Grace Needed! To Forgive Again!

by Eldon DeBoer  ( edeboer.gmm@gmail.com )

What I want to emphasize in this updated article is that forgiving someone is not a one time, now it's settled forever experience.  Many of us have felt that churning sensation within again and again as we re-live in our heads the hurt and pain we went through at the hands or words of someone.  So we need to look to our Savior for His grace to forgive again.

But before I address forgiving others allow me to make sure we all understand the forgiveness God extends to each of us through Christ Jesus for all eternity and how His forgiveness is extended to us in time from day to day and moment to moment.

By God's Grace We Are Forgiven Forever and Forgiven Again. And Again!

We are forgiven forever when we first place our faith in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 1:7). Being forgiven forever is a part of our eternal standing in Christ. It is a part of being identified with Him in His death and resurrection (Romans 6:1-5). We are sealed in Christ when we believe in Him and this is a permanent seal accomplished by the Spirit of God that includes being forgiven in eternity (Ephesians 1:13-14).

There is another dimension of being forgiven that should be understood. It is God forgiving us again and again for sins we continue to commit that cause us to be in spiritual darkness in our experience with God here and now. While I am forgiven of all sins in Christ forever, in order to live in the light and have true fellowship with God from moment to moment I must confess my sins each and every time the Spirit makes me aware that I have missed a mark that He has set for me to live by.

“If we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

What a glorious truth and encouraging statement of God's grace for forgiveness. When we fail to live as we should and acknowledge it to God, He is "faithful and just to forgive us" through Christ Jesus (cp. 1 John 2:1-2). And He cleanses us "from all unrighteousness"! We should know we are right with Him when we confess our sin, even though we have failed Him again by sinning against Him. This is the grace of God at work! And how encouraging it is to know this.

This truth of God's grace for forgiveness is illustrated in the life of a prominent leader of old. God was looking for a leader, a king, who would be a man after His own heart (1 Samuel 13:22). In other words, God was looking for a man to lead His people who wanted to be like Himself more than anything else. You probably know who that man was. Yes, it was David; a shepherd boy who became king of Israel. Was David, the man after God's own heart, perfect? Far from it. He clearly understood how desperately he needed the grace of God in forgiveness. He emphasized this when he wrote Psalm 32 and Psalm 51 after he recovered from a sin that brought a great deal of pain into the lives of many people (2 Samuel 11 & 12). Yet, long after he had died, he was still remembered as someone whose heart was “devoted” to God (1 Kings 11:4; Acts 13:22). How encouraging it is to know that God forgives and that we can recover like David did and be useful to our Lord and Savior once again.

The truth that God forgives us again and again because of Jesus Christ's suffering in our place is a reality that should deeply grip our hearts when we pause to think about what it means. No matter how often we fall to a sinful weakness, be it a wrong thought or behavior, the Lord Jesus forgives us again. And again! And again!! Through confession we recover from being in spiritual darkness and re-enter the light and joy of fellowship with God.

“ . . . these things we write to you that your joy may be full. This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:4-7).

Like King David, the Apostle Paul wrote of His struggle with sin after being a believer in Christ for a number of years and how he hated it (Romans 7:15-24). He found himself thinking and doing what he knew what was wrong over and over. But when He came to himself by the ministry of the Spirit in His life, He exclaimed,

“Oh wretched man that I am! who will set me free from the body of this death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord (Romans 7:24-25).

Yes, Christ Jesus “sets us free” again and again from our spiritual deadness and uselessness to God when we sin as believers. It is thought that what Paul had in mind by the phrase “the body of this death” was the practice in his day of chaining a cadaver to a person who had been guilty of an offense that warranted the death penalty. Gangrene would set in and the guilty person would experience a horrible, drawn-out, painful death.

Who will release us from the horrible influence of our sins? From "the body of this death?" Who will deliver us from our spiritual deadness and uselessness to God while we are living in the dark because of sin? Christ Jesus sets us free from this dead condition the again and again. He forgives us every time we admit that we have sinned against Him. And because of our appreciation for His suffering in our place to provide for this forgiveness, because of His love and grace, we should cry out to Him for His help to stop succumbing to the sin. But in our frailty when we fall to that weakness again, that sin that plagues us, He forgives us again. And we then can enjoy fellowship with Him once more and live in His light and the light of His Word, the light of His teachings from the Bible.

Because of the work of Christ Jesus, God forgives us forever and He forgives us again and again when we confess our sin, when we simply admit to Him that we have done wrong. That's grace!!! And just as God forgives us again and again, He calls us to forgive others.

Jesus taught us to forgive again and again.

The Lord Jesus addressed the importance of forgiving again and again in Matthew 18:21-35.  He concluded his teaching by emphasizing that those who choose not to forgive will remain in spiritual torment until they do forgive (18:34-35).  Strong words but so very true.  The passage begins with the familiar question for Jesus from Peter.

"Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?''

Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.”

