Being Fearless for the Lord
There is so much that could be said on the subject of ‘Being Fearless for the Lord’, but I am compelled, by the Spirit of God, to concentrate on the motivation of fear which compels God’s Children to serve Him.
This fear is not a fear that should somehow promote the idea that God is a bully or somehow unjust but rather that we fear to lose our special place of fellowship with our Heavenly Father.
This is how we may begin to have the motivation to be ‘Fearless for the Lord’ and this fearlessness would carry over into every facet of our lives on a daily basis.
Before we go any further, let me share this short story with you.
"Some time ago,
a few ladies met in a certain
city to read the scriptures, and make them the
subject of conversation. While reading the third
chapter of Malachi they came upon a remarkable
expression in the third verse. 'And He shall sit
as a refiner and purifier of silver' (Malachi
3:3). One lady's opinion was that it was intended
to convey the view of the sanctifying influence
of the grace of Christ. Then she proposed to
visit a silversmith and report to them what he
said on the subject. She went accordingly and
without telling the object of her errand, begged
to know the process of refining silver, which he
fully described to her. 'But Sir' she said, 'do
you sit while the work of refining is going on?'
'Oh, yes madam,' replied the silversmith; 'I must
sit with my eye steadily fixed on the furnace,
for if the time necessary for refining be
exceeded in the slightest degree, the silver will
be injured.' The lady at once saw the beauty, and
comfort too, of the expression, 'He shall sit as
a refiner and purifier of silver.' Christ sees it
needful to put His children into a furnace; His
eye is steadily intent on the work of purifying,
and His wisdom and love are both engaged in the
best manner for them. Their trials do not come at
random; 'the very hairs of your head are all
numbered' (Mat. 10:30). As the lady was leaving
the shop, the silversmith called her back, and
said he had forgotten to mention that he only
knows when the process of purifying is complete
when he sees His own image reflected in the
silver."
[Friday Church News Notes]
This little story goes hand in hand with what I feel needful to talk to you about today. We must allow Christ Jesus to so reign over our lives that others will not see us but rather they will see our blessed Saviour and want to know more about and become more like ‘Him’.
This is being fearless for the Lord!
I feel very much like Jude probably felt when he began to write his epistle.
v.3 Beloved,
when I gave all diligence
to write
unto you of the common salvation,
it was needful
for me to write
unto you,
and exhort
[you] that ye should earnestly contend
for the faith
which was once delivered
unto the saints.
Have you ever stopped to ponder on just what Jude meant by “the common salvation”?
Could everyone here today agree, with the Word of God, that the one thing that all Christians have in common is the fact that they have all been born again of the Spirit of God? Do we not normally refer to this as: ‘being born again’ or ‘having been saved’? Jude calls this the common salvation.
Our common salvation and therefore our everlasting destiny are not in danger of being revoked. It is not ours to lose. It is God’s gift, not our gift.
What does Christ Himself say? Let’s turn to [John 3:16]
For God so loved
the world, that he
gave his
only begotten
Son, that whosoever
believeth
in him should not perish,
but have everlasting
life.
The Apostle Paul later expounds on this same subject in [Romans 8].
8:35
Who
shall separate
us from
the love of
Christ?
Shall tribulation,
or distress,
or persecution,
or famine,
or nakedness,
or peril, or sword?
Then
Paul continues:
8:38 For I
am persuaded,
that neither
death, nor life, nor angels,
nor principalities,
nor powers,
nor
things present,
nor
things to come,
8:39
Nor height,
nor depth, nor any other creature,
shall be able to
separate
us from
the love of
God,
which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Can we all agree, here today, that God, through these Apostles, is assuring us that we have everlasting life in Christ Jesus and that nothing can ever separate us from that aspect of our over-all salvation?
Did you notice that Paul said “in Christ Jesus”? You see? We are already “in Christ”; therefore, being “in Christ” is in the past tense. It is finished!
Now, let us look at the subject of obedience, which God expects from the saved.
First, let us note that the definition of obedience
includes compliance and that means we must do
something. We must work at something.
[Revelation 22:14] Blessed
are they that do
{practice} his commandments,
that they
may have right to the tree of
life, and may
enter
in through the gates into
the city.
This
condition to do His commandments is not a condition to being born again.
If it were, this would mean that we must work for our common salvation and that
is out of the question.
The word
‘do’, when it used in relation to keeping the commandments of Christ, means ‘to
practice’. Not just to ‘do’ once in a while, but to practice the commandments
of Christ habitually.
