Your word is a lamp to my feet
And a light to my path. (Psalm 119:105) Mount
Baker
Beacon Volume 03, Number 13
03/31/2024 Published by
Mt. Baker
church of Christ Location:
1860 Mt. Baker HWY
Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 30821
Bellingham, WA 98228
(360) 752-2692 Sunday:
Bible Classes..........9:30 AM
Worship..10:30AM; 6:00PM
Wednesday:
Bible Classes.........7:00 PM
Web site: Mt. Baker church
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Editor......John Bass
| In this issue:
BECOMING LIKE GOD
Danny Linden Isaiah 55 is a call for people to come and enjoy the blessings of the LORD. Whereas we were once separated from God because of our sins, we now have the opportunity to be with Him and partake of His blessings. This is possible because of the work of the Messiah as God had promised would come from the house of David. Chapter 53 also speaks of that redemptive, sacrificial work of Jesus.
But now in 55:6-9 we see a key component to that call to be with God. If we want to be with Him, we must be like Him. That seems impossible to do, yet it is necessary.
Forsake wicked ways. “Seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon” (Isaiah 55:6-7).
The open call in verse 1 is given an urgent twist. God is accessible and ready to receive us—what a blessing! But the time to come to Him is now. We will not always have this opportunity and so we must come with enthusiasm and motivation to be united with Him.
If we want to come to God, He demands that we leave behind wicked ways and unrighteous thoughts. This is a part of grace that many misunderstand. God wants all to come to Him, but He will not accept us while we hold on to our sin. Sin is an abomination to God and He cannot bear to have it in His presence.
God also will not make the choice for us. Classical Calvinism claims that God chooses His disciples without their involvement—that He even changes our desires so that we will start serving Him. This passage is one of many that shows how we need to choose to forsake our sins. If we want the compassion of God, we must do things His way.
(I Pet. 5:8).
The extent of what God calls us to forsake is incredible. It is not just our actions but even our thoughts. I should want everything in me that is contrary to God to be put to death and replaced with something better.
God’s ways. “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8-9).
These verses are often quoted out of context, which is a shame. The point frequently made from these verses is that God is so far removed from us in wisdom, power, and righteousness. We should feel small in His presence and realize how imperfect we are. This is not a bad conclusion to draw, but the context of the chapter gives us something else we should consider.
In a sense, we can never bridge the gap between our lowly state and God’s perfection. But God does not want us to simply resign ourselves to sin. Our ways and thoughts are not like His, but they should be! When we lay aside our sin and seek God, we will begin thinking and acting more like Him. This is the process of transformation that Scripture talks so much about.
“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:1-2). We can present ourselves to God as holy and acceptable not because of our inherent goodness, but because of the incredible transformation that happens within us.
How do we change? To be transformed, we have to be cleansed of our sins. Asking God for forgiveness is crucial (Acts 3:19-20) and so to is submission to our Lord in baptism (Acts 2:38). In one sense, we are transformed immediately from citizens of darkness to citizens of light (Colossians 1:13-14), but in another sense, we have to be molded over time. Ask for wisdom (James 1:5-8) and don’t look back (Luke 9:62).
The more we serve God, pray to Him, read His word, and work in His kingdom, the more we think and act like Him. Praise God for His patience with us and our access to Him in Christ! Top
SHAMEFUL SINS
Danny Linden “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God” (Eph. 5:1-2). Christians are expected to take on the character of God. This is not a new concept in the New Testament. Even in the law of Moses the people of Israel were told, “You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy” (Lev. 19:2). Our work in imitating God can be even more successful because we also have the example of Jesus’ sacrifice of love to follow.
Ephesians 5:3-5 gives us a contrast between imitating God and certain shameful sins. These aren't necessarily the worst sins (it's futile to categorize sins by severity since God finds all sin to be an abomination), but they are common ones and easily mark us as children of the world.
Sexual immorality. Sexual immorality (along with “all impurity”) is an expression of excess and lack of self-control. Included in this would be lust, fornication, adultery, homosexuality, pornography, rape, incest, and many other related sins. The Bible tells us that sexual expression is to be enjoyed within marriage (Heb. 13:4) and marriage itself is tightly regulated. Because of the intensity of sexual desire common in man, this is often one of the first deviations from God’s plan that a person or society is willing to make.
Too many Christians have conceded the fight against sexual immorality. We readily claim that the desire is too strong or that everyone does it. This then extends to our children as they become teenagers. While we should not be naïve about the new temptations they face, we also should not make excuses for them or give up on the expectation of sexual purity.
Covetousness. Covetousness is the desperate desire for that which is not mine. This can sometimes tie into sexual immorality, but it is often about money and possessions (Ex. 20:17).
We are entering the season where the regular obsession with possessions reaches a fever pitch. A time to be with loved ones and exchange gifts has become an indulgence of covetousness in some. Many overspend during the holidays and unwisely go into debt. In 2022, almost a third of shoppers had not yet paid off their holiday purchases from the previous year when they started shopping for the holidays again[1]. If this is the attitude when giving gifts, how much worse is it when we buy for ourselves?
The truth is that the root of covetousness is a love of this world, which is why Paul also calls it idolatry. Whether it is about what we buy or wish we could have, Christians can’t be obsessed with the things of this world that will not last for eternity anyway.
Filthy speech. Filthy speech is described in several ways in this passage. Filthiness, foolish talk, and crude joking are all contrasted with thanksgiving. Foolish talk is lacking in understanding. Words that are spoken too quickly or without discretion would qualify here. There are many proverbs warning against being a fool, and Paul reinforces that here by saying that there is no place for that kind of talk in the life of a Christian. Crude joking, on the other hand, refers primarily to innuendo – something that is innocent on its face, but with a sly look or certain tone of voice has an indecent meaning. Such jokes are common among worldly people but are not proper for children of God.
All of these sins are commonplace and I fear we are growing desensitized to them. Nevertheless, they are still improper and should not even be named among us. Top
Created by John Bass, last updated. 03/30/2024 The Mount Baker Beacon is a weekly publication of the Mt. Baker church of Christ, Bellingham, WA.
Send all questions, comments to the editor, John Bass at (360) 325-5149 or johnbass2468@gmail.com |
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