Peter probably thought he was being very generous when he asked this question about forgiveness. Certainly forgiving “up to seven times” goes beyond what God requires of us. Louis Barbieri, Jr., notes that “the traditional Rabbinic teaching was that an offended person needed to forgive a brother only three times” (The Bible Knowledge Commentary, 62). In what follows in Matthew 18, Peter’s lack of understanding becomes obvious in the story that Jesus told about the king and his two servants. Apparently Peter did not realize the application of God’s forgiveness to forgiving others. It seems that he did not have much appreciation for the truth that the Lord had forgiven him a huge debt of sin. He did not apply the foundational truth that we all need to understand in order to forgive from the heart.

When Jesus told Peter that we should keep on forgiving up to 490 times, he was not saying that we should keep a ledger of the sins against us. The expression, “up to seventy times seven,” emphasizes that we should keep on forgiving and not keep track of the number of times someone sins against us.

A summary of God’s provisions for maintaining a heart of forgiveness:

1. Remember that in and through Jesus Christ, God has forgiven you a huge debt of sin. Keep in mind that no one can offend you or sin against you to the degree that you have sinned against God (Matthew 18:27).

2. Ponder and dwell on the wondrous love and forgiveness God has granted to you through Christ Jesus (Ephesians 1:7; 1 John 1:9-2:2).

Think about the awful cost of your deliverance by the Son of God Himself. Keep your eyes on Jesus (Ephesians 4:29-5:2; Colossians 3:1-16; 1 Peter 1:17-21; Hebrews 12:1-3).

3. Recognize that you cannot maintain a heart of forgiveness and forgive again for the right reasons in your own strength (John 15:5).

4. Keep in mind the Lord’s command to not take your righteous wrath to bed (Ephesians 4:25-27).

5. Be on the alert for signs of sinful anger and bitterness (Matthew 18:35). Remain sensitive to the convicting work of the Spirit from the Word of God (Hebrews 4:12; Ephesians 4:30-31; Colossians 3:8-10; Hebrews 12:15).

6. Confess to the Lord the sin of an unforgiving spirit when the Holy Spirit causes you to realize that this is the reason for the emotional torture of bitterness and anger (1 John 1:9; cp. Matthew 6:14-15; Psalm 32:1-6).

7. Cry out to God for the grace to keep on maintaining a heart of forgiveness to forgive again and again so that your life will be a testimony to His love and grace (John 13:35; 2 Peter 3:18; 2 Corinthians 12:9-10).

Jesus taught that refusing to forgive is itself a sin and breaks fellowship with God (Matthew 6:14-15). When a believer refuses to forgive, God will not forgive him until it is confessed as sin (1 John 1:9; Psalm 32:1-5). This is forgiveness for fellowship with God in this life. Every believer remains forgiven in Christ forever whether he or she forgives or not (Ephesians 1:7). The importance of forgiving others and the sin of refusing to forgive in Matthew 6 and 18 has to do with continuing in fellowship in a meaningful relationship with Jesus here and now in this life.

What does it mean to forgive someone?

When we forgive someone we put away the person’s sin against us. The word translated forgive (aphiemi) means to put away. When we forgive, as far as we are concerned, the person is no longer guilty of his sin against us. This is what Jesus did when He was being crucified (Luke 23:34). He put away their sin of crucifying Him and therefore they would not receive immediate judgment from God for that sin.

After Jesus had raised Lazarus from the dead, He told them, “Loose him and let him go” (John 11:44, NKJV). “Let . . . go” is the translation of aphiemi. This provides a fitting analogy that addresses attention to what we do for people when we forgive them. When we forgive someone we no longer keep the person in bondage to the guilt of their sin. As far as we are concerned the person is not guilty. We let him go and he thereby is set free from his guilt against us. This does not mean that an individual should never be held accountable for his sin against us. At times justice must be applied. This will be addressed at another time.

Peter’s lack of understanding concerning God’s standards for forgiving one another is not unusual among believers. Many believers do not understand the application of this truth. But what is it that believers need to grasp in order to forgive from the heart? The parable Jesus told provides the answer.

Heart-felt Forgiveness Flows from Being Forgiven a Huge Debt

In this parable the king of the servant who has incurred a huge debt is God the Father Himself. There are a number of views concerning what a talent would be worth in today’s currency, but according to one source the amount equaled about 15 years wages. If you earned an average of $30,000 a year multiplied times 15, times 10,000, your debt would be $4,500,000,000. The main point of the Lord’s illustration is that since God has forgiven us so very much, we are to forgive others from our hearts. If you appreciate the huge debt of sin that God has forgiven you, you will keep on forgiving others who sin against you. This is precisely what the servant did not do. His lack of appreciation for how much his lord had forgiven him was expressed in his refusal to forgive a fellow servant of a far lesser debt of sin. Consequently, he was handed over to the torturers (cp. Hebrews 12:4-15).

Our sins are ultimately against our holy heavenly Father.