Works {keeping the commandments of
Christ} is something that we are called to do after we are
saved. Any works, other than those by the Spirit of God through us, are of the
flesh, are in vein, and will be burned up when we are raptured to stand in our
time of judgment.
Let’s
read a very unpopular portion of Scripture.
[1
Corinthians 5:8-10]
13 We are
confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be
present with the Lord.
14 Wherefore we
labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him.
15 For we must
all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the
things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or
bad.
I wish
we had time to go into everything that [1 Corinthians 5] reveals for Christians, but I will give you this much
concerning judgment for the Christian.
This has
nothing to do with the common salvation. We have everlasting life, but just how
abundant that everlasting life will be, is the subject matter at hand in
these verses.
Now I
know that, in these last days, there are many that want to hear only the
“positive” side of the Word of God and want nothing to do with the negative truths
of God’s Word, but since the Holy Spirit has been given us liberty to speak,
let us continue.
You
know, I am used to getting cussed out and fussed at for handing out tracts and
proclaiming the Word of God, out there on the streets, but that really isn’t
the worst part of standing on the whole council of the Word of God. Rather, it
is that Christians are the first to condemn, groan, murmur and complain?
You
would be surprised at how many times I have had people, who call themselves
Christians, to come up to me on the street and upbraid me for not proclaiming
the “love” and “grace” of Jesus Christ while I am testifying.
My
protest to that is that there is an entirely lopsided worldview, of the gospel
of Christ, being presented to the Christian community and public at large in
these latter days! The love, grace and mercies of God through Christ Jesus
should be understood, and there are a great many Christians proclaiming that
message, but this dispensation of grace is just about over and somebody needs
to love the unsaved and unfaithful Christians enough to teach them the negative
aspects of their lives in the everlasting ages to come, before it is to late!
My
friends that requires being fearless for the Lord! That requires teaching
the whole council of God, not just the “God is Love” side of the Gospel. God is
also just!
Jesus, the Christ will very soon be the Judge of all men and the day of grace will have expired!
This
judgment, of [1
Corinthians 5],
will determine whether the saved will have a more abundant entrance [2 Peter 1:11] into Christ’s Millennial Kingdom
to rule and reign with Him or just simply be saved by the grace of God, yet
so as by fire!!!
According
to [1 Corinthians 3:13-15] some Christians will stand at a
judgment wherein “Every man's work
shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be
revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.
If any man's work abides which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a
reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself
shall be saved; yet so as by fire.”
The picture painted for us here in the Greek reveals that
the house is on fire and the saved just barely get out of the house singed and
smelling like smoke!
Now our
prime example for obedience, from the New Testament, is Jesus Christ
Himself. The writer of Hebrews, in speaking of our Lord, had this to say:
[Hebrews 5:8] Though
he were a Son,
yet learned he obedience
by the
things which
he suffered;
Obedient discipleship is
not a wide path to improve our self-esteem or God’s way of giving us a fuzzy,
feel-good journey into religious bliss!
Maturing as a Christian means changing direction, repentance always includes loss of some aspect of self, and loss causes suffering. We cannot keep all of our old soulish, carnal habits and pleasures and serve Christ Jesus. It is a straight and narrow path. We must absolutely die to self. And I must quickly add that I myself am far from having perfected the ‘dying to self’ aspect of obedience.
Now, let’s go back to [Romans 8]
8:14 For as
many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the
sons of
God.
The condition upon the saved is that we submit to the leadings of the Spirit of God. Can an un-saved person submit to the leadings of the Spirit of God in any other way than to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ? Absolutely not! If that were possible Christ would not have had to die in our place. If there had been any other way would God not have rather spared the life of His only begotten Son? Are there any conditions to being saved besides belief? No! Why? Because the free gift of everlasting salvation is based upon the work of Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection 2000 years ago.
So, verse 14 is saying that if the Spirit of God does not lead Christians they can no longer be sons of God but rather sons of the devil. Did Christ not say to Peter: Get thou behind me Satan!
8:15 For ye have not received
the spirit
of bondage
again to fear; but ye
have received
the Spirit
of adoption,
whereby
we cry, Abba, Father.
8:16 The Spirit itself
beareth witness
with our spirit,
that we
are the
children
of God:
8:17 And if children,
then heirs; heirs
of God, and joint-heirs
with Christ;
if so be that
we suffer with
him, that we
may be also
glorified together.
Please
take notice of the “if” word in [verse 17]? Again, the word
‘if’ is used in the English language to create a condition.
Now I
ask you, can this verse be talking about the common salvation? No, and why?
Because the common salvation is a gift from God; not of works, lest any man
should boast. So then, [verse
17] must be referring to another
aspect of God’s over-all salvation plan for Christians.
