching is not popular today because it does not address erroneous "felt needs."

Preaching from 2 Timothy 3, Olford unpacked the apostle Paul's understanding of the subject.

"In every period of church history there has been heresy and apostasy, and it's no different today," he said. "Men and women will not endure sound doctrine. I've heard men say, 'If I preach like that, what you call expository preaching ... people won't accept it.' So what? 'People will leave me.' So what?

Paul said that people will not endure sound doctrine, meaning that some will turn away from biblical preaching, Olford said.

"It is in that context that Paul says, 'Preach the word.' We don't budge on that issue," Olford said. "It's all this business of trying to bend the Word as it were to conform with our age, when Paul says, 'be not conformed under (any) circumstances.' This is a mighty imperative.

"You haven't preached a message if you haven't expounded from Scripture that dominating theme that you are seeking to get across, which is doctrine. The church is built on doctrine."

Olford, who has spent 63 years in ministry, said he has seen evangelical churches become filled with "nonsensical preaching" as well as people merely "playing church."

One devastating movement that has infiltrated the church is liberalism along with its derivative, humanism, he said. Thanks to these twin evils, he said, doctrines such as the inerrancy of Scripture and the deity of Christ have been cast aside and replaced with a false man-centered gospel. This has pervaded both preaching and corporate worship, he added.

"When the apostle Paul says, 'they will turn aside to fables,' and 'they will not endure sound doctrine,' I think of the way in which the Jesus Seminars are trying to discredit the deity and sovereignty of our glorious sovereign Lord," Olford said. "I think of the theologians who are trying to explain away eternal punishment and other essential doctrines."

"I think of the experience-seekers, who are confusing young believers, especially concerning the person and work of the Holy Spirit, and on and on I could go. A good deal of our preaching today and worship, so-called, are matters of 'how I feel,' or 'what I need,' or 'how I factor in the equation.' God doesn't come into our thinking, it's all man-centered humanism. Anointed expository preaching is the remedy for such nonsense as this."