I want to open this teaching up today with several Scriptures that will point to notable "marks" that identify us more clearly than just what we have learned to voice within the hearing of those around us who we greatly desire that they think a certain way about us. There is such a thing as a dual lifestyle and it is often found within the church as much as it is in the world. I wish that it was not so, but it is a problem that dulls and weakens our stance and testimony more than we could know. I believe it is the reason for so much failure in the performance of God's Word in our lives. Why? It is because it causes so much guilt and shame which therefore makes our hearts condemn us. I wrote a particular chapter in my book titled, "Is God Really in Control?"
In this chapter I deal with a subject on "Grace Gone Wild," and please hear me correctly on this, I have many wonderful and well known friends in the ministry that teach the true grace of God and in no uncertain terms do they believe or support this pollution of the greatest message to man that I am about to point out. The reason for bringing it out into the open is in hopes that it clarifies a truth that may help someone find the liberating heart of this message. As with anything taught there are always those who will dispute everything they hear that challenges their preferred lifestyles and thus use the trump card: I'm under grace, how dare you to reveal that! I suppose this is why it says let not many of you become masters among you for we offend much in what we say and therefore we receive a greater condemnation because of what we speak (James 3:1-2). Let us look at a few of these Scriptures before we settle in at the book of Philippians.
Genesis 4:15 (KJV)
15 And the LORD said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the LORD set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him.
This is a mark that God placed on Cain to preserve his life from those who may have sought to revenge the blood of his brother Able. I don't know exactly if this mark was physical or just a word that was spread abroad to let others know that if they harmed him they would find God's vengeance sevenfold. Either way, Cain had received a mark upon him that was distinguishable by anyone who came to know him.
Psalms 37:37 (KJV)
37 Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright: for the end of that man is peace.
It's obvious that this mark being referred to is not physical in its nature, but in fact is an attribute of the virtue of peace that someone watching the person who has it can definitely take notice and see that it is there.
Ezekiel 9:4-6 (KJV)
4 And the LORD said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof.
5 And to the others he said in mine hearing, Go ye after him through the city, and smite: let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity:
6 Slay utterly old and young, both maids, and little children, and women: but come not near any man upon whom is the mark; and begin at my sanctuary. Then they began at the ancient men which were before the house.
Here we find another mark that is being placed upon the foreheads of those who care about the very things that God cares about. What might that be? We read in the Word that our God is not willing for any to perish, but that all might have eternal life. Therefore, these that are marked here in this passage are simply those who daily care and cry over the evil conditions that are destroying the lives of people. This mark of course that is being noted within this passage is not a physical one, but rather is an attribute from the divine virtue of love. It is here that we find God separating those that are His by marking the concern they have for righteousness, thus protecting them; from the ones who continue to contribute to the abominations of the earth and to whom He will eventually destroy.
Philippians 3:17 (KJV)
17 Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample.
In this letter to the Philippians church, Paul notes that they are to "mark" those who follow the truth as they have witnessed in him. Is he saying that they need to make a physical mark on them? Of course not! He is talking about being able to recognize the fruit that reveals their closeness with Christ. Therefore, Paul was showing us that the outward mark of a person's walk reveals the depth and content of the inner man.
Revelation 7:2-3 (KJV)
2 And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea,
3 Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.
Here again we find that God's servants will be given a mark on their foreheads in order for them to be distinguished by the angels who were commanded to go about and hurt the earth so as to preserve them from the pending devastation to come. Now I realize that this passage is dealing with the 144,000 from the tribes of Israel during the great and terrible day of the Lord. However, it still supports what we are trying to convey here in this teaching. That of course, is everyone is marked spiritually speaking to what manner of person they are discerned to be by God's standards in Christ Jesus and not from the law of Moses.
Revelation 13:16-17 (KJV)
16 And he causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:
17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
This passage once again focuses on a mark that can be seen. However, in this case the marking will be physical and it shall be placed on either the forehead or the right hand of a person by the anti-Christ. I might make mention here of something whether it's by revelation or just an opinion for I have no particular Scripture to support this idea with certainty. But I find that the devil always counterfeits whatever God does as that is seen throughout Scripture. For example: God places a mark on a person that belongs to Him, but I tend to believe His markings are not physical but spiritual attributes of Christ in us; whereas, the devil in possession of the end-time anti-Christ will place a physical mark on the foreheads and right hand of those who submit to him. Those marked on the forehead will represent I believe the masterminds of evil, whereas the ones who receive the mark on the right hand will be the lesser cronies who carry out the evil deeds. Now, as I said already I have no way of knowing this as to be a fact. Let us look at one more Scripture that points out the marking of a man before we settle into our text.
