Sovereign Grace Life7

NOTE: Although I’ll be using articles from various authors, it does not mean I agree totally with what they write. But after reading them, I believe some benefit can be derived from them with respect to Revival and Spiritual Awakening.

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MY PURPOSE

There is a fourfold purpose for this newsletter: It goes out for Revival, for Renewal, for Restoration, and for Reformation. Perhaps to some this means the same thing, yet I believe that there are four aspects of a Life that experiences the Sovereign Grace of God that will be manifested when believers experience these four things in it. It is my desire that “the God of all grace” (1 Peter 5:10) will be pleased to use the articles, not only for His awesome Glory, but also to “revive (His) work in the midst of the years” (Habakuk 3:2); and as a result, we should be willing to “endure all things for the elect’s sakes, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory” (2 Timothy 2:10).

Therefore, pray with me that God will be pleased to command the clouds to rain again (cp. Isaiah 5:6), so that “in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert. And the parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water” (Isaiah 35:6,7), as the “showers of blessing” descend when He “causes the shower to come down in his season” (Ezekiel 34:26). Oh, how we need to pray like David: “O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary” (Psalm 63:1)! We can be sure that whenever that happens, not only will we be Revived from our deadness without Him, but also Renewed in our desires of Him, Restored in our fellowship with Him, and Reformed in our walk before Him. Amen!

At the moment of conversion, there is something wonderful and amazing that takes place in the repentant and believing sinner with respect to the Lord Jesus Christ. The newly born-again believer falls in love with Him. Now He becomes his "first love" and sees Him as "altogether lovely" and "the chiefest of ten thousand" (Song 5:16,10)! So it will be no surprise that in meeting others the enamored Christian, full of love and joy, will glory in Him and tell them, "This is my beloved, and this is my friend " (v.16). In fact, there is every desire to please Him in everything, and to obey Him no matter what! At times their love for Jesus may become so overwhelming, that not only will they be willing to give up anything for Him (including their very lives), but those around them may look at them as being fanatical. That, beloved people of God, is the experience (in different degrees) of every true believer!

Now, let us be reminded that this can only be true if we have first experience God's love in our lives. Note that it is written: "We love him, because he first loved us" (1 John 4:19). At the same time, we have to remember that God's love for anyone of us can only be possible in His beloved Son; for it is ONLY in Him that God's love can draw us to Him "with bands of love" (Hosea 11:4), and the proof of it is in the Cross: "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). This the apostle Paul testified to, (and of course, every believer can do the same,) when he wrote that "the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me" (Galatians 2:20).

But what happens when the Lord Jesus is no longer our "first love"? What possibly could have ocurred in our love relationship that might have disrupted it? Who, or what, is to be blame? There is only one answer; and that is SIN! Sin, at least, does two things: First, our love for the Lord gets cold; and secondly, our heart hardens towards the Lord. That in turn, not only causes us to leave Him as our "first love", but we also send Him off away from us, (for that also is the meaning of the word "left" in the Greek, i.e. to send forth)! Now this sin can be anything that will take the place of the Lord in our hearts and lives; especially "the sin which doth so easily beset us" (Hebrews 12:1) that occupies our thoughts, desires, and actions; or as Proverbs 14:14 tells us: "The backslider in heart shall be filled with his own ways".

Notice, though, that this can still happen even when we are occupied in serving the Lord and being "faithful" to Him in many other things. The Lord Himself tells these Christians: "I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted" (Revelation 2:2,3). Yes, we can be very active in the church, and the Lord even commend us for it, but just as He said to these church-members, He can also tell us: "Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love" (v.4). That means, then, we can be very "faithful" in the church while at the same time be in a backslidden condition; and the proof of this is that we don't love the Lord as we did at first!

Let me ask you: Do you love the Lord Jesus Christ as your "first love", or do you have to honestly confess like so many of us have done as Peter did, when he couldn't bring himself to say that he loved the Lord with an agape love, which involves the whole being, but only with a phileo type of love as a friend. Cp. John 21:15-17; Mark 12:30. Sadly, this can, and does, happen to Christians. We won't deny that we "love" the Lord, yet at the same, we won't "admit" that He truly is our "first love"; and that is evidence that we are backslidden. But what is worse is that we can be so backslidden that it won't bother us that the Lord has this against us! IS this your case? Are you so content with your churchianity that perhaps you're not even conscious of your condition? Oh, I hope not!

Perhaps someone will say: "This Scripture has nothing to do with backsliding! Oh, I'll admit that my love for the Lord is not as fervent as before, but I do still love the Lord. Besides that, I'm not out in the world in gross sin, but I still serve Him. To be truthful, I still do all the normal Christians things".

Yes, you probably do. But notice that the Lord saw this in these Christians, and yet He told them in verse 5, "Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works...". To be "fallen" (Greek - to drop away; specifically be driven out of one's course), and to be told to"repent", means to not only to have "left thy first love", but that something, or someone else, has replaced the Lord as your "first love". Beloved, one may be a true believer of the Lord Jesus Christ, but at the same time, have dropped away from an intimate love relationship with Him; or have been driven out of course with respect to it! Lot, Samson, David, and Solomon are examples of this.

