 |
|||
| Books | Sermons | Today's Devotion | |
| Devotion Archives | Scripture Reference Index | Sermon Archives | |
| Home | About Us | Contact Us | Links |
Devotions from Gospel Chapel Ministries HOME SERMONS SERMON NOTES
LOOK AND LIVE
"Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?" (JAM 2:21)
Do we earn salvation by our works? No. Turn with me to ROM 4. It is important we understand this because Satan is a master of twisting the Word of God out of context. "What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God." (ROM 4:1-2)
Do you know what the word by means? Sometimes when we rightly understand these small words, we start to understand the gospel. The word by is a preposition, and means on the account of, as the foundation of, on the basis of. Abraham was not justified on the basis of his works: there was no merit in his work.
Now turn with me to JAM 2. What he’s saying there is that you can be justified by works! "Was not Abraham our father justified by works?" (JAM 2:21) Is that a contradiction? Is there contradiction in the Word of God? No, that word by comes from a totally different word in the original. What it means is instrumentality.
Abraham was not justified in the sense of meriting salvation by works, but works were the instrument whereby he had salvation conveyed to him. Works were instrumental. They were the vehicle whereby he received salvation. Looking unto Jesus is not meritorious in itself, however, it is the instrument, the vehicle, whereby the miracle is performed. These are beautiful truths when we learn to understand them.
I don’t preach to you that you’re going to merit salvation by doing anything, but you’ll never receive salvation without doing anything. Obedience of faith is the instrument whereby salvation is conveyed to you.
" And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live.
And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived." (NUM 21:8-9) As with the beginning of miracles, I want you to see that "when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived." If they had refused to obey, and had not lifted their eyes unto that brazen serpent, (our blessed Redeemer, which is typified by the serpent of brass), they wouldn’t have lived. It was by obedience of faith that the miracle was performed.
As we look unto Jesus by faith, the quickening of the Spirit takes place through the washing of regeneration of the Word. It is as our eye is fixed upon Christ that sin becomes exceeding sinful. JOH 6:63 says, "It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life." As our eye is fixed upon our blessed Redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ, by faith, the Word becomes the quickening power of the Spirit.
JAM 1:18 says, "Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures." We are born by the Word of Truth. It is as our eye is fixed upon that precious Saviour, as it is set forth in the Word of God, that the miracle is performed, that sin becomes exceeding sinful, that we learn to see the sinfulness of sin and learn to hate it. Thereby that miracle of grace is performed through obedience of faith as the instrument. ROM 1:4-5 says, "And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead: By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name."
As we "behold" that blessed sacrifice of Christ by faith, which is symbolized by the "the serpent of brass," we begin to "live." We begin to live spiritually, which is evidenced by true gospel repentance. We truly become renewed in the spirit of our mind. As our hearts are fastened upon that blessed sacrifice of Christ, as we obey, our hearts are removed from the things of this life and the things of sin, and turned unto the Lord Jesus Christ. Then He becomes so precious! The things of this life lose their value.
ACT 5:30-32 says, "The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree. Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins." When our eye is fixed on Christ, then He has been lifted up before the eye of faith. God has exalted Him. He becomes exalted in our hearts and our minds, and sin loses its power. He is there to "give repentance." When we look unto Christ for repentance, we look unto Him for forgiveness of sin. Verse 32 says, "And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him." Do you want the Lord to give you the Holy Spirit? He has given the Holy Spirit "unto them that obey him." Amen
Eternal Spirit, we confess
And sing the wonders of thy grace;
Thy power conveys our blessings down
From God the Father and the Son.
Enlightened by thy heavenly ray,
Our shades and darkness turn to day;
Thy inward teachings make us know
Our danger and our refuge too.
Thy power and glory work within,
And break the chains of reigning sin;
Do our imperious lusts subdue,
And guide our roving feet anew.
The troubled conscience knows thy voice;
Thy cheering words awake our joys;
Thy words allay the stormy wind,
And calm the surges of the mind.
Our sermons and devotions are a ministry of Gospel Chapel located in Conrad, Montana. We also have a daily devotion and sermon notes on-line. We pray this devotion has been a blessing to those who read it. Thank you.