The two servants in the story Jesus told are both representative of believers in Christ Jesus. The wicked servant who refused to forgive had incurred a debt beyond his ability to repay. When we sin against our holy God, we should understand that we are unable to pay back the debt we owe due to our sins. We do not have the ability to repay our Lord for sins committed against Him. Our sins are too great. All the Father asks is that we go to him and admit our need of His forgiveness. God always treats us in grace and forgives us because our debt has been paid through the suffering and death of Christ Jesus. The wicked servant had been forgiven by his lord. But when he refused to forgive a fellow servant, he was turned over to the torturers because of his sin of refusing to forgive. We should keep in mind that ultimately our sins are sins against our holy God and only His forgiveness removes the sin and the guilt. David understood this and expressed his indebtedness to God. After he had confessed his sin of adultery against Uriah and Bathsheba, he said to the Lord,

Against You, You only, have I sinned, And done this evil in Your sight

That You may be found just when You speak, And blameless when You judge.           (Psalm 51:4)

David was well aware that he was worthy of death. And he knew that God could take His Spirit from him (Psalm 51:11). (While this cannot happen to a believer today in the Church Age, it could happen to believers in the Old Testament. Believers today fully receive the Spirit when they believe in Jesus and He continues to indwell them no matter how sinful they might become.) When we sin against the Lord God we should understand that all sins, whether seemingly significant or insignificant to us, are offenses against our holy heavenly Father and are huge in His sight.

Yet some sins cause more damage than others. It could be that the wicked servant is an illustration of a believer who has received forgiveness for a sin that has caused a great deal of damage to others. Whatever the case, the teaching is clear. Believers should maintain forgiving hearts because the holy God has forgiven them a huge debt of sin.

Sins and offenses against you

When someone does something that hurts you, there are times when the person who has offended you may not even be aware of the hurt that has been caused. Then, to the other extreme, there are sins that obviously are motivated by maliciousness. There are offenses that are perceived to be damaging which may not even be sinful at all. Sometimes we can be too sensitive about what others do to us. Whatever the case, when we feel that someone has hurt us, God calls us to forgive them. When we have disagreements with others or complaints against others for whatever reason, the Lord says,

Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.                    (Colossians 3:12-13)

The Lord calls us to forgive as He has forgiven us in Christ.

Since God has forgiven us a huge debt of sin we are to forgive others. This is an important part of the Spirit of the Lord’s concern as He moved the Apostle Paul to write Ephesians. Having proclaimed the truth of the everlasting spiritual blessing of our forgiveness in Christ (Ephesians 1:7), Paul emphasizes the importance of forgiving one another:

And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ also forgave you. (Ephesians 4:32)

Forgiving one another is what accompanies being kind and tenderhearted. If believers prominently keep in mind the forgiveness that was bought and paid for by Jesus (Ephesians 5:1-2), they should keep on maintaining a forgiving heart. Notice that Paul points to God’s forgiveness as the basis for our forgiveness. The word translated forgive in this passage emphasizes grace in forgiveness (charizomai). We communicate kindness and tenderheartedness as we keep on forgiving others.

Our emotional vulnerability when angry

The fact that we should guard against not letting go of justified anger or righteous wrath before we go to bed is clear from what we are told in Ephesians 4:26-27:

"'Be angry (orgizo) and do not sin': do not let the sun go down on your wrath(parorgismos) nor give place to the devil" (note the root word orge found in parorgismos).

We should never go to sleep filled with anger, even though our anger may be justified because of the hurt and injury that someone caused. May we look to the Lord for the grace to put our righteous wrath to rest against those who have sinned against us or, possibly, others as well. This warning is accompanied by the real danger that even righteous wrath might turn to bitterness and sinful anger and that this may be used by the devil and his cohorts to bring us into spiritual bondage.

We understand from personal experience that often our emotions cause us to lose the ability to think clearly. When sinful emotions take over we are “in the dark” spiritually. God tells us we should be alert to this and we must draw upon His grace to overcome these harmful emotions.

Put away the emotions that torture you because you refuse to forgive.

Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. Ephesians 4:31

At times, when we are reminded of the hurt that someone caused, bitterness and sinful anger apparently may overcome us. These emotions are often the torture that comes to us when we refuse to forgive. They are a huge part of the torture designed by God to get our attention. What are we to do about these sinful emotions? We are told to put them away or put them off (cf. Colossians 3:8). In Ephesians 4:31 “put away” translates airo which is also used in another place to explain how Christ Jesus came to taken away our sins (1 John 3:5).

When we do not put away someone’s sin against us by forgiving them, the Spirit of God is grieved (Ephesians 4:30). The fact that we are commanded to “put away” these sinful emotions tells us that by God’s grace, by the ministry of the Spirit through the new man, we can do something about them. We need not be enslaved to them. With God’s enabling grace, we can put a stop to these evil feelings.

Bitterness (pikria, Acts 8:23; Romans 3:14: Hebrews 12:15)) is the emotion that results when we dwell on how someone has hurt us and begin to think about revenge. We become self-centered and filled with self-pity. We can only think about ourselves or how we might vindicate ourselves. Wrath (thumos, Luke 4:28; Acts 19:28) and anger (orge, 1 Timothy 2:8; James 1:19-20) are expressed as we “clamor” for attention and speak evil of the offender. We begin to plan malicious acts against our offenders.

This was not true of Stephen (Acts 7). Stephen demonstrated the grace of God as he was being stoned to death. His final words were words of forgiveness and love for those who took his life. It seems that this left a marked impression on a young man named Saul. Saul came to faith in Jesus as his Messiah and Savior a short time later and became the Apostle Paul who wrote the letter to the Ephesians. Paul knew about forgiveness and deeply appreciated the forgiveness of God. He had experienced the grace of God’s forgiveness. As the “chief of sinners” who had persecuted believers in Christ, Paul became well aware of his need for God’s forgiveness (1 Timothy 1:15-16).