You see,
the word salvation has a much broader scope than the foundational aspect of
being born again of the Spirit of God.
This
verse identifies suffering {works}, which is in the present/future tense
{meaning it is something we are expected to do at present and keep on doing
into the future}; actually to suffer all the way up to the day we die. It is at
that point that we cross the mark that is the finish line! [Philippians 3:10-14]
Crossing
the mark is the end of our faith, which is in the future. [Hebrews 10:39], [James
1:21] and [1 Peter 1:9]
This is
what Christ is talking about when he was tells believers that they must
overcome in [Revelation
Chapters 2 and 3].
Please
notice what Jesus says in [Revelations
Chapter 2: 26-27]
2:26 And he
that overcometh,
and keepeth
my works unto
the end, to
him
will I give power over
the nations:
2:27 And he
shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels
of a potter
shall they be broken to shivers:
even as I received
of my Father.
What did Christ receive from the Father because of His obedience? Inheritance of His Kingdom, although the actual one thousand year reign of Christ is still yet future.
My friends,
Revelation Chapters two and three are the most vivid word pictures of the
Judgment Seat of Christ that can be found anywhere in the Scriptures and yet
how often do we meditate upon these Chapters.
Let us go back to Romans 8.
8:18 For I reckon that
the sufferings
of this present
time
are not worthy
to be compared with
the glory
which shall
be revealed
in us.
Did you notice that the
words “shall be” were included in [verse 18]? “Shall be”
is indicating a future event. Therefore, this verse cannot be referring to
our common salvation! The common salvation is already ours! It is past tense.
Notice again, it is in
reference to something that has to do with our salvation, it is in the future,
it requires works of the Spirit of God, through us, until death, but there is a
condition.
The condition is suffering
– and suffering can entail a great many things in the life of a Christian.
Let’s use persecution, for an example. Could we all agree that persecution
causes suffering? Persecution can come in all forms, sizes, shapes, and shades.
Suffering also includes
going without! Just how much time are we willing to go without for the sake of
Christ Jesus?
It takes time to allow Christ to work through us on a daily basis. How many times have we decided not to take the time needed to witness to that waiter/waitress or that one who just changed our oil or put on our new set of tires or to witness to those in front of, or in back of us at the checkout counter?
Jude didn’t put it this way, but what many Christians have
been missing and fooling themselves over is the works part of our
over-all salvation. This is what Jude was talking about when he said “…it was needful
for me to write
unto you,
and exhort
you that ye should earnestly contend
for the faith which was once delivered
unto the saints.”
If our common salvation is a free gift, and if our own works cannot guarantee our common salvation, and if our common salvation has no conditions attached to it, other than belief, then there must be another aspect of our over-all salvation that was once delivered unto the saints, which we are expected to earnestly, contend {work} for, according to Jude.
Earnestly contending is work, and witnessing for Christ is work and we will not witness for Christ unless we die daily.
Please notice what the Apostle Paul said when he penned this verse from [1 Corinthians 15:31]
“I
protest by your rejoicing
which I
have in Christ Jesus our Lord,
I die daily.”
Herein lies the secret to ‘Being Fearless for the Lord’. We must “die daily” so that the Spirit of God can live through us daily. The Holy Spirit does the work through us and all we must do is die to self {get out of the way}, confess ongoing sin, and practice, to the best of our ability, the commandments of Christ in our daily life.
Galatians 2:20 I am crucified
with Christ:
nevertheless
I live;
yet {Paul says} not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the
life which I now live in the flesh I
live by the faith
of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself
for me.
Paul says here, {he has
died with Christ on the cross just as we have}, and then just a few
words later he says “Christ liveth in me”.
What? Now stay with this!
Before, it was “I in Christ”, referring to the common salvation, but here it is “Christ in me”!
Can we now see another aspect of our over-all salvation? The writer of the book of Hebrews calls this the “so great salvation” aspect of our ‘over-all’ salvation.
Christ can only be seen and heard “in me” if I am filled up with Christ {the Word}, and if I am earnestly contending {straining toward the mark} for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus and the subsequent reward of the inheritance.
The prize is the out resurrection from the dead, not the Judgment Seat of Christ. This is a great mystery to many and for a better understanding of this subject please read The Mystery of the Second Death .
[Hebrews 2:1-3]
“Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things, which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip.”
Can we let our everlasting salvation slip? Is it Christ’s gift to us or our gift to ourselves? We did not obtain everlasting salvation by our own works so how could we let it slip away?
