Praise His Holy Name

[Christsfreeservant]

Psalms 118:19-21 ESV

“Open to me the gates of righteousness,
that I may enter through them
and give thanks to the Lord.
This is the gate of the Lord;
the righteous shall enter through it.
I thank you that you have answered me
and have become my salvation.”​

Two New Testament passages of Scripture come to mind here:

“So Jesus again said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.’” John 10:7-10 ESV

“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” Matthew 7:13-14 ESV​

So, the gate of the Lord is first of all Jesus Christ, God the Son. He is the only door to salvation from sin, to righteousness, and to eternal life with God. He is The Way, The Truth, and The Life. No one can come to God the Father except through him (Jn 14:6). Only by God’s grace and through God-given faith in Jesus Christ can any of us be forgiven our sins and have the hope of eternal life with God in heaven (Eph 2:8-10; Heb 12:1-2; Jn 6:44).

The gate is also the way of the Lord, the way of righteousness. It is this narrow gate and this way that is hard that leads to life. And those who find it are few. And why is it hard? Because to enter that gate, by faith in Jesus Christ, we must be crucified with Christ Jesus in death to sin. Our old self must be crucified with Christ in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we will no longer be enslaved to sin (Rom 6:1-23; Eph 4:17-24; Lu 9:23-26; Jn 6:35-58; Rom 8:1-17; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Pet 2:24).

Our old lives of living for sin and for self must be put to death with Jesus, but not just once, but daily. For Jesus said that if anyone would come after him, he must deny self and take up his cross daily and follow him. We must die daily with Christ to sin and to self and follow him in obedience to his commands. And every day we must deny self in order to follow our Lord in the ways that he would have us to go (Lu 9:23-26; cf. 1 Jn 1:5-9; Rom 8:1-17; Jn 15:1-11; Rom 6:1-23; Tit 2:11-14; Gal 6:7-8; 2 Co 5:15).

Many people today are saying that we don’t have to repent of our sins or submit to Christ as Lord or walk in obedience to his commands. But the Scriptures teach that we must if we are going to be saved from our sins and to have eternal life with God. Obedience is not optional and it is not to be rejected, but it is to be adhered to, for if we don’t obey, we don’t love God, we don’t know God, and he doesn’t know us (Rom 6:16; 1 Jn 2:3-6)

For, the way of righteousness is not a “once in” and then you are good to go. The Scriptures teach our faith and our salvation as ongoing and as progressive, resulting in eternal life for all who have persevered, who have been steadfast in faith, who have endured, who have continued in Christ and in following him in obedience to his ways, and who are walking (in conduct) not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit (Rom 8:1-17; Rom 8:24; Rom 13:11; 1 Co 1:18; Jn 8:31-32; 1 Co 15:2; Col 1:21-23).

For, if we continue in sin, deliberately and habitually, we will die in our sins. We will not inherit eternal life with God. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. So, if we think that we can just make a one-time decision to believe in Jesus but that how we live doesn’t matter to God, and that heaven is still secured us for when we die, then we need to think again. Read your Bible Matthew thru Revelation.

[Rom 2:6-8; Gal 6:7-8; 2 Co 5:10; 1 Co 6:9-10; 1 Pet 1:17-21; Gal 5:16-21; Eph 5:3-6; Rom 6:16; Rom 8:1-17; Jn 15:1-11; 1 Jn 2:3-6; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Rev. 2-3; Rev 21:8, 27; Rev 22:14-15; Matt 7:21-23; Heb 10:26-27]

Psalms 118:22-24 ESV

“The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone.
This is the Lord's doing;
it is marvelous in our eyes.
This is the day that the Lord has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it.”​

Many people choose the broad way that leads to destruction because they want to hold on to their lives of sin. Therefore, they reject Jesus Christ even though some of them profess to have accepted him. For Jesus Christ is not just a name or a historical person or a pathway to eternal life. Accepting Jesus as Savior and Lord of our lives means we die to self so that he might reign supreme in our lives, and so we might live to his righteousness (1 Pet 2:24; 1 Co 6:19-20; 2 Co 5:15; Tit 2:11-14; Eph 4:17-24; 1 Jn 1:5-9).

When we accept Jesus Christ as Savior and as Lord, we accept that he is now Owner-Master of our lives, that we have been crucified with him in death to sin so that the “I” in us no longer lives supreme, but that Christ is now the captain of our lives (Gal 2:20). And the life that we now live we live by faith in him, a faith that submits to him and that obeys his commands.

So, we are to give Jesus all our honor and praise. He is to get our full respect and reverence and obedience. We are to have no other gods before him. For he is the second person of our triune God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – 1 God in 3 persons. So, we should never have an attitude that says we can live however we want. What a slap in the face (insult) to God! Give him your all! Surrender all to him, for He is God!

I Stand in Awe

By Mark Altrogge

You are beautiful
You are beautiful beyond description
Too marvelous for words
Too wonderful for comprehension
Like nothing ever seen or heard
Who can grasp Your infinite wisdom?
Who can fathom the depth of Your love?
You are beautiful beyond description
Majesty, enthroned above

And I stand, I stand in awe of You
I stand, I stand in awe of You
Holy God, to whom all praise is due
I stand in awe of You

Caution: This link may contain ads