Yet, the Lord in His condescending mercies, even though He has every right to leave us in "the deceitfulness of sin" (Hebrews 3:13) and to be chastized severely for it, and in spite of how we have treated Him, still calls us to "remember...from whence thou art fallen"; in other words, "Think and recollect how it was before you left me Me as your "first love". As you do so, exercise your memory to see what caused you to drop, or drive you, away from our love relationship". If we do this, and pray as David: "Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting" (Psalm 139:23,24), "he" who "knoweth the secrets of the heart" (44:21), will show us what it is that came between us and Him. We can be sure of one thing, whatever it is, IT IS SIN!

Why do I say that? Well, notice that the Lord says we are to "repent", i.e. we are to think diferently, that is, reconsider, to feel compunction, for letting anything to come between Him and us; and if you will also notice, that in repenting, it means that the problem started in our thinking and in our desires which drove a wedge between us and the Lord, to the point that we don't love the Lord as in the beginning. If we're honest with ourselves, we'll have to admit that our minds are no longer staying upon the Lord, or our heart fixed upon Him, because they have been distracted; and that, we know will cause us to no longer "see (our) King in His beauty" (Isaiah 33:17) and as "altogether lovely" (Song 5:16)! That would call for repentance, wouldn't it? Yes, we should have a "change of mind" with a "godly sorrow" (2 Corinthians 7:10) if the Lord Jesus is not our "first love" as at the first!

But notice that the Lord doesn't just simply let us "feel sorry" for being unfaithful to Him and having new lovers! (Cp. Hosea 2:13). No, He tells us we are to "do the first works" (Revelation 2:5). What does that mean? Well, "remember" that in falling in love with the Lord Jesus at the beginning, we delighted to do His will and to please Him in everything! Do you remember the sweetness of the communion you had with Him in prayer? What about the delight you had in studying and meditating in His Word? Most certainly, you remember the joy you had in telling others of your precious Savior, don't you? Besides that, because of our love for Him we would keep His commandments and His Word (John 14:15,21,23,24). We would love Him so much that "his commandments are not grievous" (1 John 5:3). That, dear believer, are the "first works" that should be real in our lives if the Lord Jesus is our "first love"!

Now, a question is raised: How serious is it for a Christian to be in this backslidden condition? Perhaps one might think that it is not so, especially if one is very active in "serving the Lord in the church" (?), but consider what the Lord himself will do if we persist in our backsliding. He warns us that if we don't "repent", He'll remove us as His witnesses: "Or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent" (v.5). Remember, we are to "shine as lights in the world" (Philippians 2:12), but we can only do so if Jesus, who is "the light of the world" (John 8:12) shines through, and in, us; and ultimately, it can only be true if He is our "first love". You know, one of the saddest things that can happen to a believer is to be very active in the church, while at the same time have no witness at all of the love of the Lord Jesus Christ. Sad to say, our last days can be like those of Lot (cp. Genesis 13:10,11; 19:1,36), Samson (Judges 16) and Solomon (1 Kings 11:4), perhaps not to that extreme; nevertheless, the Lord might just simply set us aside, or take us out of the way, as He says here, if we don't repent!

But, having said that, as far as you are concerned, you can truly say that the Lord Jesus is your "first love"; and in fact, the Lord himself will say of you, as "the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?" (1:8); in other words, by God's grace, not only are you faithful to Him in serving Him, but also you have stayed away from anything that will come between you and Him. To you I say: Stay humble before the Lord, and as Proverbs 3:5-7 says, "Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil". Keep close to the Lord in prayer and do not faint (Luke 18:1), be "nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine" (1 Timothy 4:6), and "grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 3:18), "looking unto (him)", who is "the author and finisher of our faith" (Hebrews 12:2). If by God's grace, you do this, you can be sure of this: He "is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy" (Jude 1:24). Hallelujah!!!

But alas! how many of us have to confess that we have fallen from that precious love relationship with the Lord, and have backslidden into a cold religious life! As we noted before, we can be very active in the church, and yet be "loveless" toward the Lord. Could it be said of us as it was said of those in Ezekiel's time: "They come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear (the preacher's) words, but they will not do them: for with their mouth they shew much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness" (33:31). Could this be true of you? You say you love the Lord, yet your heart is fixed upon other things; and as I said before, it can be ANYTHING that takes the place that belongs to the Lord in your heart! Are you concerned about this?

Perhaps you are one that will honestly confess that your love for the Lord has been cold, and you have been negligent in your relationship with Him. "What must I do?" you might ask. Here's the answer: "Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works" (v.5); and yet this is impossible to do apart from the grace of God. Know this: To backslide is very easy and we're able to do it, but to come back to the Lord so that He becomes our "first love" once again, is beyond our strength and ability. What is true in working out our salvation, is also true in coming back to the Lord; "for it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure" (Philippians 2:13). David recognize this when he prayed: "Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee?" (Psalm 85:6); and "quicken (revive) thou me according to thy word" (119:25). We have to look to God and call on Him if we desire to come back to Him!

