HOW TO SERVE THE LORD

Joshua 24:14

Morning Meditation 7/24/17

"Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD."

Someone has said "sincerity and truth" are the weights that keep the soul in balance. The word sincerity is translated "perfect" in Gen. 17:1; it is translated "without blemish" in Lev. 1:3; it is translated "undefiled" in Psa. 119:80.

Half hearted service is not acceptable to the Lord. First of all we must be right with Him. And to be right with Him we must experience the new birth. The new birth cleanses within and changes the way we look at things. Then comes the cleansing without which is the RESULT of the change from within. There are several things the Bible mentions that we need to be right about if we serve the Lord in an acceptable way. First of all,

THERE MUST BE SINCERITY OF PURPOSE

Paul told the Church at Corinth: 1 Corinthians 5:8, "Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth." We have both separation from the wrong here and the intense focus upon sincerity and truth.

Paul's attitude in his service to the Lord and the churches was one of sincerity. We see that in 2 Corinthians 2:17: "For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ."

Paul writes Ephesians 6:24 in a way that let's us know that even in that day there were those who were not sincere. So he says, "Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen." This blessing bestowed was to those who "love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity" not the ones who play the hypocrite. Those who do not love the Lord are not in a position to even understand the Word of God and the things Paul has to say.

Not only are we to serve the Lord in sincerity of purpose, but,

THERE IS TO BE A PERFECTNESS OF WALK

1 Thessalonians 1:9, "For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God;"

When a person is converted to Christ and has experienced the new birth, he will not desire to continue his religion that was leading him to hell. These people had found in Christ the real thing so their feet got together with their heads. They turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God. The change doesn't save, but the saved change. The change is a proof of the sincerity of our Love and our understanding of the truth that we have to understand to be saved. Man has to understand something about sin. It is from sin that we are saved. That is what brought Jesus into the world. It is for sin that He died. The man who understands that is a definite candidate for salvation. But the person who says he trusts the Lord for salvation and still entertains the things in his life that nailed Jesus to the cross, there is reason for strong doubt about that man. Our Lord wants a walk in the believer's life that is consistent with his profession of faith in Christ. Then next,

THERE SHOULD BE AN UNBLEMISHED LIFE

Paul tells us in Ephesians 5:27 what the goal that Jesus has for the Church: "That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish." The church is not only perfected in His perfection He desires it to be without blemish in its walk. Jesus is constantly washing His Church with the washing of water by the Word as He speaks to them through the Pastor that He has appointed. What Paul said is in Ephesians 5:25-26, "Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word," The primary application of this passage is to the church and not husband and wife is made clear in Ephesians 5:32, "This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church." Everything Paul said about the Church is true in this passage but it is used to illustrate what the Groom (Jesus) is doing with the bride (the Church).

We as believers should do everything we can to stand experientially sanctified in this life. Our lives are to be without blemish so that the unbeliever can see the difference that Jesus makes in the life of the believer.

2 Peter 2:13 says, "And shall receive the reward of unrighteousness, as they that count it pleasure to riot in the day time. Spots they are and blemishes, sporting themselves with their own deceivings while they feast with you;" Peter is speaking of hypocrites in the church. There were those in his day who professed to be Christians and went out on the town at night. Peter says this is wrong and that the effect of their ungodly lives was "spots" and "blemishes" in the local church as they feast with you. I am almost afraid to comment on what the church looks like to the world today. I'm afraid there are plenty of "spots" and "blemishes" in the church today. It definitely weakens the church's testimony. Then next,

THERE SHOULD BE THOROUGHNESS OF COMMITMENT

Romans 12:1, "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service."

There is a pleading in Paul's writing as he makes his appeal, "I beseech you therefore brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice. . ." Paul was not hard as some men calculate. He was a loving gentle man who was meek in his approach to those who were wrong. I think the reason Paul is pictured by many as a very hard man is because of the truth. Paul stated the truth without compromise. You can tell the truth in love and administer it with a soft feather and it will feel to the man who is wrong like you hit him with a sledge hammer. Paul reminded the Church at Thessalonica: 1 Thessalonians 2:7, "But we were gentle among you, even as a nurse cherisheth her children:" There should be a thoroughness of commitment for those of us who are saved. Then next,

THERE SHOULD BE UPRIGHTNESS OF HEART

Matthew 22:37 says, "Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind."

Mark 7:6, "He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me."

The Lord wants our hearts. Psalms 4:4, "Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah."

Psalms 19:14, "Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer."

Psalms 27:8, "When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seek."

Psalms 51:10, "Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.

Psalms 66:18, "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:"

Proverbs 4:23, "Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life." Being saved and serving the Lord is a matter of the heart. It is much different than just the mind. Therefore, the wise man said, "Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life."

THERE SHOULD BE WHOLENESS OF BEING

Hebrews 12:28 says, "Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear:"

One reason given in this verse to serve the Lord with wholeness of being is that we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved. This world is temporary. There will come a time when it will be dissolved. 2 Peter 3:10, "But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up." God destroyed the world in Noah's day with water. But the next time it will be with fire. They talk about the atomic energy sources having a melt down. Well, this world will have a melt down. It will be God's wrath in action.

Revelation 20:11, "And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them." This will be the final judgment. When this takes place the present heavens and earth will be included in that judgment. God will begin all things new when this time arrives. We are told that there will be a new heaven and a new earth with the New Jerusalem as the capital of that eternal kingdom.

These are some of the ways we will serve the Lord and some of the reasons. God is a God of mercy and grace. He is the living God. He knows us and loves us and praise be to His holy name He restores us as fallen saints. And we do fall on a regular basis and we are urged by Him to confess our sins to obtain immediate forgiveness. 1 John 1:9, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

Then another great promise to those of us who need His restoration daily is Hebrews 4:15-16, "For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need."

May the Lord encourage you with these words. And may we meditate on these truths on a regular basis.

In Christ

Bro. White