“The
Light Within”
(10-13-02)
John 1:1-13
I
am intrigued by ver 5. “And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness
did not comprehend (understand) it. (NASV)
It is true that there is more to light than what meets the eye. With the
right tool, light can be looked at in such a way as to be able to tell whet is burning within that causes the light. All light is not the same! A shift in
perspective helps.
I want to talk about the true light but find it necessary
first to build a foundation of comparison to speak from. My hope is to help each
of us better understand what needs to be present within us so that our light is light indeed.
With the aid of special tools such as a spectroscope it is possible to separate light into the colors of its makeup. Each color has a chemical presence that produces it.
From this we can see that light has certain qualities about
it that can be examined. We have seen from John 1 that the light has shown in
the darkness but darkness could not grasp it. John tells this to us also “God
is light; in Him there is no darkness at all.” 1 Jn. 1:5.
What challenges us are the next 2 verses. The process of walking in this light touches three areas of our life:
1. the quality of our fellowship
2. the quality of our sin
3. the quality of our truth
Jesus speaking almost
cryptically of light gives command or warning to make sure the quality of our light is not darkness. (Lk. 11:33-36; Mat. 6:22-23) I am convinced that Jesus was
not talking about how well a person can see. Jesus was talking about the inner
being. This is not a conclusion I am willing to draw – God is Light and I am not! – This leads me to conclude that if I am to have light and not darkness, I must
have God. How does a person get God? 1st recognize our lack of true light, 2nd become a willing
receiver for light, and 3rd be willing to nurture the light into brilliancy.
Jn. 1:12-13 “…children
of…born…of God.”
Eph 1:13 “…you were sealed in Him with…the Holy Spirit”
Col.
1:12-14 “share in the saints inheritance in the light…”
Eph 5:6-13 “once…darkness…now…light…”
Acts 26:17b-18 “…turn
them from darkness to light and…”
The conclusion of
the matter, you are still in darkness if:
1. JESUS is not your Lord
2. If you are still in your sins
3. You don’t have the Spirit of God
4. You have not been redeemed
You are in the light
if:
1. You have taken JESUS to be your Lord
2. You have had your sins removed
3. You have received the Spirit of God
All who are born of
the flesh are born in darkness. Separated from God. When God sends His Son and His holy angels to judge the world, the separating factor will be the light
that burns within. What is the light in you?
Eternity Confirmed
(10-20-02)
Romans
8:9-11 (1-17)
Are you
saved? Are you going to heaven? Do
questions like this make you uncomfortable? Why?
These are serious questions for the living to answer for in the grave there is no longer a possibility of change.
If you say that you are
saved and that you are going to heaven; whet do you base those conclusions on? Is
the source of your conclusion valid? I do not want to create doubt but rather
assurance and confirmation of truth. God and His promises are to be believed
and trusted in. It would be a terrible thing to accuse God to be a liar.
Does God, who made man,
understand man? Does God know the tendency for man to need evidence? Has God in the past left signs to confirm and give assurance of His promises? (the rainbow?) Has He also done so with a matter so vital
to us?
The Churches trained practice
of seeking the sign starts with: have you been baptized? Once past that hurdle the questions quickly move into a rapid fire quiz on doctrinal understandings. Usually questions about divorce, marriage and remarriage. (the real burning question lurking in the shadow of course is: have
you been divorced and was it a “scriptural” one?) At every answer
the gavel of reject or accept hangs ready to hammer out its verdict. The hand
of fellowship withheld if any hint of “heretical” opinion found to be favored.
Is this biblical? Is this what the Lord of the Church, the King of the
Kingdom, the Master Shepherd of the flock has said, “go and do likewise”?
What has the Holy Spirit
said through the instruments of Jesus will? (Romans 8:1-17) Paul as one of those instruments speaks of a person being in the Spirit and that being in the Spirit means
that the person has the Spirit living in them. Not in a passive sense but in
an active, dominate role of leading that person in life. The reality is the Spirit
is the evidence of ownership not membership. (Rom. 8:9)
Last weeks lesson was a
perspective on the light within. When God gives the command to Jesus to “go
and judge!” Jesus will come with His Holy Angels to separate the peoples. What
they will be looking for is the radiant gleam of the Spirit of God shining in the soul of the man or woman. All who do not pass this first test of ownership will be herded off to condemnation. No hope! All those with the seal of their redemption (II Cor
1:22;
Eph 1:13)
will then move forward to the next level of their judgment. This is the examination
of the quality and quantity of the light that emanates or shines from within them.
