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Spiritual Shells & Carcases

"Holy love to God as the chief good and our felicity is the power of godliness, the very life and soul of religion, without which all external professions and performances are but a shell and carcase..." - Matthew Henry


In Isaiah 58:1, the Prophet Isaiah was commanded by God to - "Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew My people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins."

Earnestly, vehemently, with an open throat - full and loud voice - and great strength, he was to "lift up" his voice "like a trumpet" - crying as loudly and as distinctly as he possibly could - so that he would awaken the spiritually dull and insensible people to the awareness of their sins of formality and hypocrisy.

What were the people doing that was so wrong?

Isaiah 58:2 tells us - "Yet they seek Me daily..."

What was wrong with that? Would to God that all of His people would seek Him daily! They were constant and diligent in their devotions to Him. Surely, they were all in right standing with Him.

Yet, God, Who knows the hearts of all men, implied that all of their religious practices were nothing but formalism and hypocrisy.

Isaiah 58:2 goes on to say that the people - "...delight to know My ways..." It's very hard to try and convince a people who are "delighting" in God and His commands that they are in need of repentance.

But, in all actuality, these people were not sincere. They didn't delight in God, His Truth, or in serving Him. Actually, they were more interested in the triumph of their own cause or the advancement of their own interests. They used religion for their own means and gain.

It would be comparable to those today who are more interested in advancing the beliefs and principles of their own denomination rather than actually delighting in God Himself. Many find greater delight in winning a theological argument than winning a soul to Christ - converting a soul to their particular denominational belief than to the Kingdom of God. This ought not to be. God calls this Formalism and Hypocrisy.

Isaiah 58:2 - These same people appeared unto others as "a nation that did righteousness, and forsook not the ordinance of their God..."
They consulted with the priests and prophets concerning the "...ordinances of justice..." yet their hearts were full of strife and wickedness.
They took great delight in "approaching to God" in prayer and praise out of mere formalism rather than
true delight in God Himself.

In Ezekiel 33:31, the Righteous Lord described His people's spiritual condition in this way - "And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before Thee as My people, and they hear Thy words, but they will not do them: for with their mouth they shew much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness."

These were a people who were very faithful in keeping the feasts or following temple ordinances. They respected the Prophet or Priest, but they couldn't bring themselves to obey his teachings because their hearts were bent toward the world or the accumulation of earthly things.

Sad to say, much of the Church today is in the same spiritual state. Every Sunday, many "go through the motions" of serving God. They are more interested in promoting their denomination or the growth of their church than the kingdom of God. They sit under a Preacher and hear a sermon, having no intention of ever changing their lifestyle accordingly. Hence, their relationship with Jesus is a very shallow one. They wear the label of "Christian" with no fruit to back it up.

The Holy Spirit is calling His True People out of all Formalism and Hypocrisy. He is calling them to a deeper walk - one that is real and sincere.

In Psalm 119:10, the Psalmist prayed so earnestly - "...O let me not wander from Thy commandments."

More than ever, we are seeing that many have or are wandering from God's laws and commands. They are turning from sincerity to hypocrisy; singlemindedness to doublemindedness; faithfulness to idolatry. In turn, they are then filling the void in their lives with formalism and hypocritical religious exercises that are simply spiritual "shells" and "carcases."

What can be done to avoid this apostasy?
What can we do in order to keep in the path of duty - the path of self-denial, restraint, and true devotion to God?

Here are three possible directives to follow -

A. Be Like The Hart Panting After The Water Brooks

Psalm 42:1 - "As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after Thee, O God."

The hind or female deer, in the heat of the day, can be found along the "water brooks," quenching her thirst. When chased down by her enemies, she takes refuge in a stream that runs through the valley.

As the "hart" longs for or desires the "water brooks" for satisfaction or protection, even so are we to earnestly and intensely "thirst" for more and more of God in our lives.

B. Seek After, Trust In, Prefer, & Desire No One But Jesus

Psalm 73:25 - "Whom have I in heaven but Thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside Thee."

In order to avoid wandering into formalism and hypocrisy, we must be sure to always delight in Jesus as being the Only One Who can satisfy the longings of our souls. We must always recognize that no one can do for us like He can - supply our needs or be what He is. He must be the One and Only Source of our Happiness. In our hearts, we must prefer and choose Him as our greatest treasure before all others.

C. Engage Every Affection For The Lord

Psalm 119:10 - "With my whole heart have I sought Thee: O let me not wander from Thy commandments."

Without hesitation, the Psalmist was able to confess that He sought God only. He gave Him his "whole heart" - all of his affections. He made it his sole purpose and aim in life to seek after and know His Creator. Resultantly, God kept him in the path of duty.

The Holy Spirit is looking far and wide for those who have a "Holy Love" - not for their denomination or church - but for the Lord Jesus Christ.

Where are those who are longing after Jesus in the same manner as the hart longs for the "water brooks" in the heat of the day or in the chase?
Where are those who have unashamedly made Him #1 in their lives?
And where are those who are seeking Him with every fiber of their being?

These are the ones - the only ones - who will never wander from the Path of Life.
They will be found Faithful in the end.
Their relationship with the Master is not formal nor hypocritical, but real and vibrant.

How would you describe your walk with the Lord at this time?
As "Holy Love to God" or an empty, spiritual "shell and carcase"?

Isaiah 58:1 - May every Preacher, reading this message, hear the call from heaven to awaken God's people to the reality of their walk with the Lord.
May they "cry aloud," "spare not," "lift up" their "voice like a trumpet," and "shew My people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins."
And may all those who have a "form of godliness" or "Churchianity" rather than Christianity repent and get right with God.



May God Bless His Word.

Connie

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