In Vain They Do Worship Me

One of the statements of the New Testament by the Apostle John was “the whole world was under the power of the evil one.” (1 John 5:19) Christians however are led by the Holy Spirit of God and withstand the fiery darts of darkness. (Ephesians 6.16)

O.K. Let me shoot straight. I found this out in my own life and it was a tough pill to swallow. But when I got it down things started to work out much better and better. I think I figure out that it was really time to come out and be separate. Things are not as they have always been. Are you ready to be healed from the offenses of others? Let’s look at some facts below:

• The actual fact that, the children of God should not sin willfully.
• The actual fact, that those who have not the new life in Christ do sin willfully.
• The spiritual fact, that the new life we have is a spiritual life communicated to us through faith in Jesus Christ the Son of God.
• the Apostle John states these three things that we ought to know, as a kind of summary of his epistle.

We ought then to know them:

1. It is faith that overcomes evil including all addictions.
2. There is none righteous, we all need the Blood Cleansing of Jesus Christ
3. In vain many worship Him, and He says, "I do not know you." (Luke 13.27)
   
   

It is significant that the Apostle John should say, "even our faith." (1 John 5.4) It may be true, and in fact, it is true that faith, as one of the powers of human nature, is the power that enables a man to act upon unseen considerations.

Faith does enable men to rise above the entanglement and depression of present circumstances. The world could not get on without faith. All her high triumphs have been triumphs of faith.

But, to my mind, the Apostle John's world was not the world of material difficulties of our world, but the world of moral evils. And he knew well enough that commonplace human faith can never gain victory over that. It is our faith as well against both evils.

That specific thing which must be called the "Christian faith," which alone can overcome the moral world, the world of evil which we all live within.

"Who is he that overcomes the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?" "Whatsoever is born of God overcomes the world." (1 John 5.4)

It should not be possible for us to miss the point of St. John's teaching in these sentences. It is the man who, believing in Jesus as the Son of God, is himself a son of God who overcomes the world.

The object of faith is the Sonship, or, more precisely, Christ the Son. His Sonship was the secret of His triumph over the world, which, though He lived in the world, He was not of the world.

And our sonship in Him will have to be the secret of our triumph, if ever it is said of us, they have overcome the world through the power of the Holy Ghost in us. (Romans 8.18-27)

What a powerful word that is. We win! We win because we have powerful examples to model our behavior after when we walk in the world. Specifically, do a word study of the Apostle John who is an excellent example.

Mark 7.7-9, "In vain do they worship me, teaching human precepts as doctrines.’ You abandon the commandment of God and hold to human tradition.”

Then he said to them, “You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition!

Your no condemnation spiritual Christian walk begins in Romans 8 and is the high watermark of Romans. If you have been justified by faith, the condemnation for sin has been borne by our Lord Jesus in His substitutionary death on the cross.

Sin is now powerlessness in the flesh to disobey God’s Law and you are now free to live righteously and overcome by the Holy Spirit, who not only raised the dead body of our Lord to life but who will also raise our own dead bodies to life so that we may live in a way that pleases God.

The Holy Spirit is God’s provision for godly living. Not only does the Spirit empower the Christian, but He also assures the Christian of his position in Christ as a son of God. While our sonship is the assurance of sharing in the glory of God in His coming kingdom, it also requires present suffering for Christ’s sake.

This suffering is not divorced from our sonship but a prerequisite to the glory which is to come. In Romans 8:14-17, Paul introduces the subjects of sonship and suffering. Romans 8:18-27 explains in greater detail the ministry of the Holy Spirit to suffering saints.

This present life inescapably involves suffering and groaning as we look forward to the glory of God and the full benefits of our sonship at the return of our Lord. During our days of groaning, the Holy Spirit ministers to us so that we may endure our present afflictions.

The subject of our text is the certainty of suffering and of God’s sustaining ministry through His Spirit.

There is no power in the world in the world that can make the heart good. (Matthew 16.26)

Mark 7.22-24 “..greed, wickedness, deceit, debauchery, envy, slander, arrogance, and foolishness. All these evils come from within, and these are what defile a man.” Jesus left that place and went to the region of Tyre. Not wanting anyone to know He was there, He entered a house, but was unable to escape their notice.”

This is radical stuff if you think that mankind is intrinsically good!

The heart is deceitful above all things, and it is exceedingly corrupt: who can know it? (Jeremiah 17.9)

Paul wrote the Romans this short little note: as it is written:

“None is righteous, no, not one;

No one understands;

no one seeks for God.

All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;

no one does good,

not even one.”

“Their throat is an open grave;

they use their tongues to deceive.”

“The venom of asps is under their lips.”

“Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.”

“Their feet are swift to shed blood;

in their paths are ruin and misery,

and the way of peace they have not known.”

“There is no fear of God before their eyes.” (Romans 3.11-18)

Romans 3.23 reads “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”

“All” is the key word in the verse and it leaves out no one. We all have sinned and need the Lord Jesus and his Blood cleansing act on the cross of Calvary. He is no longer there. He is in heaven with the saints of God seated at the right of God when appropriate.

Paul said of himself and we must: "Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?" (Romans 7.24)

What comes out of a man defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of men,

• · Come evil thoughts
• · Sexual immorality
• · Theft
• · Murder
• · Adultery
• · Sensuality
• · Envy
• · Slander
• · Pride
• · Foolishness

All these evil thought come from within, and defile a person (Mark 7.21-23)

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