Romans 16:17-18 (KJV)
17 Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.
18 For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.
As you can see by this passage there will be those among us who will not have the interests of Christ or his followers in mind. Here we are told in Scripture to mark those who cause such divisions and cause deliberate offences. We are told to avoid them! Sadly, there is a mark that we are to place on a person when they are destructive to the body of Christ and that is noting their rotten fruit that is evident by their actions and thereby do not associate with them. As I have used several Scriptures here in order to show the different types of expressions on the marking of a man. Let us now enter upon our main goal in this article: "Marks of a true Believer."
Philippians 1:3-11 (KJV)
3 I thank my God upon every remembrance of you,
4 Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy, 5 For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now;
6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:
7 Even as it is meet for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart; inasmuch as both in my bonds, and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers of my grace.
8 For God is my record, how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ.
9 And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment;
10 That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ;
11 Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.
From this passage above the apostle Paul gave to us some clear indicators that could help us spot the truest of believers among a world of such posers. The first notable trait that you can know this believer is the real deal, is that he will demonstrate a thankful heart. So many folks today and even many within the church have no thankfulness to them. They are always upset and dissatisfied with the whole business of life. Even when something good happens in their life they often find something else to complain about. Therefore, Paul said you can no they are true believers in Christ by the mark of thankfulness in their heart (vs.3).
Another way that we can note a true believer is that they have a prayer life that is ongoing. As Paul put it in his words, he prayed without ceasing. It is clear that no one can possibly be in the posture of getting on their knees, folding of the hands with head bowed and that be called true prayer. If that were so, then Paul could have not prayed without ceasing, for he would have never got anything done. What Paul was saying here, was that he had constant "God conversations" throughout the day and it did not require him to always have to bow the head and drop to his knees for it to be considered praying. Of course there are times within a given day that we should find a place of solitude and end the daily duties of business for a period as we concentrate more earnestly on intimate time with the Lord without distractions. Therefore, Paul is showing us that a mark of a true believer is that they have a prayer life (vs. 4).
Again we can note from Paul's letter that a true believer has the mark of joy on them (vs. 4). When we fail to see joy in a believer there is something that has not fully developed properly. Does it not tell us in Scripture that the joy of the Lord is our strength? Sad and depressed Christians are missing a true mark of a believer in Christ. No wonder there are so many Christians today that live in weakness. They are much too focused on everything that is opposes them rather than the source of their strength which is to know the joy of God to the fullest. Jesus was anointed with the oil of gladness above His fellows. Therefore, I conclude that if I profess to have Jesus in my heart, than I must have His joy there too.
The apostle Paul goes on to show us another mark that is evident within a true believers life. What might that be? These believers can surely be marked by their love for fellowship (vs. 5). Paul mentions how the Philippians church was members that had fellowship with one another from the very first day they came into the fold up to that present moment. There are way too many professing Christians who hold to the idea that they can live isolated lives outside of the rest of the body of Christ and think they can exist perfectly fine. I cannot dispute other subjects affectively and as strongly as I can this one when it comes to fellowship. Jesus said as I paraphrase this in my own words, How can we say we love God whom we have never seen, but do not love those who we see every day? Scriptures also teach us that we are not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together as some do. God said in the Garden of Eden it was not good for man to be alone. In other words, a man was not meant to be an island unto himself otherwise he will become self made in his own eyes and become polluted through his many inventions to fill the void in his life.
We can see in this passage another mark of a true believer, and that is their confidence in God's salvation (vs. 6). It is always sad to see someone who never fully comes to grip with their salvation in Christ Jesus. These either feel unworthy or they work trying to perform enough good works to earn a place in God's presence and receive His favor. Therefore, because of this we find these generally never develop in an intimate relationship with the Lord even though they often go through the motions of Christian service (Matthew 7:22-23). It is here that Paul notes that the true believer is marked with confidence that the Lord will finish what He had already started. Paul notes in this writing that it is a good work and one might do well to further note that it is an incomplete work too, at least until we are standing face to face with Him in our glorified body.
