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“Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness!
You have given me relief when I was in distress.
Be gracious to me and hear my prayer!
“O men, how long shall my honor be turned into shame?
How long will you love vain words and seek after lies? Selah
But know that the Lord has set apart the godly for himself;
the Lord hears when I call to him.
Be angry, and do not sin;
ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent. Selah
Offer right sacrifices,
and put your trust in the Lord.
“There are many who say, “Who will show us some good?
Lift up the light of your face upon us, O Lord!”
You have put more joy in my heart
than they have when their grain and wine abound.
In peace I will both lie down and sleep;
for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.” (Psalms 4:1-8 ESV)
If we are true followers of Jesus Christ, it should grieve us greatly to see so many people today professing his name, but not honoring him with their lives. They give lip service to the Lord, but they do not obey him. For they are still walking in their sins, still doing what their flesh desires, and their lives are not committed to obedience to the Lord and to holy living. And some of this is due to the false gospel that is being spread, but all people have a choice to obey the Lord or not, so they are without excuse.
But it is true that many lies are being spread today in the name of Christ, and in the name of the gospel of our salvation, and large numbers of people are flocking to these lies because the lies do not demand that they repent of their sins and that they follow Jesus in obedience to his commands and in holy living if they want salvation from sin and eternal life with God. For the lies grant them permission to keep on in their sins while they are being given assurance of salvation from sin and of eternal life with God.
But the truth that Jesus taught and that his NT apostles taught is the opposite of what so many of these liars and deceivers are teaching the people as the “gospel” message. For Jesus said that if anyone would come after him, he must deny self, take up his cross daily (die daily to sin) and follow (obey) him. For if we hold on to our old lives of living in sin and for self, we will lose them for eternity. But if for Jesus’ sake we deny self, die daily to sin, and follow Jesus in obedience, then we have eternal life.
And Jesus also said that not everyone who says to him, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one DOING the will of God the Father who is in heaven. For many will stand before him on the day of judgment claiming him as “Lord,” and claiming all that they say they did in his name,” but he is going to say to them, “I never knew you. Depart from me you workers of lawlessness,” because they would not obey the Lord, but the flesh, instead (see Luke 9:23-26; Matthew 7:21-23).
For it isn’t those who profess faith in Jesus Christ who are forgiven of their sins and who have the hope of eternal life with God, but it is those who are doing the will of God, in practice, who are obeying our Lord’s commands (New Covenant), who are walking in his ways, and who are living holy lives, pleasing to the Lord, by the grace of God, in the power of God. They are the godly whom God has set apart for himself, who listen to the Lord and who then follow him in obedience (see John 10:27-30). They have eternal life.
“Be angry, and do not sin,” is repeated for us in Ephesians 4:26-27. We are not to let the sun go down on our anger, and we are to give no opportunity for the devil. And how does that work, exactly? Because when we get angry, which could be anger based in sin, or anger based in righteousness, it stirs our emotions to the point to where we might consider revenge or getting even or treating those who wrong us in ways which are ungodly. And unresolved anger can lead to bitterness and hate and to sinful practices.
And to offer right sacrifices to God is to put our full trust in him. For we are to present ourselves to God as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to him. And this is our acceptable worship of God. For we can sing and raise our hands and not be in true worship. And we are to no longer be conformed to the ways of this sinful world, but we are to be transformed in heart and mind of the Spirit of God so that by how we live for the Lord we discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect (Romans 12:1-2).
So true worship of God involves us surrendering our lives to the Lord to do his will, and it involves us letting go of our selfish desires which want to please self, instead of pleasing God. It involves us dying with Christ to sin, not just once, but daily, and us being raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness, no longer as slaves to sin but now as slaves to God and to his righteousness, for this is God’s will for our lives (Romans 6:1-23; Ephesians 4:17-32).
I Surrender All
Hymn lyrics by Judson W. Van De Venter, 1896
Music by Winfield S. Weeden, 1896
… Lo, we have left all, and have followed Thee. (Mark 10:28)
All to Jesus I surrender,
All to Him I freely give;
I will ever love and trust Him,
In His presence daily live.
All to Jesus I surrender,
Humbly at His feet I bow;
Worldly pleasures all forsaken,
Take me, Jesus, take me now.
All to Jesus I surrender,
Make me, Savior, wholly Thine;
Let me feel the Holy Spirit,
Truly know that Thou art mine.
All to Jesus I surrender,
Lord, I give myself to Thee;
Fill me with Thy love and power,
Let Thy blessing fall on me.
All to Jesus I surrender,
Now I feel the sacred flame;
Oh, the joy of full salvation!
Glory, glory, to His Name!
I surrender all,
I surrender all;
All to Thee, my blessed Savior,
I surrender all.
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