Confounded: Certain in Transgression

‘Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: if so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious. To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed by men, but chosen of God, and precious, YE ALSO, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, "Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that on him shall not be CONFOUNDED." Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, and a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.' (1 Peter 2:1-8 KJV)

'Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called: Mercy unto you, and peace, and love, be multiplied. Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that you should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. For there are CERTAIN men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ. I will therefore put you in remembrance, though you once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not.' 

(Jude 1:1-5 KJV)

'And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it. For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist. Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward. Whosoever TRANSGRESSETH, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.' (2 John v.6-9 KJV)

A compromised consideration of Christ's commandment to us is aggravated by the unwillingness to recognize our transgression.

Does Your Confidence Lie?

‘So they came to Jerusalem. Then Jesus began to drive out those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. And He would not allow anyone to carry wares through the temple. Then He taught, saying to them, "Is it not written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations'? But you have made it a 'den of thieves.' " And the scribes and the chief priests heard it and sought how they might destroy Him, because all the people were astonished at His teaching. When evening had come, He went out of the city.' 

(Mark 11:15-19 NKJV)

'If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater; for this is the witness of God which He has testified of His Son. He who believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself; he who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed the testimony that God has given of His Son. And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God. Now this the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.'  (1 John 5:9-15 NKJV)

Scribes and chief priests confidently desired to destroy Him; yet John's confidence, and his requests, are in Him and His will. As the testimony of God's Son is made manifest, will you confidently destroy, or confidently continue to ask and be heard by Him?

Greater Works in Righteousness

'Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and GREATER WORKS than these he will do, because I go to My Father. And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.' (John 14:12-14 NKJV)

'But these things I have told you, that when the time comes, you may remember that I told you of them. And these things I did not say to you at the beginning, because I was with you. But now I go away to Him who sent Me, and none of you ask Me, "Where are you going?" But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgement: of sin, because they do not believe in Me; of RIGHTEOUSNESS, BECAUSE I GO TO MY FATHER and you see Me no more; of judgement, because the ruler of this world is judged.'(John 16:4-11 NKJV)

In these verses, Jesus informs His disciples that there were 'greater works' than what they had seen Him do, that He said they also would do, because 'I go to My Father'; and that the Helper would convict 'of righteousness, because I go to My Father.' I ask you, what did Jesus have yet to do? He had evangelized, pastored, taught and prophesied. Now was the time finish His ministry on the cross, and be resurrected.

'I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church, of which I became a minister ACCORDING TO THE STEWARDSHIP FROM GOD WHICH WAS GIVEN TO ME FOR YOU TO FULFILL THE WORD OF GOD, the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints. To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. To this end I also labor, striving according to His working which works in me mightily.' (Colossians 1:24-29 NKJV)

Each of us should be willing to ask, in the name of Jesus Christ, what is lacking in our understanding as we work toward that end.

Have No Fellowship with Unfruitful Works

‘Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. Be not ye therefore partakers with them. For ye were sometimes darkness, but now ye are light in the Lord: walk as children of light: (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.'

(Ephesians 5:6-11 KJV)

'This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. 

(1 John 1:5-7 KJV)

'And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen. (1John 5:20,21 KJV)

Ask for the understanding that the Son of God has come and given to John. Keep asking! We may know Him-that is true. We may be in Him-that is true: even in the testimony of His Son, Jesus Christ. Prove what is acceptable to the Lord!

Are You Certain? Bring Your Self to Him!

'And when they were come to the multitude, there came to him a certain man, kneeling down to him, and saying,

Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is a lunatick, and sore vexed: for ofttimes he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water.

And I brought him to thy disciples, and they could not cure him.

Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? BRING HIM HITHER TO ME.

And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour.

Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out?

And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.

Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.' (Matthew 17:14-21 KJV)

When the certain man eventually came to Jesus, He cured his son. Later, when His disciples came to Jesus apart, He taught them how their unbelief could be removed. Lord! We ask you to help our unbelief! We bring ourselves to You!

This One will Have whatever this One says

‘Now the next day, when they had come out from Bethany, He was hungry. And seeing from afar a fig tree having leaves, He went to see if perhaps He would find something on it. When He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. In response Jesus said to it, "Let no one eat fruit from you ever again." And His disciples heard it.' 

(Mark 11:12-14 NKJV)

'Now in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. And Peter, remembering, said to Him, "Rabbi, look! The fig tree which you cursed has withered away." So Jesus answered and said to them, 'Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, "Be removed and be cast into the sea," and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.'

(Mark 11:20-23 NKJV)

'I do not pray for these alone (His disciples at that time), but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as you have loved Me.'

(John 17:20-23 NKJV)

Jesus ended the expression of that fig tree. It's out-of-season fruitlessness was now subject to the true vine. If we follow what Jesus proclaimed to His disciples: speaking to remove this mountain which stands in the way, we should begin to see, and have the testimony by which the Father glorified the Son and His disciples.

Made not to Stumble

“These things I have spoken to you, that you should not be made to stumble. They will put you out of the synagogues: yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service. And these things they will do to you because they have not known the Father nor Me. But these things I have told you, that when the time comes, you may remember that I told you of them. And these things I did not say to you at the beginning, because I was with you. But now I go away to Him who sent Me, and none of you asks Me, 'Where are you going?' But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgement: of sin, because they do not believe in Me; of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see me no more; of judgement, because the ruler of this world is judged. "

(John 16:1-11 NKJV)

'And He said to them, "Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables? The sower sows the word. These likewise are the ones sown on stony ground who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with gladness; and they have no root in themselves, and so endure only for a time. Afterward, when tribulation or persecution arises for the word's sake, immediately they stumble." '(Mark 4:13,14;16,17 NKJV)

Simply put, righteousness is what Jesus did: EVERYTHING that He did! Sin is unawareness of, ignorance of or the departure from what He did. The Helper, the Spirit of truth, convinces those who have begun to believe of these things yet have stumbled in one way or another. The ruler of this world is judged because, as Jesus said, 'he has nothing in Me'. So, also, will those be judged who are persuaded by that 'ruler'. Therefore, be convinced by the Helper, the Spirit of truth, regarding the testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ. If you are willing and obedient, you will be made not to stumble as you experience tribulation/persecution, recognizing and rejoicing in the hope of His calling.