Be wise in choosing the materials

The materials listed here are gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay and stubble. Of course, none of us want to build our house with materials easily burned away like wood, hay and stubble. What materials do you want to build your house? Do you like gold or silver or precious stones? Then what does it mean to build our house with gold, silver and precious stones? We see that these materials can stand the fire and remains after the fire. Let us search the Bible to see what we should do that may remains forever and get reward from the Lord.

Doing God’s Will Faithfully: 1 John 2:17 tells us, “And the world passes away, and the lust thereof: but he who does the will of God abides for ever.” Jesus also says, “Not every one who says unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven” (Matt 7:21). The Lord Jesus set a good example for us to follow because His life and ministry did obey His Father’s Will even unto death. My dear friends, may the Lord help us to be careful in seeking God’s will and following God’s will so that in the end, what we have done will not be burned away. We can know God’s will through the Bible, through the life of the Lord Jesus Christ and through the guidance of the Holy Spirit. If we are careful, we are to ask the Holy Spirit to control us and guide us in what we say, what we do, what we read, what we listen, or where we go according God’s will. God’s will is always perfect, good, holy, true, and righteous. We should remember that doing God’s will is like gold, silver, and precious stones, but doing our will or what we like will be burned away like wood, hay and stubble.

Doing Everything for the Lord and His Glory: How about the motive behind our deeds, our service and our ministry? Do we seek God’s glory or our own glory? The Pharisees in the Bible like to do everything for their own glory with the purpose that other people may see them, praise them and honour them, and Jesus rebukes them as hypocrites. My dear friends, what we do with the motive of glorifying God will be accepted by the Lord. The apostle Paul reminds us that whether we eat or drink, or whatsoever we do, do all to the glory of God (1 Cor 10:31). “And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men” (Col 3:23). Doing all things for God and for God’s glory will remain like gold, silver, and precious stones. Are you and I living for the Lord and His glory?

Doing Everything in Love for God & Men: The Bible tells us that love or charity never fails (1 Cor 13:8). All the spiritual gifts like tongues, knowledge, prophecies have passed away, but love remains forever as God is love and He remains forever. This is divine love not human love as we think. The ecumenical movement promotes love to unite all together no matter what you believe or practise. But this is not divine love. Divine love cannot be separated from divine truth as God is love and God is truth. The love that does not rejoice in iniquity but rejoices in truth (1Cor 13:6). It is good for us to be constrained by God’s love in everything we do like the apostle Paul, who says, for the love of Christ constrains us, or compels us, or prompts us (2 Cor 5:14). Then what we say, do, teach, or preach or what we do to God and to others, if it is constrained by God’s love, will be like gold, silver, and precious stones. The Bible says, Let all your things be done with love or charity (1Cor 16:14).

My dear friends, it is better for us to keep quiet and pray if we cannot say a word because we love God and the one we are talking to. But if we are constrained by Christ’s love in whatever we do, how wonderful it is!

Being Filled with the Holy Spirit

The next command in the present tense is “be filled with the Spirit” (v 18), or literally, keep on being filled with/ controlled by the Holy Spirit, not only on Sunday or during devotion time, but always and perpetually. A drunkard is controlled and under the influence of alcohol, which causes him to lose his self-control, easily fall into temptations, and give himself up to immoral behaviour. On the contrary, when we are controlled by the Holy Spirit, He will produce in us His good and spiritual fruit of “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance/self-control, righteousness and truth” (Gal 5:22-23; Eph 5:9).

Charismatic leaders today arrogantly claim that they may ask or tell the Holy Spirit to do what they desire, even to heal the sick or perform miracles. The truth is not so, we can never control the Holy Spirit nor ask Him to do what we desire.

On the contrary, we are to submit ourselves to the Holy Spirit and His will (1 Cor 12:11). The Holy Spirit is the Author of God’s Word the Bible, so when we say that we are submissive to the Holy Spirit we must be submissive to His Word as well. Many are deceiving themselves by thinking that they are spiritual and filled with the Holy Spirit while their lives are contrary to God’s Word! My dear friends, it is foolish to be controlled by our sinful nature, Satan or anything in this world. Then are you and I always controlled by the Holy Spirit and His Word with our full submission?

Jesus’ Obedience in Overcoming Temptation

The temptation of Jesus is recorded in all 3 synoptic gospels. It was truly a crucial event in the life of Christ. We are told that Jesus, being full of the Spirit, was immediately led by the Spirit into the desert. There He was tempted by Satan for a period of 40 days and nights. During this period of time, Jesus fasted, and did not eat anything. This made Him all the more vulnerable to the devil’s temptations.