How do we put away the sinful emotions that torture us?

God commands us to put away the sinful emotions that torture us. By the grace of God through the ministry of the Spirit working through the new man we can put away our sinful emotions. When the Holy Spirit convicts you about your sinful emotions confess them as sin. Then prayerfully consider the question, “Have I committed some sin that caused these sinful emotions?” Oftentimes it is the sin of refusing to forgive that has caused these emotions to surface. When the Spirit brings to your attention that refusing to forgive is the sin that is at the root of these emotional responses, then that sin must be confessed as well. Receive the forgiveness granted to you by God through Christ by admitting you have sinned (1 John 1:7, 9). Then remind yourself of the huge debt of sin that God has forgiven you in Christ. Ponder the wonder of His love and grace that He has expressed to you.

Putting these sinful emotions away is not easy (duh!). We may find that it is very difficult to completely let go of the offense against us. We forgive and let go and then we pick it up again in our thoughts. We find ourselves hanging on to it and we rework it in our minds over and over again. Very soon afterwards we are filled with bitterness and sinful anger. Hopefully we do not descend to the point of clamoring for attention by talking about it with others. May we stop short of seeking revenge. May we not carry out injurious plans for personal vindication (cf. Romans 12:14-21).

Thankfully, when we confess these sins and receive cleansing from God once again, we return to the high road of forgiveness in God’s plan for us. Our thoughts should then turn to Jesus and we should once again ponder the great debt of sin that we have been forgiven because of Jesus’ sacrifice in our place. Do we deserve to be forgiven? No. Does the person who has sinned against us deserve to be forgiven. No. Yet, God’s plan for our lives is that we forgive as He forgave. When we do forgive because we have been forgiven in Christ and maintain forgiveness from the heart, God will free us from the emotional torture of bitterness and anger. When we apply God’s Word by His Spirit, He gives us peace.

And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. Colossians 3:15-16

Forgive and illustrate the grace of God.

We illustrate the grace and love of God when we forgive others. This is crucially important in the ministry of a church. By forgiving one another and putting up with each other, believers may powerfully communicate the love and grace of God shown them in Christ Jesus.

The chapter break is unfortunate at the close of Ephesians 4 because the following verses emphasize the importance of being like God in forgiveness and in the demonstration of love by Jesus Christ’s death.

Therefore be followers of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.

(Ephesians 5:1-2

When we maintain hearts of forgiveness we demonstrate to others that we truly are followers of God. When we keep on forgiving we shine forth the light of the truth of Christ and are behaving in a way that is consistent with whom we are in Christ. We have received total and complete everlasting forgiveness in Christ. We are light in the Lord (Ephesians 5:8). When we keep on forgiving we are walking as children of light. We are behaving wisely by the power of the Spirit of God (5:15-21).

By the grace of God through the ministry of the Spirit through the new man created in the image of Christ (Colossians 3:10), we may overcome the emotional torment caused by refusing to forgive. We may express the love and grace to others that God has given us in Christ Jesus.

Jesus warned those who do not forgive from the heart that they would be turned over to the torturers (Matthew 18:35). The heavenly Father will bring severe discipline upon those who refuse to forgive (Hebrews 12:3-15). Often this discipline from the Father includes emotional torture.

May we forgive from the heart because we appreciate that we have been forgiven a huge debt of sin by our holy God and thereby be free of the emotional torture that results from refusing to forgive.

A summary of God’s provisions for maintaining a heart of forgiveness:

1. Remember that in and through Jesus Christ, God has forgiven you a huge debt of sin. Keep in mind that no one can offend you or sin against you to the degree that you have sinned against God (Matthew 18:27).

2. Ponder and dwell on the wondrous love and forgiveness God has granted to you through Christ Jesus (Ephesians 1:7; 1 John 1:9-2:2).

Think about the awful cost of your deliverance by the Son of God Himself. Keep your eyes on Jesus (Ephesians 4:29-5:2; Colossians 3:1-16; 1 Peter 1:17-21; Hebrews 12:1-3).

3. Recognize that you cannot maintain a heart of forgiveness and forgive again for the right reasons in your own strength (John 15:5).

4. Keep in mind the Lord’s command to not take your righteous wrath to bed (Ephesians 4:25-27).

5. Be on the alert for signs of sinful anger and bitterness (Matthew 18:35). Remain sensitive to the convicting work of the Spirit from the Word of God (Hebrews 4:12; Ephesians 4:30-31; Colossians 3:8-10; Hebrews 12:15).

6. Confess to the Lord the sin of an unforgiving spirit when the Holy Spirit causes you to realize that this is the reason for the emotional torture of bitterness and anger (1 John 1:9; cp. Matthew 6:14-15; Psalm 32:1-6).

7. Cry out to God for the grace to keep on maintaining a heart of forgiveness to forgive again and again so that your life will be a testimony to His love and grace (John 13:35; 2 Peter 3:18; 2 Corinthians 12:9-10).

Your questions and comments are appreciated ( edeboer.gmm@gmail.com ).