“For if the word spoken
by angels was steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a
just recompense of reward, how shall we escape, if we neglect so great
salvation; which at the first began to be
spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him;”
The writer of the book of Hebrews is admonishing the saved not to let God’s Word {the things we have heard} slip from our minds and that means that we must fill up with the Word of God every day; just like we need food for our bodies, our souls need to be fed every day.
But, in verses two and three the writer says some interesting things about salvation.
In verse two he talks about just recompence of reward, so we know he isn’t talking about the common salvation for we have already received the Spirit of God when we were saved and we have that as an everlasting gift. It is a thing of the past. Our common salvation is not subjected to our letting it slip. Our works did not procure it; but rather our common salvation is based upon the works of Christ.
No, this is a reference to something yet to come; ‘so great salvation’ is a reward of inheritance, not a gift!
Now, in the economy and culture of the Middle East, at the time this was written, men received rewards if they worked for them. Men received a prize if they worked for it. Has anyone here ever gotten a reward that they did not work for?
If you did it wasn’t a reward, it was a gift!
The children of the Middle East, and some even in our day, are rewarded with an inheritance only if they do not somehow disqualify themselves and have the inheritance taken away from them before the death of the testator.
But, first-born sons were rewarded a double portion of the inheritance; but, only if they did not somehow disqualify themselves and have the double portion of the inheritance taken away from them before the death of the testator.
Some Biblical examples of this rewards of inheritance
being taken away are Ruben and Esau and they are used as examples, in [Hebrews 12], to
warn Christians {today} of the truth concerning our reward of inheritance
so that we will not disqualify ourselves from being rewarded that inheritance
{with Christ} before we die. [Hebrews 12:16-17]
The things that will cause us to be disqualified from receiving the reward of the inheritance is letting slip or neglecting the commandments of Christ that we have heard preached to us all of our lives.
Now in the Olympic games when one runs a race or fights in a boxing match they are rewarded with a prize. If a runner slips and falls and doesn’t get back up in the middle of the race, do you suppose they would be rewarded a prize? Hardly, no more than if a fighter slipped and fell and gave up in the first or second round of a prizefight.
In the Epistle to the Philippians, Chapter 3, verse 14, The Apostle Paul alluded to running a race for a prize”.
I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
The mark is the finish line! The runner must endure to the end of the race!
My friends, here is our motivation for being fearless for
the Lord.
Christ said it to the church of the Laodiceans like this: “I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.”
This is not complicated.
Christ Jesus, our Lord, will absolutely not pat unfaithful and apostate
Christians on the back, when they appear in His kingdom at the time of the
rapture, and tell them: Well done thou wicked, un-faithful, apostate, servant.
Because thou hast been unfaithful and apostate I will reward thee with
{Priesthood and Kingship} over part of my inheritance in the Kingdom of Heaven
and throughout the eternities beyond.
Does that sound like
something Christ will say to the unfaithful in that day?
Or do you think that He might rather say, with fiery eyes of
indignation, something more like this: I tell you, I know you not whence
ye are; depart from me, all ye workers
of iniquity.
These
words do not mean that these workers of iniquity are unsaved. In fact they are
saved. They have everlasting life because He gave it to them and the gifts an
callings of God are without repentance. But the Word of God says they are not
going to be rewarded with inheritance in the Kingdom {as Kings and Priests}
with Christ, neither during the Millennial Reign nor during the everlasting
ages to come.
Christ
does indeed know them as saved, but the context of this verse reveals that
these workers of iniquity have never developed a relationship with Christ in giving
Him Lordship over their lives and that is why He addresses them as workers of
iniquity!
[Hebrews 2:2-3] For if the word spoken by angels was steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense of reward; how shall we escape…..?
My friends, many Christians imagine God has changed his mind about transgression and disobedience since this was written. Many think that God plays favorites? Many believe that God has changed?
Many Christians believe that just because God has given us the gift of everlasting life that we will be rewarded an abundant entrance into Christ’s inheritance as Kings and Priests, no matter how we have lived our life here in this life?
Let me encourage all reading this today to continue to read the rest of the Book of Hebrews {especially Chapters 3, 4 and 12}.
My friends, if the Church is going to see revival, and it can, Christians are going to have to wake up to the whole council of God. Not just the Jesus Loves Me, and what Jesus can do for me “popular stuff”, but rather, the what will I allow Christ to do through me and the unselfish what can I do for Christ’s sake, kinds of things that cause discomfort and suffering to the self, as well?
This is being fearless in the Lord!
If we really love Christ Jesus we will do {practice} His commandments.
This is serious business. This is not some part-time job! We are called to be the salt and the light of this dispensation on a full time basis. The Church is the Body of Christ and Christ is the Head of the Body.