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.

7. When sports, recreation and entertainment are a large and necessary part of your lifestyle, you may assume backsliding is in force. Paul acknowledged there was profit in physical exercise. Jesus demonstrated the worth of drawing aside from daily tasks for rest and revitalization. However, the current focus of games and entertainment has nothing in common with a Biblical lifestyle. So serious has become man’s love of entertainment that some churches even compete with one another for a star-studded cast to lead their public services. Few churches even consider holding special meetings in competition with sporting events. Many a preacher is more certain to have the Sunday morning service over by noon sharp that he is to say anything worthwhile. He would no sooner incur the wrath of his recreation-minded congregation by detaining them from Sunday afternoon picnics and games than he would deprive himself of his own Saturday evening entertainment.

Christians are not saved to play but to serve. If sporting events are as important to you as spiritual progress, you are backslidden. If you must choose between church and recreation and recreation wins, you are backslidden. If you devote more time to play and exercise than to prayer and the Word of God, there can be no doubt of your true spiritual condition. In your case, backsliding has not only begun, but progressed to a deplorable level.

Complied by David Smithers

Oswald J. Smith in his book "The Enduement of Power" encourages us that revival is a definite promise of God, just waiting to be laid hold of. Oswald J. Smith writes, "'And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of My Spirit upon all flesh.' Now, we are still living in the 'last days'. Pentecost was the birthday of the Church. But if Peter could speak of Pentecost as the 'last days', then we are living in the 'last hours' of the 'last days'. This is Saturday night in the history of the Church. God has declared that in the 'last days' He would pour out of His Spirit. That promise was partially fulfilled on the day of Pentecost. But it remains for us to see the final and complete fulfillment. Let me again remind you that this is still the dispensation of the Holy Spirit. Have we, then, Scripture to warrant the hope of another great outpouring of the Spirit of God as we enter the 'last hours' of this age? I believe we have. It is my deep, deep conviction that God is waiting to pour out His Spirit once again, and that wherever He can find a people who will meet His conditions, He will give flood-tides of revival. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit is the greatest need of the hour. Any one may have it and expect it. This is the solution of all problems. Not money, but the outpoured Spirit. Not how to get the attention of the people, but how to secure the operation of the Holy Ghost. Not better preaching, but Holy Ghost preaching. 'I will pour out of My Spirit upon all flesh.' This, my brethren, is the greatest need of the hour."

It is time for the Church to become united about its desperate need for revival. We must recognize our true condition! Let us agree in prayer with that old German mystic, Tersteegen, for the promise of revival. "O Lord Jesus! May we all be assembled and wait with ardent desire for the power from on high, and the outpouring of Thy precious Holy Spirit. This you have promised to us. As You have gathered us together as the body, so unite our minds that we may mutually seek, desire, and sigh after You in our spirits. Purge our hearts of all distractions and of all that which does not lead us to You, that we may meditate on You alone. O Lord Jesus! What are we without the fervor of Your Spirit, without the light and life of Your Spirit in our hearts? In reality, we are nothing but dead and formal Christians who neither know You, nor love You, nor glorify You. Come then, blessed Comforter! Descend upon this assembly! Enter into every heart! And though we may not all be filled with You, let at least a few drops of Your grace flow unto us on this occasion, that by this water of life our hearts may be mutually refreshed and incited to devote and offer up ourselves to You entirely. May we utterly forsake all that is not You! O Lord Jesus! Forgive us if we have ever grieved Your Holy Spirit, resisted His influences, and withdrawn ourselves from them. O let Your most sacred blood cover and atone for these and all other sins! Be in the midst of us, and manifest Yourself graciously and mercifully to our souls like the disciples that we may proclaim the gospel effectually to others. Do this, and hear and answer this our prayer, for the sake of Your precious blood and merits!"

In order for one to experience Revival, they first need to have Life, otherwise they are “dead in trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1) and “alienated from the life of God” (4:18). If you have not been “born again” (John 3:3,7), then you have not the Life of Christ in you according to 1 John 4:12 – “He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life”. If this is true of you, then you do not need Revival but Salvation in order to have Life.

You may obtain this Life in Christ Jesus by believing in Him; for “this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son” (v.11). At the moment that a spiritually dead sinner believes in Him, he “is passed from death unto life” (John 5:24). Is this true of you at this very moment?

If not, then “repent ye, and believe the gospel” (Mark 1:15). Look only to the Lord Jesus Christ; for He alone died on the Cross in order to save sinners and to give them eternal life. The proof of this is that He rose from the dead and is ALIVE! By faith alone trust Him for your salvation, and ‘be persuaded’ that it’s ALL OF GRACE alone that God will save you. Amen.

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Revived ~ Renewed ~ Restored ~ Reformed

SEPTEMBER 2005 #7

MY PURPOSE

Complied by David Smithers