nc

Knowing the Truth

Jesus says in John 15:22: “If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloke for their sin. Those who heard Jesus and rejected him could no longer hide behind ignorance. He had spoken. He had shown them the truth. That brings us to a question we must ask ourselves: What are we doing with the truth we have received? It is one thing not to understand what Jesus teaches. It is another thing to understand him and refuse to obey. Knowing his words brings responsibility. We cannot say, “I accept Jesus,” while treating his teaching as something we can take or leave. We must receive not only his name, but his words Jesus says, “The word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me.” When we listen to Jesus, we are hearing the Father’s message. And Jesus says the Holy Spirit will bring his teaching to remembrance. The Spirit does not lead us away from Jesus’ words. He helps us follow them. Hebrews 10 tells us that the Holy Spirit bears witness to this covenant promise: I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them. God does not say, “My will no longer matters.” He says he will write it within us. But can someone who has received God’s word still be tempted? Yes. Paul says the flesh and the Spirit are opposed to one another. The struggle has not disappeared. But temptation does not have to become obedience to sin. An angry thought does not have to become a cruel word. A selfish desire does not have to become a selfish action. The opportunity to lie does not require us to tell the lie. Paul says: Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. That is freedom—not permission to sin, but help to resist it. We must not take Paul’s teaching about freedom and turn it into an excuse for the very bondage Jesus delivers us from. And when we do sin, what does repentance mean? It means turning away from that sin and turning back to God. It is more than saying, “I am sorry,” while deciding to continue. Repentance does not defend the wrong. It changes direction. Hebrews speaks both of God’s laws written within us and of his forgiveness. We need both. We need mercy for the sins we have committed, and we need his direction for the life before us. So let us not merely ask, “Do I know what Jesus said?” Let us ask, “Am I following what Jesus said?” Knowledge shows us the way. But we must walk in it. Receive his words. Turn from sin. Depend on his Spirit. And follow the one who has the words of eternal life.
Amen.

Sin or not to sin Jesus brought you knowledge of sin.
John 15:22 If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloak for their sin.
Scripture: Hebrews 10:16–27; Galatians 5:13–25; Romans 8:12–13