As Christ was obedient unto death to our Father, in Heaven, we are to be obedient unto death to Christ, which, even now sitteth at the right hand of our Father, interceding for our confessed trespasses whether they are by omission or by commission.
Brethren, let’s fill Christ Jesus with Joy at our appearance into His Kingdom? Let me encourage you to strive to attain all of the reward of His inheritance that He will joyfully give to you on that day of your judgment.
Let us not be in danger of beholding the fiery eyes of
indignation of our Lord and be ashamed of our-selves at His appearing. [2 Timothy 2:15] [Hebrews 2:11]
And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming. [1 John 2:28]
Brethren I encourage you to read the entire chapter of [Hebrews 12] for the sake of context, but let me just share [verse 28] with you before we move on.
“Wherefore
we receiving
a kingdom
which cannot be moved,
let us have grace, whereby
we may serve God acceptably with reverence
and
godly fear:”
The
context here is receiving a Kingdom, but in order for us to inherit this
reward of His inheritance, we absolutely must serve God acceptably with reverence
and
with Godly fear.
Christ Jesus gave us the rules for acceptable service. We can go about doing religious Church work all day long the way we want to do it {in the flesh}, but that will not be acceptable to Christ at our day of judgment. Instead those works will appear as spots on our garments and Christ says that spots on our garments are unacceptable.
Jude said it like this:
1:21 Keep yourselves
in the love of
God,
looking for the
mercy
of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal
life.
1:22 And of some
have compassion,
making a difference:
Why did
Jude say, “of some have compassion”? My friends, we are not going to
make a difference in anyone else’s life if we have determined not to allow the
compassion of Christ to thrive in our daily lives.
That is
the only way we can have compassion on some. Unfortunately, many will
reject our compassion and any efforts to make a difference in their lives. But that
is no excuse not to try. We must simply be obedient.
1:23 And others save with fear, pulling
[them] out of the fire; hating even
the garment
spotted
by the flesh.
How do we keep ourselves in the love of God? We must die
to self and keep ourselves unspotted from the world, the flesh and the Devil.
These “others” that Jude is referring to here are not unsaved people. Jude is not telling saved people to save unsaved people in this verse. That would be impossible. It is Christ that saves and no other.
Jude’s epistle is directed at the saved and warning those saved brethren that some of their saved, but apostate, brethren are teaching un-Godly false doctrine.
And - some of their weaker brethren, who have been deceived by the false doctrines of those false teachers, can be saved or rescued from the false doctrines being taught.
Jude says let us save those weaker brethren, from spotting their garments, with fear, lest we be condemned for doing nothing to help them.
For the sake of time let me
read just a few more verses:
[Hebrews
12:1] Wherefore
seeing we also are
compassed about
with so great a
cloud
of witnesses,
let us lay aside every weight,
and the
sin
which doth so easily beset
us, and let us run with patience
the race
that is set before us,
Every weight that can hinder our daily race and every
unconfessed sin that can keep us out of fellowship with Christ or hinder the
blessings that Christ could bestow upon the Church body to which we belong,
must be swiftly dealt with {laid aside}, confessed. [1 John 1:8-10]
Above all, let us live our lives in patient love and compassion for our families and friends, understanding that their race is no easier for them to run, than ours is for us.
[12:3] For consider
him {Jesus} that endured
such contradiction
of sinners
against
himself,
lest ye
be wearied
and faint
in your minds.
My
friends let me leave you with a few more very important words from the Apostle
Paul.
[2
Timothy 4:3] For the
time
will come when
they will not endure sound doctrine;
but after
their own lusts
shall they heap to
themselves
teachers,
having itching
ears;
The way to an abundant eternal life is straight and it is narrow. It is the path of obedience. May God’s word find it’s way into your family’s daily life as a most serious matter?
Also, remember this:
The Berean’s of Acts Chapter 17 did not just take the Apostle Paul’s word for granted.
[Acts
17:11] These
{the Berean’s} were
more noble
than those in Thessalonica,
in that they received
the word with all
readiness of mind,
and searched
the scriptures
daily, whether
those things were so.
Let us be noble in the eyes of God. Let us also search the Scriptures daily to test the Spirit of words brought to us, thus making sure our garments have not been spotted by false doctrine.
A friend of mine once said in conversation: There is more truth to be told than there is time to tell it … and so, brethren, let me thank you for you’re the time that you have allowed me to speak to you in this format today.
May the Lord bless and keep you all,
Your brother in Christ,
Sam Ennis
Samuel M. Ennis - Arden, N.C. All Rights Reserved