“WHY BE ON GUARD ALWAYS?”

Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong. 1 Corinthians 16:13

OPENING COMMENT by Robert

A Christian is always in danger, and therefore should ever be on the watch, but the danger is greater at some times and under some circumstances.

If a Christian would be secure, he must be on his guard; and the more his danger the greater vigilance is needful for his security The Apostle advises them to stand fast in the faith, to keep their ground, adhere to the revelation of God, and not give it up for the wisdom of the world, nor suffer it to be corrupted by it – stand for the faith of the gospel, and maintain it even to death; and stand in it, so as to abide in the profession of it, and feel and yield to its influence.

A Christian should be fixed in the faith of the gospel, and never desert nor renounce it. It is by this faith alone that he will be able to keep his ground in an hour of temptation, it is by faith that we stand (2 Corinthians 1:24), it is by this that we must overcome the world (1 John 5:4), both when it fawns and when it frowns, when it tempts and when it terrifies. We must stand therefore in the faith of the gospel if we would maintain our integrity.

Christians should be careful that charity not only reigns in their hearts but shine out in their lives, nay, in their most manly defences of the faith of the gospel.

There is a great difference between constancy and cruelty, between Christian firmness and feverish wrath and transport.

CLOSING COMMENTS by Robert

The scribes and Pharisees were hypocrites that is it in which all the rest of their bad characters are summed up it was the leaven which gave the relish to all they said and did.

A hypocrite is a stage-player in religion (that is the primary signification of the word) he personates or acts the part of one that he neither is nor maybe, or perhaps he neither is nor would be.

That hypocrites are in a woeful state and condition. Woe to hypocrites so he said whose saying that their case is miserable makes it so: while they live, their religion is vain when they die, their ruin is great.

Now each of these woes against the scribes and Pharisees has a reason annexed to it containing a separate crime charged upon them, proving their hypocrisy, and justifying the judgment of Christ upon them for his woes, his curses, are never causeless.

I. They are sworn enemies to the gospel of Christ, and consequently, to the salvation of the souls of men (Matthew 23:13) They shut up the kingdom of heaven against men, that is, they did all they could to keep people from believing in Christ, and so entering into his kingdom.

Christ came to open the kingdom of heaven, that is, to lay open for us a new and living way into it, to bring men to be subjects of that kingdom.

Please remember these articles are the work of a humble servant of Yeshua doing HIs bidding as a Watchmen sounding the Trumpet to warn of impending danger or shortfalls within the Assembly. May our Father abundantly bless each one of you with wisdom and discernment to go forward as “Modern Day Disciples.”

Thou will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee, Trust ye in the Lord forever: for in the Lord Yeshua is everlasting strength. (Isaiah 26:3-4)

Robert