Judges 17. The first appendix: Some precautionary principles before studying apostasy.

Title: Judges 17. The first appendix: Some precautionary principles before studying apostasy.

 

Last time we discussed the pressure that comes upon the believer who recognizes that he is to live in the perfect plan of God. The new life of the believer is supernatural and cannot be lived in by human effort. The believer is to follow the word of God precisely and his is to trust in the power of the Holy Spirit to make such a life a reality. Not one believer has to fear this heavenly life since all have been given the word and the Spirit.

 

Such a life will not be forced upon any believer. He must come to know it and he must long for it as his one and only life, which is exactly what it is for a new creature in Christ. Every believer will fail, and if he forgets the grace of God, he will be excessively burdened by his failures.

 

Grace rids us of guilt and despite the occasional failures we all have, we walk by means of God the Holy Spirit.

 

Our last point is worthy of repetition.

 

What then do we do with the burden of perfection? We cast that burden upon the Lord and rush headlong into the plan of God with the joy of grace, entire forgiveness, and total reliance on the Holy Spirit.

 

Naturally, the guilt is a result of failure, which all of us experience more than we would like or would admit. Grace removes this while not removing the hunger for the perfect spiritual life. In grace we put our weaknesses in His hands while we still fight them with truth and the Spirit. In grace we leave remorse for failure in His hands while we still desire not to fail. We do not justify it or blame something for it. It was our doing and we possess a godly sorrow over it, but even that is put in His hands. We cannot live the life of Christ in joy while we hold on to sorrow over failures. As we closed with on Sunday: we are complete in Him. Since that is true, none of us are defined by our failures. We have been defined by the Lord Jesus Christ as holy; set apart unto Him.

 

1Ti 1:18 This command I entrust to you, Timothy, my son, in accordance with the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may fight the good fight,

 

1Ti 1:19 keeping faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and suffered shipwreck in regard to their faith.

 

1Ti 6:11 But flee from these things, you man of God; and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness.

 

1Ti 6:12 Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

 

1Ti 6:13 I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who testified the good confession before Pontius Pilate,

 

1Ti 6:14 that you keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ,

 

Is there good behind every evil? Did God create it with some plan behind it? Or, does evil exist because God has allowed creatures to fall, and by their own selfish and bad decisions, evil comes?

 

By the scripture it is clearly the latter, and so we must not waste time trying to find the good purpose behind every evil, for their isn't one. God does turn a curse into a blessing, as in allowing Joseph to be sold into slavery by his brothers only to end up in Egypt and become the prime minister. God overcomes evil as good overcomes evil, but why did Joseph's brothers do such evil? They were evil by choice. God did not make them so.

 

On the first day of creation God created light, but He allowed the darkness to continue. There was day and there was night.

 

Evil exists in this world due to the free-will of man to commit sin and do evil. We are not looking for good in evil. The church has become guilty of theologizing evil, and in thinking that God has created it for good, and looking for that good, the church has only become intellectually baffled by evil, and showing herself impotent to vanquish it. The New Testament exhibits a church that is not intellectually baffled by evil but is spiritually empowered in fighting it. Not eradicating it from the world, but fighting it and winning by saving men's souls and delivering them from evil through the gospel, the Spirit, and the truth. So often today, the church is intellectually baffled by evil, and is significantly ineffective in and largely apathetic toward combating it.

 

2Ti 4:5 But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

 

All of us have a ministry to fulfill.

 

2Ti 4:6 For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come.

 

2Ti 4:7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith;

 

2Ti 4:8 in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.

 

As He said before Pontius Pilate, His kingdom is not of this world. Our lives are destined as heavenly and our crown is His appearing, since our love of Him must also be our love of His appearing, we hope not in this world but in the crown of righteousness, the royalty of Christ's righteousness, which every believer may walk in by faith.