Continuing Michael's message from yesterday; Jesus
then quoted Leviticus 19:18 from the
Old Testament: "Thou shalt
love thy neighbor as thyself." How do you love your neighbor as
yourself? The answer is the third aspect of being an Ambassador.
According to the preceding verse in Leviticus, you love your neighbor by
reproving him. If we do not reprove our neighbor when he strays from the
Word of God, we ourselves commit sin. Loving your neighbor is to correct him
according to the holy Word of Scripture, for the Word of God is profitable for doctrine, for reproof and correction,
which is instruction in righteousness. To correct is to restore your fallen
neighbor to an upright position before God.
The third part of Ambassadors can be found in 2 Corinthians 4:2 where it says, "but we have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty." The normal response to shame is to hide it. The law of the Spirit brings sin into the light of the Word of truth. The devil hides in the darkness. The truth of the Word of God exposes the shamefulness and dishonesty of sin. A little pocket of darkness gives the devil a foothold. According to John 3:18-20: “He that believeth on him is not condemned, but he that does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world and that men loved the darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hates the light, neither cometh to the light lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth, cometh to the light that his deeds may be manifest that they are wrought in God.” According to 1 John 1:17, “If we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanses us from all unrighteousness.”
The third part of Ambassadors can be found in 2 Corinthians 4:2 where it says, "but we have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty." The normal response to shame is to hide it. The law of the Spirit brings sin into the light of the Word of truth. The devil hides in the darkness. The truth of the Word of God exposes the shamefulness and dishonesty of sin. A little pocket of darkness gives the devil a foothold. According to John 3:18-20: “He that believeth on him is not condemned, but he that does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world and that men loved the darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hates the light, neither cometh to the light lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth, cometh to the light that his deeds may be manifest that they are wrought in God.” According to 1 John 1:17, “If we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanses us from all unrighteousness.”
Holiness means to be set apart by God for the purpose for which God designed us. The purpose for which He designed us is that we should be to the praise of the glory of His grace whereby He has made us acceptable in the beloved. He has designed us to be his Ambassadors. When we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have "denounced the hidden things of dishonesty." For He who new knew no sin was made the perfect sin sacrifice for us that we may be made the righteousness of God in Him.
May God richly bless you!
Your brother in Christ, Michael
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