A sixth characteristic that marks a true believer is his desire to partnership with others to further the work of the Lord (vs. 7-8). I can't tell you enough of how important it is to have wonderful caring people who partner with my ministry so that I can further the work of the Lord. Someone has to be sent to accomplish the Lord's work, and someone must help send them if it is to be completed. If one writes a book under the influence of the Holy Ghost, then God will move on others to partner in that work so that it can be received by the masses. We should never under estimate the power of partnership if we are to achieve the mandates of the Lord's work. In the scheme of things, God perfectly designed it that we would need each other to accomplish the work, thus it becomes all of our work. Paul also noted that we are partners in our hearts intimately knitted together, that we may stand together whether in sufferings; for the Gospel's sake; through grace towards one another, and of course as partners together with Christ.
As we near our last two marks within this devotion, I pray you are getting some insight of the importance of allowing yourself to be totally marked as one of His chosen. The world will hate you for it because you do not belong to it, therefore it will reject you completely (much of why Paul said the world had nothing in him and he had nothing in it). Paul points out that a true believer will bear the mark of growing and discerning love (vs.9-10). This mark will set you apart from the copies or counterfeits, for it will be a love that is always abounding more and more with each day. This love will be born out of the knowledge to which you daily seek and find from God's Word. That divine knowledge is extracted from the Word by the Holy Spirit within the true believer and will enable them to judge what is appropriate for their new nature in Christ. It will afford them the entrance to effectively approve things that are excellent without leaving them feeling any offence as they look for their coming Lord.
Hopefully, I can bring this to a masterful close with the Lord's help. A final mark to which we wish to point out in this dissertation will be the mark of righteousness (vs.11). The Word tells us that we are the righteous ones of Christ our King. We are to be clothed in righteousness according to the Word of God. This is not a self-induced righteousness that we put on in the manner of religious order, for Scripture teaches that our righteousness is as filthy rags. On the contrary, this righteousness that Paul spoke of is the very Christ in us that fully marks us with His own self that cannot go unnoticed to the onlookers of this present world. My closing statement: Sunday morning I took a couple of items out of a bag to which I had brought into the sanctuary. The first was a cigar and the second item was a bottle of beer. I began the preaching of the Word that morning with the cigar hanging from my lips and the bottle of beer in my right hand. The point was not to major on any particular vice that one might be partaking of at this moment in order to cause them personal condemnation, but rather to create a visual of how awkward and absurd it must look to the world and to other believers when we are marked with things that are not becoming of someone who claims to be the Lord's.
There I was demonstrating as an illustration that I was a true minister of Christ, in the church behind the pulpit, Bible in hand where it was supposed to emulate a certain expectation of righteousness that most would think should be excepted, of course unless they be total reprobates in their minds; yet I was changing on purpose the very appearance of righteousness as people watched in that service, and in doing so I lessened its believable way of life to others that may have considered it, at least until they observed my hypocrisy. I remember Paul said in the Scriptures that all things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable. He was referring to the damage to another person should he cause them to stumble by what he approved while they struggled with what he accepted in their weakness of the same. Again, Jesus addressed this same point when He said, "If you shall cause a brother to stumble; it would have been better for you to have had a stone tied around your neck and tossed into the sea then to have caused him to fall away."
I honestly know full well that the issue is not about the many vices that people choose to keep in their life, that for them is ok to do so (that is between them and God); while others I know will cry out in vindictiveness that these are sinning while they hold on to things that are questionable. The real issue is that we are to bear the marks of Christ by taking up our own cross to which we are willing to lose our own life for another. Christ bore the marks of stripes on His back for the healing of our infirmities. These marks meant something certain that could not be changed and still mean the same thing. Remove them, and there is no more foundation of truth that deals with remedy for sickness.
When we use the teaching of "grace" to change the marks to which we are to bear so that it clearly identifies that we are His; then we are not willing to really die, which is the requirement to live in the new. Here lies the reason that I believe so many are sick among us, and even some that have now already gone to sleep. We have not properly discerned the body of Christ. No one believes that it would be appropriate for a minister to drink and smoke as he ministered in the church pulpit. Nor would it be acceptable for the congregation to come in drinking and smoking during the service; for people would say that that was an abomination for being so disrespectful towards God. Why then is it that we can conclude that that is wrong without an argument by most Christians; but once we walk away from that religious venue, things that were repudiated there, are now accepted out here as we live in the world? What is grace? It is the ability of God to change into the very likeness of Him effortlessly as you follow His lead. How are you marked?
