Pastor Buddy’s Blog

Journal,

It seems? my last entry, ‘For Those Tears I? Died’,? has touched the hearts of several people.? I am very grateful for this. But it is as I said in the prior entry: “Sin is sin and it has to be dealt with? as sin.”?

The point is that God did not overlook sin at the cross.? He dealt? with it. And how He dealt with it is a wonder in itself. The Lord actually separated sin from the sinner by taking sin to the cross. Jesus took all the sins of the world upon Himself.

This is why when a person comes to Jesus in repentance, believes in Him and accepts Him as their own Lord and Savior, the Holy Spirit? takes the blood of Jesus and sprinkles it upon that person’s heart.? Out of the cross comes something precious, the redeemed child of God. This new heaven’s child is given the very righteousness of God and has a perfect standing with heaven.

Of course we know? that life can throw us some curves at times. Even the most? sincere child of God can have a failure and? enter? a time of straying.? This does not mean that the cross is no longer effective. Just the opposite. The cross will always be the working principle of salvation and deliverance and cleansing during our sojourne in this life.? Like the song says, ‘It will never lose its power.’

This brings me? to the work of reaching out to both the lost man and to the straying child of God. (Yes, a child of God can stray, but never from the Father’s love.)

I was reminded of? something? the Lord said to Jeremiah. Jeremiah was? perplexed over Israel’s sad state before God. Israel was not only in a backslidden state but she was deeply involved in idolatry. She had what Isaiah called “a deceived heart.”

The Lord said two things to the prophet concerning Israel’s state that I wish to key in on. They are important to us today. Listen:

“Therefore, thus says the LORD, ‘If you return, then I will restore you– Before Me you will stand; and (1) if you extract the precious from the worthless, you will become My spokesman. (2) They for their part may turn to you, but as for you, you must not turn to them.“ (Jer15:19 nasb.)

Extracting the precious from the worthless is the message of the cross.? The fallen race remains precious in God’s sight. John 3:16 makes this quite plain.? “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” (Jn3:16)

This is worth repeating — We must always keep in mind that the salvation of any sinner is precious in the sight of God. But also precious is the restoration of the child of God who has gone astray. We must never treat the child of God who has gone astray as a pariah. [A pariah is a person? rejected as an outcast.]?

I don’t think we’ve ever reached the depth of understanding God’s love for fallen Adam.? He provided the answer. Once again it was at the cross that God separated? sin from? the sinner. This is why there is no salvation but by way of the cross. The cross is always the answer for both the sinner and the straying child.

But Jeremiah received another instruction concerning being God’s messenger to straying Israel. Listen again: “They for their part may turn to you, but as for you, you must not turn to them.”

The message is about ‘returning.’ God’s messenger must never agree with? the? sinful mind set of the? world or allow the straying child of God to think that their sins are alright in the sight of God.? Sin must always be dealt with as sin. Yet the messenger must always express God’s lovingkindness towards those who are turning to Him or who are returning to Him.?

Over the years the Lord has given me songs that express His heart towards the Adam race. One of my personal favorites is entitled, ‘What Kind of Man is This?’ Perhaps you would like to hear it. Click on:

http://www.christianchallenge.org/audio/music/04_What%20Kind%20of%20Man%20is%20This.mp3
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Extracting the precious from the worthless will always be the? working principle of the cross.? It is? exacting work. It has to be? conducted in lovingkindness and? gentleness.? God does not want His people damaged by careless? words and actions.

Remember the parable where the? servants asked if the master? wanted them to remove the tares from among the wheat?? He said,? “No; for while you are gathering up the tares, you may uproot the wheat with them. Allow both to grow together until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, ‘First gather up the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them up; but gather the wheat into my barn.’” (cf. Matthew 13:24-30)

Extracting the tares from the wheat is God’s work. He alone knows how to do it without damaging the wheat.? What? needs to be pointed out with this parable is that the tare looks so much like wheat that only someone with a trained eye? would? know the difference. (Think about that.) ?

Notice carefully that? the people? Jesus? rebuked most often were the religious minded leaders.? He rebuked them mainly because of how they treated the common people.? In fact Jesus? told the Pharisees that the? tax collectors and the prostitutes would get into the kingdom of God before they would.? (cf. Matthew 21:31)

A good example is when the men dragged? the woman who had been caught in adultry in front of Jesus. They said, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in adultry, in the very act. Now in the Law? Moses commanded us to stone such wolmen; what then do You say?” (cf. John 8:3-11)

You know the story — Jesus wrote on the ground and remained silent. They kept pressing Him for a response. The Lord simply said, “He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.”

The crowd dispersed and that left only Jesus and the woman. Jesus spoke to her saying, “Woman, where are they? Did no one condemn you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” Then Jesus said to her, “I do not condemn you, either. Go. From now on sin no more.” (He meant that she should get out of the sinning business that had caused her dilemna.)

Let me share just a bit more about the straying child of God. Does it happen? Most certainly. All of us have been as straying sheep in our lives. The Lord always seeks us out to restore us in His faithfulness.

But again we need to address the attitude of the one that the Lord would use with regard to restoring the wandering sheep. Here are two Scripture portions that address this:

“The Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.” (2Ti2:24-26)?

Some may wonder if this is speaking of a misled child of God or if Paul is speaking of an unsaved person.? The context appears to have the believer in view who has come under some deceptive influence.

Then we have this concerning? the brother who had been caught up in a deviation from a true walk with the Lord.? Paul says,

“Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.” (Gal6:1-3 - The Greek for ‘trespass’ means, a false step, a falling aside, that is, a deviation from righteousness.’)

In both portions we find the word ‘gentleness’ being used. Why such a stress on gentleness? It is because gentleness is the true nature of? Jesus Himself. David said, “You have also give me the shield of salvation, and Your right hand upholds me; and Your gentleness makes me great.” (Psa18:35)

Jesus said, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.
Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.? For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Matt11:28-30)

See? how often the term gentleness is used. What think ye?? Do we need to learn how to? extract the precious from the worthless?

Blessings,

Buddy

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