Post by Les Brewer on Jul 2, 2012 8:16:18 GMT
John Wolf
Calvary's Cross Ministries
preaching Christ Crucified
From the Pastor's desk...
Good morning friends and family,may the Lord bless you today,in every way,Amen.
"Thou wilt say then,The branches were broken off,that I might be graffed in.Well;because of unbelief they were broken off,and thou standest by faith.Be not highminded,but fear:For if God spared not the natural branches,take heed lest also spare not thee.Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God;on them which fell, severity;but toward thee,goodness,if thou continue in His goodness;otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.And they also,if they abide not still in unbelief,shall be graffed in:for God is able to graff them in again." (Romans 11:19-23 KJV)
From the Holy Spirit,through Paul,comes a very solemn warning to the church.It shows us that the O.T. saints,the Church in the wilderness,if you will,followed God for a time rejoicing in the Lord for His manifold blessings upon them.But,as is often the case,they became complacent in their relationship with God and many fell away from the faith.And because they remained in unbelief,they were cut off from the Lord.The unfortunate thing is,is that they may have never even recognized that they had fallen away from the Lord.Just as when Samson had "awoke out of his sleep,and said,'I will go out as at other times before,and shake myself'.And he wist not (didn't know) that the Lord was departed from him (Judges 16:20).
We must pay close attention to what the Scriptures say to us,as it regards our spiritual walk with the Lord.When we begin to seek the gifts rather than the Giver of those gifts,we place ourselves in a rather precarious position.The natural branches were the nation of Israel,God's chosen people.When they rejected their Messiah,nearly two thousand years ago,God's grace was turned to the Gentiles.Just as the Scriptures foretold.
They were cut off because of unbelief,nothing has changed for the N.T. church.If we become complacent in our walk and grow cold,the only outcome will be unbelief.I realize that there are many who may believe that there is nothing a person can do to affect their salvation in Christ,and I will say that as long as your faith remains firmly planted in Christ and what He did at the cross for you,then you are correct.However,when we begin the descent into unbelief and fall away from the Lord because of that unbelief,we are on thin ice.
Faith,believing in Jesus Christ and what He did for us at the cross is the only thing that will keep us secure.When we come to Christ in faith,and receive His free gift of salvation,we are definitely saved.However,many leave it right there and begin the process of sanctification in their own power.How we live for God,our sanctification, is also wrought in the cross of Christ.Our own will power can never bring about the sanctification that God requires of us.It must be Christ and Him crucified,nothing else.The old man must die to self and Christ must live and reign in our hearts by faith in Him,not in ourselves.If we ever begin to trust in anything other than Christ and the cross,we have begun the descent into unbelief.
If you have found that you are trusting in other things,simply come back to Christ and renew that relationship with Him again,and you will be graffed in again,just as, if, Israel will come to Christ in faith,they too,can be graffed in again as the natural branches.Take heed to your walk with Christ,and fight unbelief,If He spared not the natural branches,because of unbelief,He may not spare us either........Be blessed of the Lord.....Love in Christ,John
Calvary's Cross Ministries
preaching Christ Crucified
From the Pastor's desk...
Good morning friends and family,may the Lord bless you today,in every way,Amen.
"Thou wilt say then,The branches were broken off,that I might be graffed in.Well;because of unbelief they were broken off,and thou standest by faith.Be not highminded,but fear:For if God spared not the natural branches,take heed lest also spare not thee.Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God;on them which fell, severity;but toward thee,goodness,if thou continue in His goodness;otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.And they also,if they abide not still in unbelief,shall be graffed in:for God is able to graff them in again." (Romans 11:19-23 KJV)
From the Holy Spirit,through Paul,comes a very solemn warning to the church.It shows us that the O.T. saints,the Church in the wilderness,if you will,followed God for a time rejoicing in the Lord for His manifold blessings upon them.But,as is often the case,they became complacent in their relationship with God and many fell away from the faith.And because they remained in unbelief,they were cut off from the Lord.The unfortunate thing is,is that they may have never even recognized that they had fallen away from the Lord.Just as when Samson had "awoke out of his sleep,and said,'I will go out as at other times before,and shake myself'.And he wist not (didn't know) that the Lord was departed from him (Judges 16:20).
We must pay close attention to what the Scriptures say to us,as it regards our spiritual walk with the Lord.When we begin to seek the gifts rather than the Giver of those gifts,we place ourselves in a rather precarious position.The natural branches were the nation of Israel,God's chosen people.When they rejected their Messiah,nearly two thousand years ago,God's grace was turned to the Gentiles.Just as the Scriptures foretold.
They were cut off because of unbelief,nothing has changed for the N.T. church.If we become complacent in our walk and grow cold,the only outcome will be unbelief.I realize that there are many who may believe that there is nothing a person can do to affect their salvation in Christ,and I will say that as long as your faith remains firmly planted in Christ and what He did at the cross for you,then you are correct.However,when we begin the descent into unbelief and fall away from the Lord because of that unbelief,we are on thin ice.
Faith,believing in Jesus Christ and what He did for us at the cross is the only thing that will keep us secure.When we come to Christ in faith,and receive His free gift of salvation,we are definitely saved.However,many leave it right there and begin the process of sanctification in their own power.How we live for God,our sanctification, is also wrought in the cross of Christ.Our own will power can never bring about the sanctification that God requires of us.It must be Christ and Him crucified,nothing else.The old man must die to self and Christ must live and reign in our hearts by faith in Him,not in ourselves.If we ever begin to trust in anything other than Christ and the cross,we have begun the descent into unbelief.
If you have found that you are trusting in other things,simply come back to Christ and renew that relationship with Him again,and you will be graffed in again,just as, if, Israel will come to Christ in faith,they too,can be graffed in again as the natural branches.Take heed to your walk with Christ,and fight unbelief,If He spared not the natural branches,because of unbelief,He may not spare us either........Be blessed of the Lord.....Love in Christ,John
