• Are you still on the Lord’s side even if the spiritual battle for purity has been tough and demanding?
• “Everyone who is on the Lord’s side, come over here!”

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE ON THE LORD’S SIDE?

1. Personal Reflection: Am I on the Lord’s side?

• To reflect means to contemplate, to think about and to ponder seriously.
• When you reflect, you analyze your present standing in Christ.
• Are you still on the Lord’s side or have you abandoned your present position and went to the other side of the enemy?

Matthew 7:21 ²¹ “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.

• It is not what you say that counts but it is what you do.

This is what the text says of Aaron, their leader who was supposed to guide them to the truth.

Exodus 32:3-4 “So all the people broke off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them to Aaron. And he received the gold from their hand, and he fashioned it with an engraving tool, and made a molded calf.” Then they said, “This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt!”

• Look at the extent of how the people have adopted to this new style of worship.

Exodus 32:5-6 “So when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it. And Aaron made a proclamation and said, “Tomorrow is a feast to the LORD.” Then they rose early on the next day, offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.”

Here are some Scriptures that talked about our present position in Christ:

Ephesians 2:4-6 “⁴ But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, ⁵ even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), ⁶ and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus”,

Colossians 3:1 “If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God.”

Phil. 3:20 ²⁰ For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,

Phil. 4:13 ^“I can do all things through ^[a]Christ who strengthens me.”

Col. 1:13 ¹³ He has delivered us from the power of darkness and ^[a]conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love,

2. Personal Decision: Am I fully convinced?

Joshua 24:15

“And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

There must not be doubts or double mindedness.

• “Come over here!” is an invitation for all of us.
• Come over to the winning team.
• Come over to the strongest team.
• Come over to the safest team and stay there.

Look carefully at these promises from God’s words.

Proverbs 18:10 “The name of the Lord is a strong tower;
The righteous run to it and are ^[a]safe.”

• Declaring the name of the Lord Jesus is like being protected by a very strong tower or entering a fortified building or strong castle.
• It is good to be in the side of the Lord.

Psalms 84:11 ” For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
The Lord will give grace and glory;
No good thing will He withhold
From those who walk uprightly.”

Isaiah 41:10 ” Fear not, for I am with you;
Be not dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you,
Yes, I will help you,
I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’

Then, I must be fully convinced God’s word is true and is the final say?

Romans 1:18-32

God’s Wrath on Unrighteousness

¹⁸ For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who ^[d]suppress the truth in unrighteousness, ¹⁹ because what may be known of God is ^[e]manifest ^[f]in them, for God has shown it to them. ²⁰ For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and ^[g]Godhead, so that they are without excuse, ²¹ because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. ²² Professing to be wise, they became fools, ²³ and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like ^[h]corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.

²⁴ Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, ²⁵ who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

²⁶ For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their ^[i]women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. ²⁷ Likewise also the ^[j]men, leaving the natural use of the ^[k]woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.

²⁸ And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; ²⁹ being filled with all unrighteousness, ^[l]sexual immorality, wickedness, ^[m]covetousness, ^[n]maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, ³⁰ backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, ^31 [o]undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, ^[p]unforgiving, unmerciful; ³² who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.

3. Personal Commitment: Am I fully committed?

If I am on the Lord’s side, I must be fully dedicated and committed to where the Lord is.

Psalm 37:5 “Commit^[a] your way to the Lord,
Trust also in Him,
And He shall bring it to pass.”

All of these have happened because they were on the wrong side of the line.

Exodus 32:25-26 “25 Moses saw that the people were running wild and that Aaron had let them get out of control and so become a laughingstock to their enemies. 26 So he stood at the entrance to the camp and said, “Whoever is for the Lord, come to me.” And all the Levites rallied to him.” (Message: 26 So he stood at the gate of the camp and shouted, “Everyone who is on the Lord’s side come over here!” So all the Levites gathered around him,)

But God is inviting us to change our position if you are not on his side.

Proverbs 16:3 “Commit^[a] your works to the Lord,
And your thoughts will be established.”

• It is an invitation that will decide between life or death.
• It is an invitation that will determine our eternal destiny.
• When you come to Christ, you are leaving the position of sin and going to the position of spiritual strength and security.

Revelation 3:20  ^“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.”

• He is standing at the door of our hearts knocking, wanting to get in.
• Once you let Him in, He will change you.
• He will make your life more meaningful and blessed.

Matthew 12:30 “He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad.”

• The surest sign that you belong to Christ is that you gather rather than
• You share God’s Word to others and testify of His goodness.
• That means you build people and bring them to Christ rather than to allow them to be destroyed by sin.