Tomorrow May Rain, So I’ll Follow the Son – Purity 759

To see today's photo, go to mtc4christ.org or follow me, M.t. Clark, on Facebook or Twitter. Good morning! Today's photo of a pathway leading to the shores of the Atlantic and the setting sun comes to us from a friend living temporarily in Sebastian, Florida, who shared this photo on social media back on May 16th with the comment, "Tomorrow may rain." So I'll follow the sun. Well, it is Thursday again, and as is my habit, I am sharing my friend's photo of this pathway to the sun because it is an awesome photo and to encourage my friends to get on, or keep walking on, the pathway to the Son of God and God the Son, Jesus Christ, to make the daily decision to live by faith on the pathway of Christian discipleship. When we live as a disciple of Christ, we do so by not only believing in Jesus, but by being a follower of Jesus, by living according to the wisdom of the word of God, and by doing what Jesus would do in the ways we behave and interact with others. Tonight I am facilitating a men's Freedom in Christ discipleship course on Zoom, and as our study draws to a close next week, the lessons are geared toward the application of our faith. While the Course has taught us about who we are in Christ and how we could resolve our personal and spiritual conflicts through a process of proclamation, renunciation, and repentance to help us to experience our freedom in Christ, the focus of the remainder of the Course turns to growing in and maintaining our freedom and applying what we have learned to the, to the rest of our lives. The path that the Course lays out is that of a Christian, of Christian discipleship. And tonight we will discuss how we are to walk that walk in our relationships and how we are to relate to others. Christ's second commandment to his disciples is to love our neighbors as our, as we love ourselves. The Freedom in Christ Course is teaching us about who we are in Christ and how we are loved by God. And it shows us that we are lovable. And thus, when we have— we try to follow the, the call to love our neighbors as ourselves, we are to show them the love of God by loving them the way God loved us. Like God loved us, we are to love our neighbors by our neighbors By assuming our response— yeah, okay. Like God loved us, we are to love our neighbors by assuming our responsibility for our own characters, not theirs, and to seek to meet their needs rather than the other way around. Instead of demanding our rights, we are to be concerned to meet the responsibility to love and serve others. Well, how do you do that? Well, first, God accepts us as we were. And served us by saving us and seeks to serve us by encouraging us, uh, encouraging that we follow his way for living. So likewise, we are to accept people as they are, where they are, but seek to serve them by leading them to Christ and teaching them the way to go. But we have to be wise, patient, kind, and faithful in how we do that, mostly We love others as ourselves by obeying the way that God would have us live. If we are being good, kind, faithful, patient, loving, gentle, and using self-control in our interactions with others, we will truly be meeting that injunction to love our neighbors as ourselves. Notice this is not dependent on their reactions or responses. This is how we concern ourselves with meeting our responsibility to God and serve others by living according to what God would have us do. Uh, the Word tells us that as far as it depends on us, we are to live at peace with everyone in Romans 12:18. So we are to do our peace, meet our responsibility by bringing our peace that we have with God and within ourselves as disciples who know we are accepted, secure, and significant in Christ to our interactions with others to bring peace by seeking to meet their needs. Um, when I say meet their needs, that doesn't mean we necessarily give them a bunch of stuff or give them whatever they want, especially if it will harm them. The other night, the mobile crisis team that I am a part of was called out to a man's house at the request of his family. The man was fresh out of recovery and was in a bad place, making thinly veiled threats that he would do whatever it would take to get the drugs that would make him feel better. If we were not wise, we could think we should accept him for what he was and give him the drugs that he so desperately wanted. But instead, we loved our neighbor as ourselves and suggested alternatives to relapse and offered services and help and declared the love and concern that this man's friends and family had for him that caused him— caused us to show up on his doorstep. Christian love is a tough love, meaning it is hard but compassionate. We accept the people we encounter as they are, but we stand on the truth and standards revealed to us in the Word of God and attempt to help and serve others by meeting immediate and legitimate needs, and by encouraging those others to take their responsibility to follow the way that leads to life and life more abundantly. We try to solve problems where we can, but encourage others to solve their own problems with God's help by turning from the darkness of the world's sinful and selfish ways and instead decide to follow the light of God's pure, good, righteous, and holy way. As my friend said about his sunset photo, "Tomorrow may rain, so I'll follow the sun." I would encourage you to follow the Son, Jesus Christ, and his way. Christ is the truth, the way, and the life, and when we meet our responsibility to follow his way, the fruit of the Spirit will grow in our lives. This morning I studied— I started studying Psalm 119, and its wisdom beckons us to follow. It says in Psalm 119:1-8. Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord. Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart. They also do no iniquity, they walk in his ways. You have commanded us to keep your precepts diligently. Oh, that my ways were directed to keep your statutes! Then I would not be ashamed when I look into all your commandments. I will praise you with uprightness of heart when I learn your righteous judgments. I will keep your statutes. Oh, do not forsake me utterly. The heart of Christian discipleship would have us meet our responsibilities by obeying the Lord's precepts, statutes, and judgments. And Christ commanded us to love our neighbors as ourselves. So let's meet that responsibility by making the daily decision to walk and talk with God and to let his wisdom influence the way we treat the other people in our lives. Today's Bible verse comes to us from the New Living Translation Bible Promise Book for Men. This morning's meditation verse is 1 John 4:18, and it says, "Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear." If we are afraid, it is for fear of judge— of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love. Today's Bible verse encourages us that if we understand the love of God, we will not fear. The fundamentals of our faith is based on our faith in Jesus Christ that provides us with our forgiveness of our sins. Our acceptance into God's kingdom by adoption into his royal family, and the reception of a new and eternal life to be spent in his presence forever. The fact of God's love for us and our new life in Christ, when fully accepted by faith, expels all fear. Today's verse says if we are afraid, it is because we fear punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experience God's perfect love. This means either we have not accepted God's perfect love by making Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, or that we doubt that we have received it in some way or don't understand who we are in Christ. To receive God's perfect love, to be free from the fear of punishment, we need to receive Jesus. When we make Jesus our Lord and Savior, the Lord and Savior of our lives, we should fear nothing. Christ took our punishment on the cross. We are forgiven and free, so do not fear. Our debt has been paid. If you are fearful because you are still living in sin, do two things. One, understand that all your sins have been forgiven. Your past, present, and future sins have been covered by the blood of Jesus. Knowing this will make you feel safe and loved. Because you are saved and loved. Turn. And number 2, turn from your sins. Lean on the Lord's strength, accept your new identity as, as a child of God, and repent by seeking help to turn from your sins. Be responsible, be accountable, confess, and be healed. The only reason why we would be fearful of punishment is that we know that we are not— we are doing— well, we are doing wrong. So repent and do what is right. When you do, do that, your fear will disappear and peace will take its place. It may seem like a hard road, but it's worth walking because it leads to peace, love, and joy. But that's just the fear of punishment. In Christ, we are free of all fear. The fact of our eternal life and acceptance by God, when rightly understood and accepted in our minds and hearts, agree with the truth of who you— and agree with the truth of who you are in Christ. It also frees you from the fear of death. You do have eternal life. Remember, to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. Our new life in Christ supersedes the biggest fear we can have. The worst-case scenario is that we die, but in Christ we will never die because he is the resurrection and the life. Do you believe this? You should, because if you are in Christ, it is true. It also frees us from the fear of man, whether it's rejection or violence. Our life in Christ answers these fears too. Who cares about man's rejection when you are accepted, when we are accepted by God? As for pain or the harm man can inflict, God will either protect us, heal us, or or give us the strength to endure and live with it. So don't fear the evil that man can do, because no matter what he has to dish out, it is only a light affliction compared to the glory that we will know for all eternity. The fear of disease, want, or suffering. These light afflictions could kill us, which would send us to the Lord, or they will be used by God to strengthen our faith in Him. One of the rules from my past was, above all, learn to take it. Well, in Christ we have the strength to take anything, and we know the one who can deliver us from anything or give us the supernatural strength to endure things we would have thought impossible. While I take exception to the general encouragement that we should— we are, quote unquote, stronger than you know, really, uh, I know, I know that in Christ we are more than conquerors and can take it. Until we make it to where the Lord will bring us on earth as well as in heaven. So don't fear anything, because the Lord has shown his perfect love for you by revealing who Christ is and by welcome you— welcome— welcoming you into his family when you made Jesus your Lord and Savior. Enjoy the perfect love by casting off all fears and anxieties in this life, and rejoice in all that the Lord has given you. Through his love. As always, I invite all to go to mtforchrist.org, where I always share insights from prominent Christian theologians and counselors to assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk. Today we continue sharing from Clinton E. Arnold's Powers of Darkness, and today's, uh, we— today we begin chapter, chapter 2, uh, which is based on or discusses, uh, Greco-Roman and Oriental religions.. And so in Clinton Arnold's book, he examines the first century when Paul was writing the letters that told us about principalities and powers of darkness. And so he examines the cultures at the time. And so that's what chapter 2 is all about, basically how the past society was a melting pot of all these different views. And that, you know, so if you want to read