Open Heavens – Stop The Pretence!

Topic: Stop The Pretence! [Saturday 9, December 2017]

Memorise: Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned: – 1 Timothy 1:5

Read: 1 Timothy 1:5-9 (KJV)

5 Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned:

6 From which some having swerved have turned aside unto vain jangling;

7 Desiring to be teachers of the law; understanding neither what they say, nor whereof they affirm.

8 But we know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully;

9 Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers,

Bible in One Year: Psalm 120-134, Zephaniah 2:13-3:8, Hymn: Sing Hymn 6 – Deeper, Deeper

MESSAGE:

Salvation through Christ is such a great experience, but the devil in his characteristic manner has introduced counterfeits into people’s lives. The consequence of processing a counterfeit salvation experience is a life of pretense. To guard against this wile of the devil, the Holy Spirit in 1 Timothy 1:5, admonishes us thus:

“Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned:”

While God wants us to show love to all, he equally cares about the source of this love. The source of a thing goes a long way in determining its quality and value. You cannot bring something good out of an evil heart. If you do, that good thing is already tainted. For instance, even though you see lots of food in a dunghill, you will not go to eat from there. God is therefore saying that you should do away with pretense and hypocrisy, because they taint whatever good works you are doing. He is saying that if you will show Him love, make sacrifices for His sake, or give to his cause, such actions must come out of a pure heart, with a good conscience and done with sincerity; otherwise, the doer of these works may not get any reward.

Are you saved? Is your salvation genuine or false? 2 Corinthians 5:17 says if you are saved, old things are passed away. This means that if you were stealing before, after experiencing salvation, you will stop stealing. You cannot continue stealing and still lay claim to salvation. While my father-in-the-lord was alive, if you claimed to be saved, he would ask you these questions: “what were you saved from? What were you doing before that you no longer do now?” today, people claim they are saved, and yet they still steal, lie or fornicate. What kind of salvation is that? In one of my missionary trips outside Nigeria, a man came to me and said, “Sir, I heard that you are a prophet of God and that your prophesies are deadly accurate.” “Is that so?” I replied and further added, ‘I am not a prophet but a pastor, but I do hear from God once in a while.” He then asked me to tell him his future. I asked him if he was born again and washed in the blood of Jesus Christ, and His response was “No”. So I said to him, “Your future will be terrible.” Alarmed, he said, “How do you know? You don’t even know my name, and you have not even prayed!” I told him there was no need for that because Isaiah 3:11 says “Woe to the wicked!” on the other hand, if you are saved, your tomorrow will be alright. Are you saved? Did you genuinely give your life to Jesus Christ on a particular day? If not, do it today!

Key Point: The afterlife has no room for pretense. It’s all about reality and truth.

Hymn 6: Deeper, Deeper

1. Deeper, deeper in the love of Jesus
   Daily let me go;
   Higher, higher in the school of wisdom,
   More of grace to know.

Refrain:
Oh, deeper yet, I pray,
And higher every day,
And wiser, blessed Lord,
In Thy precious, holy Word.

1. Deeper, deeper, blessed Holy Spirit,
   Take me deeper still,
   Till my life is wholly lost in Jesus,
   And His perfect will.
   Refrain:

2. Deeper, deeper! though it cost hard trials,
   Deeper let me go!
   Rooted in the holy love of Jesus,
   Let me fruitful grow.
   Refrain:

3. Deeper, higher, every day in Jesus,
   Till all conflict past,
   Finds me conqu’ror, and in His own image
   Perfected at last.
   Refrain:

4. Deeper, deeper in the faith of Jesus,
   Holy faith and true;
   In His pow’r and soul exulting wisdom
   Let me peace pursue.
   Refrain:

Open Heavens Daily Devotional guide was written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, one of the largest evangelical church in the world and also the President of Christ the Redeemer’s Ministries.