God's Plan for Dealing with Worry

by Eldon DeBoer

 

We all struggle with it from time to time. Some of us struggle with it a lot. This thing called worry. Worry involves continuing to have anxious thoughts about what is happening to us. The result is a detrimental negative mental and emotional condition.  The reason I allow worry to dominate my thoughts is because I have failed to apply the truth of God and His Word to what I am facing.  Worry happens because I lack faith in the Lord and in His Word as it should be applied to what is plaguing me.  Yes, I too struggle with worry.

George Mueller stated, “The beginning of anxiety is the end of faith, and the beginning of true faith is the end of anxiety.” “Whatever is not of faith is sin” from Romans 14:23, is the biblical basis for Mueller’s conclusion (cp. Philippians 4:6-7).

It is humbling to recognize that until we see Jesus and are transformed into His likeness we will not be completely free of worry with no lapses from it. We succumb to the weaknesses of our sinful nature. Our faith is not yet perfect. But we may be free of worry, for a while at least, as we turn our eyes upon Jesus and trust in Him again.

Let’s consider the teaching that the Lord has provided in Philippians so that you may be free from worry.

Stop worrying because you trust in the Lord and trust in His Word.  Philippians 4:6

Philippians 4:6 starts off with the command, “Be anxious for nothing,” or “Don’t worrying about anything” (NLT). In order to heed this command we must have confidence in the Lord and His Word.

Believers who “stand firm in the Lord” know what to do with their worries (cf. Philippians 4:1). You may “Stand firm in the Lord” by“pressing on” toward the goal of knowing Christ (3:10,14) with the truth fixed firmly in your thinking that He has made you a citizen of heaven (3:20-21).

When we make knowing Christ the number one priority in life, the troubles that may cause anxiety may be viewed from His perspective from the teachings of His Word more and more.

 

Hudson Taylor, missionary to China and founder of what is presently known as the Overseas Missionary Fellowship, gave this excellent advice: "Let us give up our work, our plans, ourselves, our lives, our loved ones, our influence, our all, right into [God’s] hand; and then, when we have given all over to Him, there will be nothing left for us to be troubled about."

Citizens of heaven who are rejoicing in the Lord and want a vital and meaningful personal relationship with Christ know what to do with their worries (Philippians 3:1; 4:4). They place everything in God’s hands, especially their worries. And they talk to the Lord about the anxiety they are facing and its causes. They apply step two.

Talk to the Lord about what is happening as you keep in mind that the Lord will hear and respond.  You can trust in Jesus.

As a believer in Jesus you certainly should know that you can trust Him. Life may not be what you had expected or hoped for. Stuff happens, decisions are made that you wish you could back and change.  But remember, Jesus loved you enough to suffer and die in your place so that you could enjoy Him and His heaven forever. So talk to the Lord about the specifics of what is going on in your life. Pray for the Lord’s insight. Ask Him, “What principles from Your Word should be applied to what I am facing?

The Lord declared through Jeremiah, “Blessed is the man who trusts (batach) in the LORD and whose trust (mibtach) is the LORD” (17:7). Then He described what this man is like:

For he will be like a tree planted by the water,

That extends its roots by a stream
And will not fear when the heat comes;
But its leaves will be green,
And it will not be anxious in a year of drought
Nor cease to yield fruit.

Believers who keep on trusting in the Lord have stability in life and do not become filled with anxiety when their lives go through seasons of drought. When times and relationships become troublesome, they are not overcome with worry. This is addressing what is generally true of a mature believer in Christ. However, no one has perfect faith. Therefore, there may still be occasional times of anxiety. But we should understand that when we side step God's plan for dealing with worry we have failed to make the proper application of the truth to what is taking place. We are failing to trust in the Lord and His Word.

Keep talking to the Lord about the stress in your life. Is there anything He wants you to do in response to what He has placed in your path? In addition to talking to the Lord about it, maybe there are some specific things He wants you to do. Ask the Lord Jesus to help you evaluate your worries. It may be needful to seek the counsel of another believer in Christ who may be able to share some insights from the Word of God that apply to your circumstances.

Ask the Lord, “What is the root cause of my worries?” Think through what may be underneath the cause of your anxious thoughts and feelings. Maybe you will find that you have anxiety for no good reason.

Believers who faithfully renew their confidence in the Lord and His plan are able to apply His Word by His grace.

Talk to Jesus with an attitude of thankfulness because you know the Lord Jesus will work out His plan for your good in your life.
Praying “with thanksgiving” is in keeping with the commands in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-19.

"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit."

A rejoicing and thankful heart is from the Lord and His grace as we remember the promise of Romans 8:28 for all who love God. 

"We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God."  (HCSB)

All the circumstances of life should be viewed from God’s perspective from divine viewpoint, as much as possible. When we are confident that the Lord will somehow bring about good through the very troubles we are facing we may be thankful as we keep on talking with Him about life as it is. 

The importance of taking in the Word of God, pondering the truth He has given to us should be obvious. When we willfully turn away from the Lord and His Word we are quenching His Spirit’s work in us.

We talk to the Lord and are thankful because we believe in Him. He has the answers to our worries. He is providentially ordering our life. A thankful attitude in the face of very difficult times is from the Lord by His grace and the ministry of His Spirit.