the beginning of chapter 2 where he discusses these things, go to mtforchrist.org and you'll see that resource. And as always, we encourage you to purchase those resources in full. They're all available online and usually, in some cases, less than $5, some cases less than $20. So wouldn't break the bank, and you'd have a resource that would, you know, instruct you about the powers of darkness in this case. So, um, and that's what our, our purpose here on mt4christ.org and, um, and the MT for Christ 24/7 podcast and YouTube channel is all about. Um, it's, uh, to encourage you, uh, to follow the path of Christian discipleship, to discover your freedom in Christ. Um, it's one thing to know you're saved and going to heaven, And it's another thing to experience the abundant life that Christ has for you here on, here on the earth, to use your faith in Christ as a means to traverse this world in a skillful way that will help you endure, have joy and peace regardless of the circumstances that surround you. And this is not, you know, fake it till you make it. This is a spiritual reality that we're living out. And you know, when we believe it, we receive it, as I've said. It's a little pat, but I mean, really, that's— there's power in knowing who you are in Christ and living according to it. That's why we suggest doing it, because we can walk away from our sins. We can have peace. We can be okay knowing that At any moment we could die. Because we're safe and secure and accepted in Christ, we can face, you know, the harsh realities that we will all age and die unless Christ comes back first. You know, history has shown us vast civilizations rise, fall, you know, pass away, but one thing stands, and that's God. And so when we have peace with God, we can endure. And we don't have to fear anything because we're secure in His love and will be with Him for all time. So, so know this, accept it, and be joyful because, man, we, we have the love of God and His perfect love casts out all fear. So live that. And as always, we invite people, hey, I can't go to your Freedom in Christ course because I didn't sign up for it, I missed it. Well, The good news is my courses are always available. Uh, the Freedom in Christ course, uh, Bondage Breaker, and Victory Over the Darkness are available on the podcast. It was taught in 2021. So, uh, if you have any questions about what I teach, shoot me an email at mtforchrist247@gmail.com. Um, the teachings are all based on the word of God, the teachings of Dr. Neil Anderson, and my experience. I'm sure I share things that are outside the pages of Powers of Darkness, of all the books I teach, because it's about application, what I've learned. And I share these things because it took a long time to learn them. And I think they're valuable to help people in their walk. So we invite you to follow the path of Christian discipleship and discover the peace that lies on the path. And, and at the— I don't think there is an end of the path, but, you know, until we go into God's kingdom. We also obviously encourage the word of God to be studied and known, and we do that through our Bible study we do once a week with Arthur and Susanna Sincotti, that where we discuss different topics and bring God's word into the discussion. And so we invite you to check those out. They're on the podcast and the YouTube channel as well. So, and actually, we just released a new throwback video of, uh, of our podcast that, that we did, uh, on YouTube yesterday, and the topic was His Story. And, uh, so it, it's a play on words because his story is history. So, you know, if you want to check out what we had to say about that a few months ago, it's— you can see us in the flesh on YouTube, the MT for Christ 24/7 channel. So check that out too. All right, today is Thursday. I'm looking forward to serving the Lord just by being an online facilitator, encourager. So, you know, it's great to live and have that opportunity to encourage people. And that's, um, that's what I love to do. And let me encourage you by praying. Lord God, Heavenly Father, thank you for another day in your kingdom. We thank you for all that you've done in our lives, and most importantly, for showing us the truth of who Jesus Christ was, and that we are, you know, fully accepted, secure, and significant when we put our faith in him. That we can fear— we don't have to fear anything, and that we can endure and have strength to endure when you walk with us and we walk with you. Um, Lord, we just pray for everyone listening today that they'd be blessed by you, Lord, um, that you'd come alongside our prayer requests that we've made this morning, um, to help and heal, um, people in different situations. So we pray for the, the the petitions of the people listening today, that you come alongside them in prayer, uh, that you would help them and give them the help they need. Not this, but we understand that's not necessarily everything we might want because your ways are higher than our ways and you see the end from the beginning. So we go with your will, Lord, and, uh, we, we ask for your help as we go, and especially for today. So we pray, Lord, that you go before us to open our eyes, to show us the beauty of this world and the good things that we have, and to show us the things we need to see, the things that's coming around the corner that we don't know about. But you can give us knowledge, you can give us vision to address the things that come up in our experience with peace and with skill. So help us in that regard, Lord, because we need your help. Uh, every day. And Lord, we just pray for you to go before each and every one of us today, to lead us and guide us in the things that we should, we should do, uh, to represent you and your kingdom here on the earth. Lord, we thank you, we love you, and we praise all— pray all these things in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.