What determines the quality
and quantity or magnitude of the light within? The contributors of magnitude
and quality are dependent upon the walk and talk of our life. If the focus of
our life is centered in the flesh the flame of our spirit, born of God Himself, is diminished.
When we exercise and practice the attributes and qualities of darkness and flesh and world the Spirit grows faint and
shines feebly. When the person chooses to focus on the things of the Spirit and
its fruits, the Spirit thrives and grows.
Sadly the kinds of questions
that are asked are not something that is prompted by the Spirit of God. They
are fleshly in origin. They quench the Spirit of the questioner and destroy the
questioned. The reason this is true is because the base line of truth is the
enquirer’s understanding. They have put themselves in the “Judgment
Seat” of the Almighty. The Judgment Seat is Jesus’ place of honor;
it is not a settee for two. (Mat 7:14-22 By their fruit. Lk 6:43-49) Luke 9:51-56 Jesus cane to save not destroy; He
has sent the church to continue the saving, not to destroy.
John 3:5-6 is true. A rebirth must take place if a person would see heaven. The process of birthing begins by the reaction of your heart to hearing of the word of truth, the gospel
message of redemption. It begins with a heart that is willing to cry out: Jesus, I want you to be my Lord and God and no one else! The birthing culminates in being drawn forth from the water, but that is only the beginning. The fire of the Spirit must then be stoked!
Stoke the Fire #1
(10-27-02)
I
Pet 1:3-7
I
Pet 1:3 “His great mercy has caused us to be born again..”
I
Pet 1:13
“therefore, prepare your minds for action…”
(“Gird the Loins
of your mind”)
I
Pet 1:22-2:3
“...you have been born again…of seed which is imperishable…like new born babes long for the pure mile of
the word that by it you may grow in respect to salvation…”
We can see by the content
of verse 2:1 that a rejection of fleshly qualities is needed for the spiritual to grow.
This is made clearer in 2:11 “..abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul.” Peter gives this kind of warning also in 1:14 “..do not conform to the former lusts..” and also in
4:2 “..so as to live thr rest of the time in the flesh no longer for the lusts of men, but for the will of God.”
Over the next several weeks,
Lord willing, we shall take an in-depth look at qualities of the Spirit that need nurturing so that the Spirits Fire may burn
radiantly. Heb 6:9 speaks of “things that accompany salvation”. It is my belief that the “things that accompany” are the various attributes
of the Spirit matured in the life of the believer. Two texts shall be looked
at for a listing of these qualities: Gal 5:22-23 and II Pet 1:3-12. A third text also gives some help in this matter; James 3:13-18. It will also be
of interest to note for later study that these attributes or qualities will have practical application in the exercising of
the gifts of the Spirit which have been given to the body for its building up.
A quick example from the
gifts listed in Rom 12 would make a ready connection. How can a person render
the gift of service that would be found pleasing to God if it is not exercised by a spirit of Love, practiced in joy, carried
out in joy, demonstrated in peace, labored in patience and gentleness. You get
the picture.
Before we enter into the
study of these qualities, give this one thing your attention. If a person does
not have the Spirit of Christ in them, building these attributes and characteristics will not make their light shine. The deception of the devil would have the people thingk they can make their own light
equal Gods’ light and thus achieve eternity. This is not so! Our technology can make light, but is only an imitation of the sun.
Practicing godly qualities does not make a person divine and force God to take notice and add that person to the book
of life.
The truth of the matter
is a person must be born b God to be of His nature and thus be able to give light. These
qualities that we are preparing to study are ingredients to build the Holy Fire of Gods’ Spirit within the person into
a mature fire. A fire that gives light to those around with no shadow of turning. Let’s try to bring the big picture into focus.