We can be thankful because we know the Lord always has our growth and productivity in mind (cf. John 15:7-8). We are able to be thankful by His grace when we understand that He wants us to enjoy an intimate, even better personal relationship with Him (John 14:1, 23; Ephesians 3:16-19; Revelation 3:19-20). And most times it is only by undergoing stressful times that we get closer to Him (James 1:1-6). May we view the stress that is causing the worries with an attitude of thankfulness to the Lord.

When you apply this teaching from Philippians, you’ll experience God’s peace within. The promise of Philippians 4:7 is based upon applying 4:6.

God Promises Peace   Philippians 4:7

God’s peace will guard your heart and mind. The Lord Jesus will give you emotional and mental stability by His grace.

God’s peace is not a result of your ability to work it out by yourself. This is what the phrase, “the peace of God which is beyond all understanding,” (nous) is about. God’s peace does not result from your mental abilities or psychological adjustments that you think you can conjure up on your own. God grants His peace by His grace to believers who want to know Christ more and more as they keep on applying Philippians 4:6.

All the praise should be offered up to the Lord Jesus for enabling you to stop worrying and giving you peace. When you turn your thoughts to Him and His Word, you should experience His peace within. This is the emphasis of what follows in Philippians 4:8-9:

"Moreover, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good reputation with God, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you."

When you apply the truth that the Apostle Paul taught by the Spirit, focusing on the Lord and His Word, “the God of peace will be with you.” God will give you a strong and healthy sense of well-being because you know Him and His plan for your life.

Five “don’ts” to avoid concerning your worries:

1. Don’t sweep your worries under a rug by attempting to ignore them.

Meet your worries head-on, trusting the Lord to give you the grace to face them by the application of His Word.

At this point, maybe you need something on the lighter side. For several years a woman had been having trouble getting to sleep at night because she feared burglars. One night her husband heard a noise in the house, so he went downstairs to investigate. When he got there, he did find a burglar. “Good evening,” said the man of the house. “I am pleased to see you. Come upstairs and meet my wife. She has been waiting 10 years to meet you" (William Marshall, Eternity Shut in a Span).

2. Don’t succumb to escape mechanisms.

Turning to alcohol or drugs is often caused by not dealing with anxieties from the Lord’s view that you may be experiencing. However, if your anxious thoughts do not diminish while you are seeking the Lord’s insight, it may be necessary to consult with someone who may be able to determine whether or not there is a physical problem causing the unusual level of anxiety.

3. Don’t worry about worrying. Don’t become anxious about your anxieties.

When you find yourself worrying again, thank the Lord that He has the grace solution to all your anxieties in your personal relationship with Him in understanding His Word and plan for your life.

But you may be wondering, “What do I do when I seem to “blind-sided” by anxious thoughts that tie me up in knots within?” This is what “for a while at least” in the brackets under the title of this message are about. Yes, this teaching provides for a worry free life in Philippians 4:6-7. But thinking that we can be worry free without any lapses this side of heaven is not being realistic. Everybody worries from time to time because no one has a perfect or complete faith. We have not yet been completely glorified with perfect natures. When the Holy Spirit brings to your attention that you are not applying Philippians 4:6-7 in your life confess it as sin, receive the Lord’s forgiveness, get your eyes back on Him and meditate on His Word (1 John 1:9 – 2:2; Hebrews 12:1-3). When the mental and emotional state of worry sweeps over you seemingly without notice and you find yourself fretting within, stop and reflect upon and ponder what you know to be true of Jesus Christ, what He has done for you and the wonderful relationship you may have with Him that He has made possible because He loved you so much and suffered for you.

4. Don’t worry about what may never happen.

A woman who had lived long enough to have learned some important truths about life remarked, “I’ve had a lot of trouble—most of which never happened!” She had worried about many things that had never occurred, and had come to see the total futility of her anxieties. Maybe just waiting and allowing some time to pass will alleviate the cause of your concerns.

J. Arthur Rank, an English executive, decided to do all his worrying on one day each week. He chose Wednesdays. When anything happened that gave him anxiety and annoyed his ulcer, he would write it down and put it in his worry box and forget about it until next Wednesday. The interesting thing was that on the following Wednesday when he opened his worry box, he found that most of the things that had disturbed him the past six days were already settled. It would have been useless to have worried about them.

5. Don’t confuse worry with concern.

We should be concerned about many things. But be alert for when legitimate concerns cause you to begin to fret within.

Try to imagine the task the Lord called His prophet Jeremiah to carry out. Certainly he had heartfelt concerns about what the Lord had called him to do and what he would witness. He had to tell the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem that the Lord God was going to bring judgment upon them. Because of the ongoing sinfulness of the Judeans, they would experience tremendous suffering at the hands of the Babylonians who the Lord had raised up. Jeremiah’s concern for the people he loved caused him to have deep levels of anxiety from time to time. This is especially evident by what he wrote in Lamentations. Jeremiah kept renewing his confidence in the Lord even though life was hard and certainly not what he would have chosen for himself.

May we be like Jeremiah. May we renew our trust in the Lord in the face of our concerns when we find that we have become anxious once again. How thankful we should be that the Lord Jesus will help us recover from our worries by His grace as we apply the principles from His Word.

