The Jesus-driven life
“Mercy shall be built up for ever.” (Ps. 89:2).
April 4, 2009 we looked at a vision of Christ on His throne breathing the Holy Spirit on His disciples on earth. The effect that had on them as listed in EarlyWritings, p. 56, was “light, power, and much love, joy, and peace.” Then Satan came and sat in the seat Christ had vacated and Satan breathed on those who were still worshipping the throne. The effect on those devotees was “light and much power, but no sweet love, joy, and peace.”
The mercy Christ always mixes with His truth was missing from Satan’s influence on his worshippers. The imposter provided a great source of light and power, but produced none of the sweeter aspects of spiritual things. It may be said of his light, “If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!” (Matt. 6:23).
What would be the source of the sweet love, joy and peace for the true followers of God? The mercy seen in Christ, His gift of justification through the Spirit which heals the heart and mind, and transforms the life. Overarching every other purpose of God in the Great Controversy—Mercy shall be built up forever.
But in those religions that lack Christ’s generalship, which is full of order and good discipline, there exists nothing to upset the pride and convict of wrong. Acts 5:31 says that Christ is “Prince” “for to give repentance to Israel.” There can be no forgiveness of sin without repentance, and the proud human heart can never bring itself to real, deep-seated repentance, which throws out all love of sin. He must be a strong law-enforcer to convict us; and then we must see His acceptance, apparent and on the ready, in order for our guilty heart to trust Him to judge aright in our case. He is a Prince and “a Saviour” combined, weighing in heavy on law at first and then heavy on mercy as we begin to back down in our arrogant self-will.
But when a faith system dismisses Christ’s role as convicter of sin; when a religion denies or avoids Christ’s office of reprover of disobedience; then no one in that religious order can know the “sweet love, joy and peace” that comes with the working of the Holy Spirit.
They may retain an appearance of holiness through light and much power, through being purpose-driven, through dramatic feats of supernatural gifts, or expressions of emotional experiences with “God”. Or they may cut themselves to let blood flow or purify their flesh by contact with some painful object. They may advertise that their path to God is the true one. But it’s all Babylon—the original “gate of the gods.”
Satan has them in an ever constricting grip. Controlling every fiber of their being, and all the while keeping them convinced that peace will come one day. But those who have accepted God’s place as a tender, yet firm, Father who commands good things from His children, they will have a love, joy, and peace that the world at large can never have. “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another.” (1Jn. 1:7).
They have a communion that settles their nerves and heals the mind and body. “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” (2Tim. 1:7). Through His laws and ministry God provides us His liberty and life. The great King has established His laws, Christ has opened the lines of communication to His Father for us and administers His Father’s laws, and the Holy Spirit works in us to receive Christ’s work of reconciling us to God and to flourish in Him.
The gospel is not purpose-driven. It is not social program-driven. It is not driven by any other locomotion than sweet love, joy and peace. And out of those three comes great light and power to know goodness and to do it.
April 4, 2009 we looked at a vision of Christ on His throne breathing the Holy Spirit on His disciples on earth. The effect that had on them as listed in EarlyWritings, p. 56, was “light, power, and much love, joy, and peace.” Then Satan came and sat in the seat Christ had vacated and Satan breathed on those who were still worshipping the throne. The effect on those devotees was “light and much power, but no sweet love, joy, and peace.”
The mercy Christ always mixes with His truth was missing from Satan’s influence on his worshippers. The imposter provided a great source of light and power, but produced none of the sweeter aspects of spiritual things. It may be said of his light, “If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!” (Matt. 6:23).
What would be the source of the sweet love, joy and peace for the true followers of God? The mercy seen in Christ, His gift of justification through the Spirit which heals the heart and mind, and transforms the life. Overarching every other purpose of God in the Great Controversy—Mercy shall be built up forever.
But in those religions that lack Christ’s generalship, which is full of order and good discipline, there exists nothing to upset the pride and convict of wrong. Acts 5:31 says that Christ is “Prince” “for to give repentance to Israel.” There can be no forgiveness of sin without repentance, and the proud human heart can never bring itself to real, deep-seated repentance, which throws out all love of sin. He must be a strong law-enforcer to convict us; and then we must see His acceptance, apparent and on the ready, in order for our guilty heart to trust Him to judge aright in our case. He is a Prince and “a Saviour” combined, weighing in heavy on law at first and then heavy on mercy as we begin to back down in our arrogant self-will.
But when a faith system dismisses Christ’s role as convicter of sin; when a religion denies or avoids Christ’s office of reprover of disobedience; then no one in that religious order can know the “sweet love, joy and peace” that comes with the working of the Holy Spirit.
They may retain an appearance of holiness through light and much power, through being purpose-driven, through dramatic feats of supernatural gifts, or expressions of emotional experiences with “God”. Or they may cut themselves to let blood flow or purify their flesh by contact with some painful object. They may advertise that their path to God is the true one. But it’s all Babylon—the original “gate of the gods.”
Satan has them in an ever constricting grip. Controlling every fiber of their being, and all the while keeping them convinced that peace will come one day. But those who have accepted God’s place as a tender, yet firm, Father who commands good things from His children, they will have a love, joy, and peace that the world at large can never have. “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another.” (1Jn. 1:7).
They have a communion that settles their nerves and heals the mind and body. “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” (2Tim. 1:7). Through His laws and ministry God provides us His liberty and life. The great King has established His laws, Christ has opened the lines of communication to His Father for us and administers His Father’s laws, and the Holy Spirit works in us to receive Christ’s work of reconciling us to God and to flourish in Him.
The gospel is not purpose-driven. It is not social program-driven. It is not driven by any other locomotion than sweet love, joy and peace. And out of those three comes great light and power to know goodness and to do it.
posted by David | 2:02 AM
1 Comments:
Thanks for the post, in fact I have seen some preacher instead of preaching the goodnews of God's love for us they take a lot of time talking about hell and destruction. The gospel has the goodnews of God's love in which no sinner is too big for God to save.
We are justified by Grace not by what we have been able to do. That makes the gospel a goodnews.
Thank you David for taking the time
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