Why did Jesus have to go through this time of temptation or testing? Jesus had to go through this time of testing because He had to earn the righteousness His people needed to enter the kingdom of heaven. It was part of His active obedience. Just like Adam had to be tested in the Garden of Eden in order to secure life eternal through obedience, Christ as the greater Adam had to go through such a test to secure our salvation. This is clearly taught by Paul in Romans 5:12-21: “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: (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam’s transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come. But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification. For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.) Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.” Adam failed, but Christ passed the test. We are not only saved by His death; we are also “saved by His life” (Rom 5:10).

In Luke, the temptation account is placed immediately after the genealogy of Jesus which Luke has traced right back to Adam. Luke through Paul’s instruction has correctly portrayed Christ as the 2^ndAdam who must accomplish what the 1^st Adam failed to do, namely, eternal life. What Adam failed to do under the Covenant of Works, Christ succeeded under the Covenant of Grace. Christ, being man’s perfect Representative, kept the Law of God on our behalf through His active obedience. Adam failed to obey God’s commandment in the Garden by yielding to Satan’s threefold temptation (Gen 3:6, 1 John 2:16). But Christ successfully resisted the same threefold temptation, thereby securing “righteousness to every one that believeth” (Rom 10:4). The threefold temptation consists of (1) the lust of the flesh, (2) the lust of the eyes, and (3) the pride of life. Having been tempted by Satan, Eve partook of the fruit because it was (1) “good for food,” (lust of the flesh), (2) “pleasant to the eyes” (lust of the eyes), and (3) “to be desired to make one wise” (pride of life). By so disobeying God, Adam and Eve plunged not only themselves, but also the whole human race into the condemnation of sin. Jesus Christ was also tempted in the same threefold way: He was tempted (1) to turn stones into bread (the lust of the flesh), (2) with the kingdoms of the world (lust of the eyes), and (3) to jump from the pinnacle of the temple (the pride of life). Christ was victorious. He defeated Satan with the Word of God quoting (1) Deuteronomy 8:3, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God;” (2) Deuteronomy 6:13, “Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve;” and (3) Deuteronomy 6:16, “Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.” The Word of God is the Sword of the Spirit (Eph 6:17). It is a very effective weapon against Satan’s fiery darts of temptation. Christ conquered Satan. He obeyed the commands of God perfectly, and by so doing saved us by His active obedience

Why Suffering?

  No one denies that suffering is a fact of life. Why is there so much suffering in this world? Where is God in all this? What is He doing about it? Where are the answers? Only God has the answers and He has given us the answers in His Word. The Bible tells us that suffering in this world is due to a number of reasons: the primary reason being Sin. God created this world very good, but man made it very bad by sinning against God (Rom 5:12). Our first parents—Adam and Eve—broke God’s law by eating the forbidden fruit (Gen 2:16-17, 3:1-7). Their sin and disobedience plunged the whole of humanity into misery, pain and death (Gen 3:16-19, Rom 6:23). Human beings throughout the ages experience suffering because they are living in a sin-cursed world which is populated by sinful people who are bound by sinful thoughts and feelings and bent on doing sinful things (Rom 3:10-18). No one is innocent; all without exception are guilty (Rom 3:23). God, being holy and just, has to condemn and punish sinners, and the judgement began from the time man fell in the Garden, and continues until the present, and will end in the fiery destruction of world, and the casting of the finally impenitent into the lake of fire for all eternity (2 Pet 3:7-12, Rev 20:11-15). “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Heb 10:31).

The Bible makes it very clear that the problem of suffering is man’s problem, not God’s. Ehrman keeps questioning why the wicked prosper and the innocent suffer? Why do bad things happen to good people? But in God’s sight and by His standard, no one is good or innocent. “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: Their feet are swift to shed blood: Destruction and misery are in their ways: And the way of peace have they not known: There is no fear of God before their eyes. … For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Rom 3:10-23).

Dangers to Youths Today!

By: Jeffrey Khoo

“Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart” (2 Tim 2:22).

Young people in the church are very important people—VIPs! And it is because of this reason that Satan spares no effort to destroy the youths of our day. It is at a young age that our youths face the greatest temptations in life. If they make the right decision in life, their future will be safe and secure. Make the wrong one, and they may live to regret it for the rest of their life.

The Lord repeatedly warns young people against the wiles of the devil and the temptations of sin and of the world. We find one such passage in 2 Timothy 2:22 where Paul commanded, “Flee youthful lusts.” “Youthful lusts” here are the sinful desires of youth. The word “lust” or “desire” is a very strong word for passion or feeling. It refers to a strong yearning for something. It is not simply desire, but strong desire. It is often used in Scripture in the bad sense of sinful desire. The word “lust” in the KJV gives this idea. What are these sinful youthful desires?