This teaching is for believers in Christ Jesus who have placed faith in Him as their personal Savior. When you believe in Jesus Christ He will give you His Spirit so that you may stop worrying by His grace. You should know that He gives you much more in addition to freedom from worry. He gives you everlasting life with Himself forever because He suffered and died in your place on Calvary’s cross, bearing your sin in His body (John 6:47; chapters 19 – 20). He will make you free of worry forever with no lapses of trust in Him. Yes, you will have no more problems with worry and be given much more when you are perfectly transformed into His likeness and see Him face to face (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 1 John 3:1-3; Revelation 21:4). You will be completely free of struggles with stress. But until we see Jesus face to face and become totally like Him, we must draw upon His grace and His Spirit, seeking to apply the truth and teaching given in Philippians 4:6 so that we will experience God’s peace promised in 4:7.

Share your thoughts with me at edeboer.gmm@gmail.com.  Thanks.

Don't Live a Wasted Life by Falling from Grace

by Eldon DeBoer

A prominent concern that the Apostle Paul had for the believers of Galatia is expressed in 4:8-11:

Formerly, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those who by nature are not gods.

But now that you know God—or rather are known by God—how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable principles? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again? You are observing special days and months and seasons and years! I fear for you, that somehow I have wasted my efforts on you. (NIV)

How could Paul have wasted his efforts on the Galatians? They had heard the true gospel and believed in Christ. They had received everlasting life by faith alone in Jesus Christ alone (cf. Galatians 3:1-5). Yet Paul feared he had “wasted [his] efforts on” them because they apparently were buying into the same false message that Peter was approving by his behavior (2:11-12. Another article, which is available upon request (edeboer.gmm@gmail.com), “Acting in Line with the Truth of the Gospel,” addresses this in detail). They were “observing” certain laws that they thought were of God and apparently were thinking that this was necessary in order to secure their righteous eternal standing with God. Before believing in Christ for justification they had been “enslaved” by “those weak and miserable principles” and now they were returning to these rules thinking they must live by them in order to secure or remain secure in a right standing with God. Therefore Paul’s concern for such believers in these verses may be summarized this way:

Do not enslave yourself to a set of rules for fear that you will lose what cannot be taken from you. To do so is to live a wasted life.

Paul feared for the Galatians because they were in danger of living wasted lives. If his teachings of the grace message were not applied, his work with them would have been “wasted . . . efforts” because of the tragic result that their lives would remain unfruitful before God. This applies to believers through the present time. For, you see, believers in Christ will live forever with God whether or not they grasp and apply the message to the Galatians. They may live a wasted life or they may walk by faith applying the law of love because of Christ’s love for them and receive eternal rewards (Galatians 2:20; 4:10; 5:1-5). Paul indicates this in greater detail in Galatians 5 where he pointedly declares,

You have become estranged from Christ [have faded away from Christ], you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace. (Galatians 5:4; NKJV)

This verse sets forth the fact that those who attempt to be justified by the law have “become estranged from Christ” and “have fallen from grace.”

Some translations use words stronger than “estranged” which do not fit the larger context of this letter. The word translated “estranged” in the New King James is katargeo and may be rendered “faded away”. 

When a believer in Christ has fallen from grace by assuming he can secure his right standing with God by keeping a law he thinks is of God, the tragic result is that he has faded away from Christ in his experience, in his walk with Christ.

Believers in Christ who seek to secure their right standing with God or think that they can remain secure with him by obedience to the Law or a rule that they think is of God, “have faded away from Christ.” Their walk with Christ becomes that which is not compatible with grace because of their works orientation. If the people addressed had believed in Christ like Abraham did (Galatians 3:8ff.), they had not lost their eternal standing with God in Him, which is impossible (cf. Ephesians 1:13-14). But their relationship with Christ Jesus had been severely damaged. Believers in Christ who continue to try to “be justified by law” cannot have a meaningful and intimate personal relationship with Jesus. A grace oriented, meaningful relationship with the Savior in this life on earth is maintained only as a believer walks with Him by faith, obeying Him out of gratitude for having been completely justified by faith (Galatians 2:16-20; cf. Colossians 2:6-7).

By seeking to secure their right standing with God for eternity by obeying a set of rules, believers have “fallen from grace” in their experience with Christ. They no longer trust in Christ Jesus alone to provide their justification. Since they are seeking to be “justified by law” they have “fallen from grace” from the standpoint of their relationship with Christ in time. Instead of drawing strength and power from the Lord Jesus as they walk with Him by faith like Paul did (Galatians 2:20), they seek to be secure in their relationship with Him by obeying “rules and regulations” (4:9-11). Those who seek to secure a right standing with God in this way have become “burdened again by a yoke of slavery” (5:1). They have once again become enslaved to the law and know little or nothing of the freedom they could have in Christ. Therefore they have “fallen from grace” in their relationship with Christ Jesus here and now in time. Said another way, they have fallen out of favor with Christ in this life as they keep striving to be justified before Him by their obedience.

A Wasted Life is a Life that Has “Fallen from Grace” Galatians 5:13-24

There are two possible tragedies presented in Galatians that result from “falling from grace.”

