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1. Blameless
1. Look
at I Corinthians 1:8 Who
shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless
in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Did you ever hear somebody tell you Matthew
24:13, But he that shall endure
unto the end, the same shall be saved. When they tell
you that, you give them I Corinthians 1:8.
We are not to worry about enduring to the end. We are going to endure to the end. How do I know we are? Because the Lord is going to confirm us unto the end. The Lord is going to keep you and me all the way. "Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ." (I don't believe it is going to be easy, though. See Philadelphian church (Rev 3:10) vs Laodicean church (Rev 3:18).
Now, note the word in. The Christian is not completely blameless until after the judgment seat is over. At the judgment seat, every one receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. II Corinthians 5:10. So, we will be "blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ" as II Thessalonians 2:2 calls it the "day of Christ" - we will be blameless then! The day of Christ is the 'second advent,' not the rapture, by the way.
While it is true that our sins are not imputed to us today, we will still have a 'blameful' record based on our walk. We must receive for our wrong, too! (I Timothy 5:24; Colossians 3:25) Amen? Come on, amen? Amen!
That information ought to bother some folks!!
It isn't all just living happily ever after in God's sweet grace,
doing what you 'want' or even what you say you 'have to do!'
We still ought to do what HE tells us to do, not what 'we' want!
2. Testimony
of Christ
I Corinthians 1:6 Even
as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you: the
testimony of Christ is the testimony of Jesus Christ Himself being truth
- salvation - we have put our trust in "all that Jesus Christ is"
- that also includes this King James Bible!
Our salvation is 'confirmed' in us - and is confirmed
through this Book!
We should know in our heart about some infallible proofs that 'confirm'
the testimony of Christ in us!
a) We have those people who don't have His salvation and don't want it - they don't believe it exists and they do what they can to try to outwardly live without it, they reject it, rebel against it, deny it and they even go to great efforts to try to disprove it! (almost like they still believe it to be, eh!) THEY HAVE NO TESTIMONY OF CHRIST FOR SALVATION, BUT THEY HAVE ONE FOR DAMNATION! John 16:8-11 - it is called judgment! They know in their heart. Romans 1:18-20+, thus they go to such efforts!
b) We have those who think they have it, but aren't sure
- so they just do the religious thing!
II Timothy 3:1-7
...Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such
turn away. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead
captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts,
Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.
Titus 1:16 They
profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable,
and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.
c) We have those who say they KNOW they have received Christ because they know that we are supposed to be able to KNOW, so they claim they know!
d) We have those who have had their salvation - the testimony of Christ - confirmed in them!
Which one are you?
...and trust Him to take them!
Because of your real trust and faith, your past
passes away,
your present changes more and more each day
and your future becomes exciting!
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is
a new creature:
old things are passed away; behold, all
things are become new.
And all things are of God, who hath reconciled
us to himself by Jesus Christ,
and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;
II Corinthians 5:17,18
You must forget - even reject - your past life! You are no longer who/what you were!
Your present life MUST change! It can not
"NOT change!"
You change on the inside and eventually you change on the outside...
or the inside flesh battles the Spirit constantly!
Your future life awaits and will be based on what
and how you handle the present - not the past!!!
Turn to Romans
7:7b-11 - we know our 'birth'day all too well, but do we know
our 'death'day?
Seriously! Do you know when you
died?
When did sin begin to deceive you? (vs
11)
When did sin finally slay you? (vs
11)
This is a must before you
can be 'born again!'
If you don't remember WHEN -
how do you know for sure IF?
Now read Galatians 3:22-25
Has faith come to you?
WHEN?
Has your life changed any?
Ephesians 2:1-3
And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;
Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world,
according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh
in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation
in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the
flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath,
even as others.
Galatians 5:19-23
Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication,
uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations,
wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings,
and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you
in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom
of God.
Good works?
Maybe you think you did these good works when
you were little / young? ... love, joy,
peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance...
Then you had to have done them in your own power! You probably just
didn't have as big basket of bad works as most folks, that's all.
Romans 3:23 -
For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.
Romans 5:12 Wherefore,
as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death
passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
Romans 5:19
For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience
of one shall many be made righteous.
Ephesians 2:8,9
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it
is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Has your life changed any
but NOT by your power and doings?
Amen - that is a good clue to a confirmed
testimony of Christ!
Or have things pretty much remained the
same -
although maybe with a few more good
things from the teaching and preaching you have heard?
Do you still get a little offended?
Do you not totally 'agree' with the Book?
We all know that salvation must
be by the heart, not by the head!
Romans 6:16-18
Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants
ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto
righteousness? But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin,
but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered
you. Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of
righteousness.
Romans 10:10
For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the
mouth confession is made unto salvation.
So, the devil must go after that word and the heart! Luke 8:12 Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.
Also see I John 4:1-3 and II Thessalonians 2:8-12. It looks to me like there are folks who 'think' they are saved, but who really are not - they only think they are. That is the ultimate deception!!! Matthew 7:21-23 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. I am aware of the doctrinal application to that verse, but it still tells us that there were, are and will be folks who think they are God's people - and God doesn't know them!
Has faith come to your
heart?
Has your faith "in"
Jesus Christ given you the faith "of" Jesus Christ?
Do you KNOW that you have died and have been born-again?
Has it been confirmed
in you?
Let's check it out...