Biblical Correction

Introduction

Back in my early days as a Christian I came across the phrase “A mile wide and an inch deep”. The phrase was used to describe large portions of the Church that were Christians in name only, their life reflecting their love and admiration of the world more than their love for Jesus. Friends, I would love to tell you that things have improved since I heard that phrase, but if anything they have gotten worse. Not everyone will hear my words because as Jesus said, “My words have found no place in you” John 8:37.

If there were someone that would give us a State of the Church address today, do you think we would be prepared to hear it? It is no secret that as time has gone on that the Church has gotten weaker and weaker.

We rarely see people coming to genuine salvation anymore.

It is getting harder and harder to find praying saints ( but God bless the ones that do!).

There is a gross immaturity in the body of Christ, many assuming they have somehow arrived after joining a local assembly.

Signs and wonders have departed the Church not because they aren’t available but because God will NOT use impure vessels.

In many cases people are so filled with pride or a religious spirit that they refuse to take correction from the man or woman of God thinking themselves to be spiritually adept themselves. Yet a cursory look at their social media profile often proves that there is something other than the Holy Spirit at work in their lives.

The Know It All Generation

Have you ever met someone that just seemed to know it all? They seem to have the answer for everything. Yet when you look behind the curtain of their lives you find that there is a great deal of hypocrisy happening. Their lives are far from perfect while they are condemning others for not being perfect. Such judgment is of the flesh, and Jesus didn’t have many good things to say to those He encountered with such lives.

John 8:12–20 ESV

Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” So the Pharisees said to him, “You are bearing witness about yourself; your testimony is not true.” Jesus answered, “Even if I do bear witness about myself, my testimony is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going, but you do not know where I come from or where I am going. You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one. Yet even if I do judge, my judgment is true, for it is not I alone who judge, but I and the Father who sent me. In your Law it is written that the testimony of two people is true. I am the one who bears witness about myself, and the Father who sent me bears witness about me.” They said to him therefore, “Where is your Father?” Jesus answered, “You know neither me nor my Father. If you knew me, you would know my Father also.” These words he spoke in the treasury, as he taught in the temple; but no one arrested him, because his hour had not yet come.

The exchange that happens here is not far off from the many exchanges I have had with many people that think they are correct in their walk with God, but when confronted with Scripture they become indignant and say things like “Judge not lest you be judged”. I have news for you friends, we are ALL going to be judged! But in this particular instance I am referring to people who are reacting to the convicting work of the Holy Ghost in their hearts.

Listen to me carefully now…if you are an individual that is predominantly run by your emotions you stand little chance at responding correctly to the movement of the Holy Spirit when He comes to bring correction. The problem for many of us is that God will most often use a Spirit filled man or woman of God to bring correction and we get stuck on the person standing in front of us instead of receiving the loving Spirit of God that sent them to begin with.

Receiving Correction

Hebrews 12:6 ESV

For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.”

Job 5:17 ESV

“Behold, blessed is the one whom God reproves; therefore despise not the discipline of the Almighty.

Proverbs 3:12 ESV

for the Lord reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights.

It is an extremely prideful and even wicked mind that believes that it has no need of correction, that everything is accomplished and settled in one’s life. The hard truth is that you and I will NEVER come to the place of not needing correction. Even those of you that have been baptized in the Holy Spirit and those of you that God has used for His glory in the past. We as people have this incredibly naive idea that if God uses us in any way shape or form that we have arrived and should be considered above our peers as the more spiritual ones. We are the ones others should be looking to.

Let me be clear…there will NEVER be a time that anyone needs to see anything other than Christ operating within you and that only happens with those that have a humble and contrite spirit.

Isaiah 66:2 ESV

All these things my hand has made, and so all these things came to be, declares the Lord. But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.

Oh God, let us be humbled again!

Oh God, let us revere Your Word again!

Oh God, let us allow Your Holy Name to be glorified in the earth again!

Be forewarned, I am going to use some strong language here; those of you that call yourselves by the Holy Name of Christ yet refuse to receive correction and jump from church to church trying to find someone to agree with you have profaned God’s Holy Church by bringing in a spirit of rebellion. Your lips have spoken of God but your heart is far from His.

Matthew 15:7–9 ESV

You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said: “ ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ ”

Put away your witchcraft! Put away your rebelliousness! Put away your pride!

Obviously, I am not addressing every individual in the Church right now, but the true saints of God will know and bear witness to the cleaning that needs to be done in the power of the Holy Spirit in our churches!

We will never see revival if we don’t let judgment start in the house of God. Too many preachers are afraid at offending this soft generation with the truth of God’s Word. They only preach the gentleness of God, the love of God, but they are only telling half the story to a generation that definitely needs a spanking!

Jesus on Religious Hypocrisy

John 8:12–59 ESV

Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” So the Pharisees said to him, “You are bearing witness about yourself; your testimony is not true.” Jesus answered, “Even if I do bear witness about myself, my testimony is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going, but you do not know where I come from or where I am going. You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one. Yet even if I do judge, my judgment is true, for it is not I alone who judge, but I and the Father who sent me. In your Law it is written that the testimony of two people is true. I am the one who bears witness about myself, and the Father who sent me bears witness about me.” They said to him therefore, “Where is your Father?” Jesus answered, “You know neither me nor my Father. If you knew me, you would know my Father also.” These words he spoke in the treasury, as he taught in the temple; but no one arrested him, because his hour had not yet come. So he said to them again, “I am going away, and you will seek me, and you will die in your sin. Where I am going, you cannot come.” So the Jews said, “Will he kill himself, since he says, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come’?” He said to them, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am he you will die in your sins.” So they said to him, “Who are you?” Jesus said to them, “Just what I have been telling you from the beginning. I have much to say about you and much to judge, but he who sent me is true, and I declare to the world what I have heard from him.” They did not understand that he had been speaking to them about the Father. So Jesus said to them, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own authority, but speak just as the Father taught me. And he who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to him.” As he was saying these things, many believed in him. So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” They answered him, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?” Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. I know that you are offspring of Abraham; yet you seek to kill me because my word finds no place in you. I speak of what I have seen with my Father, and you do what you have heard from your father.” They answered him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would be doing the works Abraham did, but now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. This is not what Abraham did. You are doing the works your father did.” They said to him, “We were not born of sexual immorality. We have one Father—even God.” Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me. Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word. You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me. Which one of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me? Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.” The Jews answered him, “Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?” Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon, but I honor my Father, and you dishonor me. Yet I do not seek my own glory; there is One who seeks it, and he is the judge. Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.” The Jews said to him, “Now we know that you have a demon! Abraham died, as did the prophets, yet you say, ‘If anyone keeps my word, he will never taste death.’ Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? And the prophets died! Who do you make yourself out to be?” Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God.’ But you have not known him. I know him. If I were to say that I do not know him, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and I keep his word. Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.” So the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?” Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.