1. Those who have fallen from grace live in danger of having a wasted fruitless life.

2. Those who have fallen from grace live in danger of leading others into a wasted fruitless life.

Believers who “attempt to be justified by law” do not communicate the grace message by the way they live their life and certainly cause confusion by what they communicate verbally to explain their behavior. Therefore they are ineffective as true ambassadors for the clear message of God's grace in Christ Jesus.

To whom does Galatians 5:4 apply?

It applied to believers in Antioch who were buying into the message of “the party of the circumcision.”

It also applied to the believers of the churches in the region of Galatia to whom Paul was writing who also had become confused by their false teachings.

Whenever believers in Christ attempt to secure their righteous standing with God (to be “justified by law”) by their obedience to any rule or rules, they have “fallen from grace,” they have faded from Christ. This does not mean they have lost their eternal standing with God, but that their life in relationship to Christ in time here on earth is no longer grace-based. They fall from grace in practice but not from their position in Christ.

Peter had fallen from grace in practice, but not in position.

To a limited extent Galatians 5:4 may have been applied to Peter (2:11-15). The application is limited because Paul does not explicitly state that Peter actually bought into the false message of the legalistic Jews. Peter feared them and therefore he had fallen from grace by what he communicated by his behavior. He had fallen from grace in practice, while remaining in Christ positionally for all eternity.

While this letter to the Galatians does not explicitly state that Peter himself was trying to be “justified by law” it clearly is implied in chapter 2 that his behavior would have communicated that he had sided with those those who were communicating this false teaching.

Believers Who Are Free to Have a Fruitful Life by the Spirit

In contrast to those who have fallen from grace, those who are of Christ walk by the Spirit of God by faith in love and bear the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). They also are enabled by the Spirit to have victory over sin in their life:

And those who are Christ's (who have not “become estranged” from Him as stated in 5:4) have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. (Galatians 5:24).

Believers have the wonderful gift of the Spirit and are thereby able to put to death the sinful flesh and manifest the fruit of the Spirit. This is what should to be characteristic of their lives.

In contrast to those who walk by the Spirit, are those who are guilty of the sins from the sin list in Galatians 5:19-21. Believers who have faded from Christ may be found guilty of these sins:

• Contentions/enmities/antagonistic
• Jealousies/envy
• selfish ambitions/selfishness
• dissensions/party spirit
• heresies/factions/disagreements
• sexual sins
• idolatry
• sorcery
• drunkenness
• orgies/carousing

Some believers often question the eternal salvation of people guilty of sins they consider to be particularly “gross” that are included in this list. The fact of the matter is that their behavior also falls in line with living according to the sinful passions of the flesh if they are guilty of practicing any of these sins. As they themselves attempt to secure a right standing with God by keeping the Law or a law that they assume might prove that they are justified, when they might become guilty of say, "selfish ambitions," they are no better off than someone guilty of "orgies/carousing" before God.

What God desires is that believers walk by the Spirit so that they will have an inheritance in His kingdom. Believers who keep on living by the fleshly sinful nature will have little or no inheritance in Christ's kingdom. They will have lived wasted lives. This includes those who think that they must prove that they have been justified by keeping a set of standards while they themselves remain guilty of what they would consider to be lesser sins.

Conclusion

A life lived in slavery to the law to attempt to secure or retain a right standing with God is anathema (under a curse). Do not waste your life and the lives of others by enslaving yourself to laws of God for fear that you will lose what cannot be taken from you.

Believers in Christ will live forever with God whether or not they grasp and apply the message to the Galatians. They may live a wasted life by falling from grace or they may walk by faith applying the law of the love of Christ because of His love for them (Galatians 2:20; 4:10; 5:1-5; cp. 1 John 4:19).

Enthralled by God's Grace Message!! Again and Again!

by Eldon DeBoer

It has been said that our emotions are the responders of our souls. To narrow it down, when we ponder a particular truth, we may have an emotional response within our heart and soul. Should not all believers in Christ Jesus be enthralled by His grace message? 

Interestingly enough enthralled was formerly used of being held in slavery. It then came to mean to be held “spellbound” (www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/enthrall). We may become captivated and overwhelmed with emotion when we contemplate the truth of the grace of Christ Jesus. When we know Christ Jesus and the message of His grace we should be enthralled. When we read with understanding verses like 2 Corinthians 8:9, we should be enthralled:

“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich” (NASB).

Think of it! In eternity past God the Son chose to set aside the exercise of His attributes as God in order to be united with true humanity in the Person of Jesus so that He could serve us. He “became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.” This should enthrall us! Knowing that our great God chose to do this for us should captivate us.

The great God who created all things and is the King of kings became poor for us so that He could serve us.  And by serving us in His death He defeated the devil and, therefore, we need no longer fear death (Hebrews 2:14-15). This should enthrall us! Christ Jesus took the sting out of death! (1 Corinthians 15:54-57).
And so we serve Him and make Him Lord of our life (1 Peter 3:15), deciding to please Him again and again because of what He has done for us. We “love Him because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19). We are enthralled with who He is and what He has done for us and so we keep on choosing to honor Him. While we often fail to do this as we should, by the Lord's grace and by His strength (John 15:5), we can recover and be forgiven (1 John 1:9) and renew our commitment to Him over and over again.

Fix your eyes on Jesus (Hebrews 12:1-3) and become more and more enthralled with Him and His grace message!