NOT OF THE WORLD - Louis Gervais
NOT OF THE WORLD
Hello and greetings in the Name Him Who is Not of the World, Jesus Christ!
“All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.” –Hebrews 11:13 . Strangers and exiles. Can these words be used to describe us today? Or have we forgotten that this world is not our home? “But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them.” –Hebrews 11:16 . You know, God is not ashamed to be associated with the heroes of faith in Hebrews 11… But could it be that He is ashamed of those who claim Him as their God on Sundays and then live like devils the rest of the week?
“If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you.” –John 15:18-19 . This rebellious world hates Christ because it is evil and He is holy. (His purity reveals their filth.) If we therefore choose to be associated with Jesus we are forewarned that we will also share in enduring the hatred which the world has for Him.
Jesus prayed in John 17:14 , “I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.” I can understand that Jesus is not of the world; He is God, He was from God, and He returned to God. But He prayed (and He also prayed for those who would believe through His disciples’ message) saying that “they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.” What a statement! How can this be? For all of us were at one time “of the world”! The difference is the new birth; the creation of spiritual life by the Spirit of God and the entering of Jesus Christ into a man’s life. That is what took us from being “of the world” to being “born of God”!
Think of Jesus Christ, “Who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.” –Titus 2:14 . He came to make us His possession; to rescue His Bride and create a new “spiritual people group” Whom He purchased for God with His blood; “men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.” –Revelation 5:9d . “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him Who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul.” –1 Peter 2:9-11 .
If we stop to consider the great agony and suffering of Christ…! Let us not withhold our love from Him Who loved us so unreservedly. Let us not shy away from carrying the same contempt which our King endured: “Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people through His own blood, suffered outside the gate. So, let us go out to Him outside the camp, bearing His reproach. For here we do not have a lasting city, but we are seeking the city which is to come.” –Hebrews 13:12-14
It’s only fair… It’s only right! He gave His all for us—have we any right to deny Him a single aspect of our hearts or lives? “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.” –Matthew 10:37-38 . Have we surrendered everything to Him Who saved our souls? We owe Him our existence. How could it be said of those godly saints of old in Hebrews 11:38a that they were, “men of whom the world was not worthy”? I suspect that if they had loved the world, then Christ would have deemed them unworthy of Himself (according to Matthew 10:38) but because they loved and served God by faith, the world instead became unworthy of them. Remarkable.
This week, Heinrich and I worked in Bethulie (locally pronounced beh-too-lee; the name means “chosen by God”). We shared the Good News at a youth group, the primary school, the high school, the hostel (school dormitory), the jail, the retirement home, at a preschool, at a business, at a Bible study and on the streets and in the stores using Gospel tracts. Hallelujah! Some of these opportunities were rather blessed. A Christian lady whom we met on Tuesday arranged a birthday party for me on Friday. It has now been a quarter of a century since my birth, and of these past 25 years I can say with a grateful heart: “The LORD hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad.” –Psalm 126:3
We have a few evangelism appointments on Thursday and Friday. Please pray for our protection as we know that the adversary doesn’t like the type of work which God did in Hennenman last week. Please pray for those youth; that they will run the good race with loyal perseverance. May Christ be glorified!
–Louis Gervais
“Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.” –1 John 2:15-17