The Language of Slaves, Part 4

When the Hebrews came to the next battle, they were defeated. Logically, Joshua was perplexed. They were in the midst of possessing the promise, but because of one disobedient act they were stopped. Once the secret sin was revealed the offender and his whole family was put to death. What is secret will soon be made known…
This is what Jesus was referring to when He said, “A little leaven leavens the whole loaf.” In other words, a little sin will cause the whole to be sinful. And we know this, that sin’s desire is for us and it wants to consume and kill us. Therefore, sin must not reign in our mortal bodies, but we must subjugate ourselves to the will of the Holy Spirit; the voice of God.
Once the sin was dealt with the assembly was able to move forward and eventually they possessed the promise. YE even after they possessed it they still had to fight for it. The lesson is that we must run the race so as not be disqualified. We may be in the midst of overcoming, with the end in sight, but we must give to God what is His. In the end anything less than our entire life surrendered is worthless. We will never see the fullness of God given dreams without completely yielding to God and His word.
What does it mean to follow God’s word? If we believe that the Bible is the plenary-verbally inspired word of God we must take into account the whole scope of Scripture in every situation. Some call this over spiritualizing life, but only a fool fails to see the spiritual significance in every decision of life.
One area where I failed in the past and many continue to fail is the corporate gathering. Tell me if the below equation looks familiar:
Me + Jesus = All I need
We sing songs like All I Need is You Lord and boil our faith down to Jesus alone. I’m not saying that the song is unscriptural; I’m implying that the application is often used as an excuse. The truth is we cannot live a full Christian life without other Christians. The equation works as the basis for our salvation and sustenance, but the Bible is clear that we need people.
Here’s the equation that I prefer:
You and Me + Jesus = The Church
Ecclesiastes tells us that one may be overcome by an adversary but that two can withstand him. Interestingly it talks about two people being together and then refers to a three fold cord and not a two fold cord. I believe that God placed this wording just so because He is the central cord that we wrap around.
This is the essence of the Church. Alone we are more susceptible to attack. The devil roams around like a lion looking for who he may devour and like a lion, when he sees us together in a flock he is less likely to attack. That is why it says, “Only a fool isolates himself and further warns against forsaking the assembly of the upright as is the custom of some.
Some people think that it’s just them and Jesus. But I tell you the truth, Jesus went away to be seated in glory so that the Paraclete, the helper, the Holy Spirit could come. If Jesus, who was of the same substance of the Father, as the physical manifestation of God, was still here on earth it is possible that it could be just you and Jesus…and eleven other disciples…
And so it is that the church is God’s chosen vehicle today in the age of the Holy Spirit or Paraclete. It is only together that we can withstand Satan, the world, or any obstacle. I believe that the wording of this passage is divine. Ecc. 5:8 may be the first three point sermon.
1. Though one may be overcome by another.
2. Two can withstand him.
3. A threefold cord is not easily broken.
As Christians, we walk what Robert Frost called the road less traveled. The Bible calls it the narrow road of righteousness where few pass. It compares the narrow road with the wide path that leads to destruction.
When we begin to walk the narrow road, the choices of life become narrower. Instead of asking yourself whether you are going to the club, the club does not enter the mental multiple choice list. The Bible says that we are a royal priesthood, a chosen people, a people separated unto God for His own purposes. We need to continually ask ourselves what a son of light has to do with darkness. As Christ followers we cannot entertain the options of the world.
I hear the objections mounting like riders on a thousand warhorses. What about being a witness to the world? Jesus often dined with sinners, why shouldn’t we? Once again the word speaks clearly, “Avoid the very appearance (or perception) of evil.”
Truly, Jesus did dine with prostitutes, tax collectors, and other undesirables of His day. However, if we really want to be like Jesus, then we need to unashamedly proclaim the gospel everywhere we go. In every story of Jesus going to someone’s house He is never mistaken for a sinner himself. In fact, He was never accused of committing sin except for blasphemy when He rightly called God His father and put Himself on the same level as Jehovah.
Jesus did not just hang out or have a good time with these people, He ministered to them.
They realized that His teaching was different from other religious leaders and at the very least that He was a minor celebrity causing controversy. Christ did not add more to the law like the scribes and the Pharisees. Jesus said that He came into the world to save it, not condemn it. This infuriated the religious leaders because the prevailing thought of Biblical history is that no one can live up to the law, so there is a temporary covering for sin. The law only serves to show man that he is condemned and cannot escape the just judgment of God.
You see, the earth was created by God in perfection, but man condemned it through his own disobedience. At the time of the Exodus God gave 10 commandments for the Hebrews to follow, but over time well meaning teachers began to heap the burden of man made law onto the people. At the time of Jesus the Ten Commandments had been toppled by over six hundred rabbinical regulations.
Jesus simplified the law into two commandments; Love the LORD your God with all your heart, your soul, and your strength and love your neighbor as yourself. He made ten into two and man made 10 into hundreds. That is why Jesus shattered the Jewish subconscious when he said to cast your cares upon Him. “For my yoke is easy and my burden light,” He says. He was addressing the very issue of God’s intent and man’s twisted application of it.