People, there is a difference between being tempted and giving in to temptation. There is a difference between feeling a desire and allowing that desire to rule your life. That is what we need to understand when we talk about following Jesus. We cannot accept Jesus as Savior and then treat his words as though they do not matter. We cannot say that God has written his laws in our hearts while insisting that our desires have the final say. The question is not simply, “Have I heard about Jesus?” The question is, “Am I willing to follow him? God Writes His Will Within Us In Hebrews 10, the Holy Spirit bears witness to God’s covenant promise: “I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them.” Notice what God says: “My laws.” God does not promise to write excuses in our hearts. He does not promise to make disobedience harmless. He promises to put his will within us. We are not supposed to hear his words only with our ears. We are supposed to receive them in our hearts. And receiving them means more than agreeing that they sound good. It means allowing them to guide our decisions especially when what we want conflicts with what God says. A covenant written in the heart must reach the way we live. Jesus’ Words Are Not Optional, Jesus says in John 14:24: The word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me.” Jesus does not speak against the Father. He speaks the Father’s words. Then Jesus tells his disciples that the Holy Spirit will teach them and bring his words to their remembrance. Consider that connection: the Father sends the Son, the Son speaks the Father’s words, and the Spirit reminds the disciples of what the Son has said. We must not separate what belongs together. We cannot claim the Spirit’s guidance while dismissing Jesus’ teaching. We cannot say, “I want the salvation Jesus offers, but I do not want the direction Jesus gives. Peter said to Jesus: Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.” If Jesus has the words of eternal life, then those words deserve more than our attention. They deserve our trust and our obedience.Do Not Make Paul Say What He Did Not Say, People sometimes speak about freedom in Christ as though freedom means they no longer need to concern themselves with how they live. But listen to Paul in Galatians 5:13: Use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh. Paul does not say, You are free, so give your desires whatever they want. He says the opposite. Do not take the freedom God has given you and turn it into an opportunity for sin. Then Paul says: Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.” That is not permission to surrender. That is a call to walk differently. We must read Paul’s words together. We must not take his teaching about grace and use it to silence his teaching about obedience. We must not take his teaching about freedom and use it to defend the very bondage Christ frees us from. Discipleship freedom is not freedom to let sin be our master. It is freedom to serve God instead. Temptation Has Not Disappeared but It Does Not Have to Rule Paul explains that the flesh and the Spirit are opposed to one another. That means the struggle is real. You may know what is right and still feel the pull toward what is wrong. You may want to follow Jesus and still face desires that contradict his teaching. Receiving the Holy Spirit does not mean every temptation disappears. But neither does temptation mean you are helpless. A desire may pull at you without having the right to command you. You may feel anger without choosing cruelty. You may feel resentment without choosing revenge. You may feel the urge to deceive without choosing a lie. The presence of an urge is not a command to obey it. God has not left us to fight alone. Paul says in Romans 8:13: If ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.” To “mortify” means to put to death. Notice that Paul says, “Through the Spirit.” We need God’s help. But notice also that he says, “Ye … do mortify.”
We are called to respond to that help. We do not merely announce that we have the Spirit. We walk by the Spirit. We follow his direction. We refuse to keep feeding what God calls us to put away. Take the Warning in Hebrews Seriously Hebrews 10 speaks both of forgiveness and of responsibility. It tells us that through Jesus we may draw near to God. It calls us to hold fast to our confession, encourage one another, and stir one another toward love and good works. Then it warns against willfully continuing in sin after receiving the knowledge of the truth. We should not soften that warning until it says nothing. There is a difference between not yet understanding God’s will and knowingly refusing it. There is a difference between struggling against sin and deciding to make peace with it. When we fail, we should turn back to God. We should confess the wrong, not rename it. We should seek forgiveness, not invent permission. God’s mercy is a reason to return to him not a reason to remain in what separates us from him. Do not call surrender a struggle if you have stopped resisting. Do not call disobedience freedom if your desires are still giving the orders. Come to Jesus—and Listen to Him Hebrews contrasts the fear at Sinai with coming to Jesus, the mediator of the new covenant. Through Jesus, we are invited to draw near to God. But drawing near does not mean closing our ears. We come to Jesus for salvation, and we listen to the one who saves us. We receive his mercy, and we receive his words. We trust his sacrifice, and we allow his teaching to shape our lives. The Lord who welcomes us is also the Lord who leads us. So when temptation comes, the question is not only, “What do I feel?” The question is, “What has Jesus taught me?” And when the answer is clear, we must not allow our desires to rewrite it.
People, do not confuse being tempted with being defeated. Do not confuse God’s patience with his approval.
And do not confuse freedom in Christ with permission to follow the flesh. God promises to write his laws in our hearts. Jesus speaks the Father’s words. The Holy Spirit reminds us of Jesus’ teaching and helps us walk in obedience. Therefore, let us take Jesus at his word. Let us turn away from the sins we have been defending. Let us stop feeding the desires we are called to resist. And let us walk by the Spirit not simply talk about the Spirit. Jesus has the words of eternal life. Let us receive them, trust them, and follow him. Prayer Father, thank you for the salvation you have given us through Jesus Christ. Write your will deeply in our hearts and minds. Teach us to love what is right and to turn away from what is wrong. When temptation comes, help us recognize it without surrendering to it. By your Spirit, strengthen us to obey Jesus rather than follow desires that lead us away from him. Where we have sinned, bring us to honest repentance. Where we have made excuses, bring us to truth. Help us receive your mercy without treating it as permission to disobey. Teach us to walk by your Spirit and hold fast to the words of your Son.
In Jesus’ name, amen.