Sinful desires that tempt our youths today can be classified under these three categories, all beginning with P.

Pleasure

This is unholy sexual desire or fornication. Paul in 1 Corinthians 6:18c commanded the believers to “flee fornication.” The word in Greek is porneia where we get the word “pornography.” When Paul told young Timothy to flee youthful lusts, one of lusts he had in mind was the lust for inordinate sexual pleasure. This is a real problem with young people especially when they reach puberty. They suddenly find themselves attracted to the opposite sex. This is natural. God made us this way. But because of sin, this desire can go awry, lead us astray, and cause us to do things that are against God’s will and Word.

The youths today are bombarded by all kinds of temptations that come from Satan, from the world, and from within themselves. The sexual temptation is particularly strong. They want to experiment. Experiment with chemicals in the science lab all you want but do not experiment with sex! It is an experiment that is bound to explode in your face and ruin not only your own life but also the life of others.

Teenage pregnancy and abortion is on the rise. Teenagers are engaging in premarital sex. It is a criminal offence for anyone to have sex with a minor, and to abort a baby is murder in God’s eyes. Beware the internet chat rooms, chat lines etc. Beware of sexual predators. “Never talk to strangers.” Girls, pay attention to this: One of the most precious gifts that you have, that God has given you, is your chastity and virginity. The best gift you can ever give to your husband when you get married is the gift of chastity and virginity. In 1 Corinthians 11:2, Paul spoke about the church, “I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.” Never allow yourself to be used by your boyfriend, or succumb to his sweet whispers. If he says, “If you love me, you will have sex with me,” give him a tight slap, and leave him!

 

The problem with many boys and girls today is promiscuity; they are too free with their morals. They frequent places that pose a danger to their purity—discos, pubs, beach parties etc. Another danger is the company you keep. What kind of friends do you have? Listen to God, “evil communications corrupt good manners” (1 Cor 15:33). Boys, make sure you keep your distance. If you truly love your girlfriend you would not even want sex until after marriage. The problem today is that many are wimps who do not have the guts to say NO! Say NO to sex, drugs, discos, pubs, bad company, rock music, filthy language, dirty jokes, pornography etc. Date only Christians. Go out in groups. Go to bright places and not dark spaces. Flee youthful lusts, flee fornication!

Power

The lust to shine or be showy is also a danger. It is the sin of pride. This results in boastings, envy, strife, selfish ambition. One of the dangers posed to youths today is this whole idea of self-esteem which tells you that you need to think of yourself highly, good, capable, strong, handsome/pretty, intelligent, talented, popular etc. This is self-deception! It generates a better-than-thou attitude. It leads to pride. This is Satanic (Isa 14:12-14). The Bible says the opposite: We are no good, we are absolutely sinful. Romans 3:9-18 says, “What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin; As it is written,  There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: Their feet are swift to shed blood: Destruction and misery are in their ways: And the way of peace have they not known: There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

In Philippians 2:3, Paul enjoined the saints to cultivate other-esteem, not self-esteem. Jesus for instance did not think selfishly but selflessly and sacrificially when He came into this world to save us from our sins. The Apostle Paul lived a victorious Christian life. But was it a result of his self-esteem? No it was not self-esteem but Christ-esteem. The Apostle Paul rightly esteemed himself by esteeming Christ, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me” (Gal 2:20). In short, “Not I but Christ.” The Bible does not teach self-esteem but other-esteem, and Christ-esteem.

Possessions

Materialism is not only the sin of working adults, but also of youths and students. Schoolboys and schoolgirls today can spend hundreds of dollars on a T-shirt, or a pair of pants, handbags, etc. These branded clothes are usually not very modest. There is so little cloth, and yet so very costly. The economics of fashion today seems to be: More cash, less cloth; less cash, more cloth. The lust for expensive clothes is due in part to peer pressure. My friends have it, so must I. Dare to be different! Romans 12:1-2 tells you to “present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” Do not follow the trends and fashion of the world. Do not idolise the pop-singers or actors.

“Godliness with contentment is great gain” (1 Tim 6:6). “The love of money is the root of all evil” (1 Tim 6:10). Some teenagers work during the holidays to get the money to buy all kinds of expensive stuff. Such ought to be praised for their industry and resourcefulness, but what a colossal waste of hard-earned money to splurge on vain things! Wise stewardship of money is important. Christian youths ought to use their money for God’s kingdom and build up their treasures in heaven. Use it for missions for example. Save up to go on mission trips or for church camps. Use the money to buy good Christian books to read. There are many ways to use our money so as to gain eternal rewards.

Conclusion

“Flee, and keep on fleeing youthful lusts.” It is a command, not a choice. How to flee youthful lusts? Psalm 119:9-11 tells us how: “Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word. With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments. Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.” The Word of God is important—know it and keep it well!

Humbly Pray for God’s Grace and Deliverance

The Psalmist has witnessed that the proud has been rebuked and cursed because they went astray from God’s Word, “Thou hast rebuked the proud that are cursed, which do err from thy commandments” (v 21). Err (shagah) means wander, go astray, to err, to transgress, to cause to go astray. Dear friends, you and I are proud before God when we take God’s Word lightly and fail to live according to God’s Word! We should stop doing that or else we shall be cursed! The Psalmist has also experienced the contempt and opposition from those who had position and power in society, “Princes also did sit and speak against me,” so he prayed for God’s grace and deliverance, “Remove from me reproach and contempt” (v 22). Prince (sar) means leader, commander, ruler, prince, official, captain. Dear friends, you and I should not be surprised when we are despised, rejected, opposed or persecuted although we are trying to live a good and peaceful life according to God’s Word. Let us look unto our Lord Jesus Christ, the perfect God and the perfect Man, “the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds” (Heb 12:2-3). 

Conclusion

Dear friends, do you and I acknowledge our spiritual blindness no matter how learned or scholarly we are so that we may humbly pray to the Lord with a submissive heart like a bond slave, “Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law”? Do you and I acknowledge that without God’s grace and goodness we cannot live nor keep His Word? This truth will keep us humble before God and submissive to Him. May the Lord graciously open our spiritual eyes so that we may see God’s love, grace, mercy, salvation, sovereign and good works in our hearts and lives and His wonderful truths from His Word so that we may love, appreciate and treasure Him and His Word more and serve Him more faithfully until the end. Amen.

Humbly Pray for God’s Wonderful Truth

In Psalm 119, the Psalmist writes about how we can be blessed by wholeheartedly seeking the Lord, keeping His Word and walking in His way (vv 1-8) and about how the youth can make their lives clean and pure by carefully keeping their hearts and lives according to God’s Word, wholeheartedly seeking the Lord and hiding His Word in their hearts (vv 8-16). In the following paragraphs, the Psalmist presents his personal and fervent prayer to the Lord for His wonderful truth:

Humbly Pray for God’s Goodness with a Submissive Heart: “Deal bountifully with thy servant, that I may live, and keep thy word” (v 17). Deal bountifully (gamal) means to do good to someone, reward, wean an infant. Servant (ebed) means a servant, a bond slave, a worshipper or a minister of God. The Psalmist humbly prays to the Lord to do good to him as His own bondservant so that he may live and keep God’s Word. Do you and I truly submit ourselves to the Lord as His own bondservants and acknowledge that without God’s goodness and mercy we cannot live nor keep His Word? Truly, God who “hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil 1:6) as long as we are really submissive to Him as the clay in the Divine Potter’s hands. Many cannot enjoy God’s good work in their hearts and lives because they are still the owner and the boss of their lives. They still say, see, listen to, watch, read or do whatever they like regardless of the Lord and His Word, and they are still enslaved to their sinful self, youthful lusts and worldliness! I would rather be a bond slave of our good God than be a bond slave of the wicked One or human sinful nature. What about you?

Humbly Pray for God’s Illumination to See His Wonderful Truth: “Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law. I am a stranger in the earth: hide not thy commandments from me” (v 18-19). The Psalmist does not proudly think that he can see God’s truth better than many others. He personally prays to God to open his own spiritual eyes, “Open thou my eyes” with his personal purpose, “that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.” The Psalmist acknowledges that while he is God’s bond slave, he is a stranger in the earth who really needs God’s instructions and guidance, “hide not thy commandments from me.” Do you and I truly and personally pray to God for His illumination to see His wonderful truth and for His instructions and guidance to walk after Him as a stranger in the way from earth to heaven? Paul prayed for the believers in Philippi, “That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints” (Eph 1:17-18). The Psalmist does not just pray to God and then he does nothing. His part is to really long for God’s Word, “My soul breaketh for the longing that it hath unto thy judgments at all times” (v 20), to keep God’s Word, “for I have kept thy testimonies” (v 22), to meditate on God’s Word, “thy servant did meditate in thy statutes” (v 23), and to delight in God’s Word and to turn to God’s Word for advice, “Thy testimonies also are my delight and my counsellors” (24). Those who cannot see God’s precious and wonderful truths from His Word cannot truly thirst for God’s Word, delight in God’s Word, read and meditate on God’s Word and keep God’s Word! On the contrary, they read God’s Word with their low view, doubt, question or criticism. Then how can they be blessed? What about you and me?