God
calls people into His Kingdom for reasons He knows
God
gives a piece of Himself, the Spirit, to each to nurture
God
gives the Church and its leaders a charge-mature them
God
give definition to the attributes of His essence
God
gives directive for assembling so that growth happens
God
shows growth happens in the context of fellowship
The hard connection –
this is where I am in need of your participation in growth, even mine. We are
studying Revelation on Sunday Morning. God wrote to the Seven Churches to communicate
a need for them to fix some problem areas. My conclusion is these shortcomings
are traceable to the Churches failure to grow the divine in the lives of its people.
Let those who have ears hear!
Love
– The Passion Fruit
(11-03-02)
I
Jn 3:11-18
Last week the topic of our study for the next several weeks
introduces. “Stoking the Fire” If you are redeemed, then by reason
of your being purchased, you have been given the seal of that event, the Spirit of God.
That Spirit lives in you and as all living things do, it needs nurturing.
The Spirit of God when rightly nurtured will produce fruit. Paul mentions some of these in Gal 5:22-23.
(I am not convinced that this is a complete or comprehensive list, there may be more.)
Paul lists 1st Love, 2nd Joy, 3rd Peace, 4th Patience, 5th Kindness,
6th Goodness, 7th Faithfulness, 8th Gentleness, 9th Self-control. Peter gives a similar list of attributes that when built up will keep a person from being blind or short-sighted. He goes on to encourage growth in these qualities because by doing so that person
will receive a rich welcome into eternity. (II Pet 1:3-23)
Love is the best place to start because it overshadows or
gives flavor to all other actions. Paul brings this out wonderfully in I Cor
13:1-14:1. Without this quality what have we but empty actions. Our reading from I John speaks of the presence of this quality as being the supreme element of diving nature. Rightly So! Peter in verse 8 (II Pet
1:3-12) makes it plain that the increasing of these qualities is to be sought after with great diligence. (verse 5 also)
(side note=the word in
verse 5 for giving all diligence is the same word as if found in II Tim 2:15 “study to show thyself approved”. Study is truly a poor choice of words, give diligence is more
correct to our English usage since study has more to do with learning by reading and research and such as that. Our usage of that passage had made it sound like the mere act of studying makes a person godly and righteous
when a transforming of nature is what truly brings those changes. We seem to
forever study but never seem to get better, why? Because we have been let to
believe that the act of studying is what brings approval and not the applied learning of our study. It would be wise of us to rightly handle the World of truth, don’t you think?)
Did you know that the word love does not show up in the book of Acts and yet is present in every other NT book? John uses the word the most (31 times in John and 29 times in I John for a total of
22% of all usage in the NT). How does a person get this quality? Why should they
get love?
First reason, it is commanded! (Mat 22:37-40; Jn 13:34-35)
Commanded to love 1st God, 2nd our fellow man and 3rd one another.
Second reason is it is a demonstration of our new identity. Jesus said “by this will all men know” Jn 13:35 John presses this closer to home. You can know and I can know
because of two tests: how much we love the world and how much we love each other. (I Jn 2:15, 3:14) A third test of love’s success can be found in another way. This test is a little different because it tests love’s real presence and not its implied presence.
John tells us in I Jn 4:18 that fear is cast out by perfect
love’s presence. This is what I mean by using the fear factor. How much I fear you and your judgment of me is a reflection of how mature love is accomplished and portrayed
in you. If any of us demonstrate Love in good measure in our life, we would be
a people that know how to forgive as the Father does. We would know how to embrace
one another in tenderness and compassion as we lift one another up and uphold each other in honor and integrity.
Brother and Sisters, Love must be first. Paul wanted this to be clear to the Churches of Christ. Love,
when absent, makes all else unacceptable.
How do we get love?
It is a part, a facet of the Spirit. If you lack the Spirit, true Love
does not exist in you. Love is from God, the source. IS JESUS YOUR LORD?
“Joy”
(11-17-02)
Luke
15:1-10
Today we are to look at the 2nd attribute or fruit
of the Spirit: Joy. Love was the
1st and likely the most important of the fruits. It must exist and
overshadow all the rest or they loose their potency. In review, two powerful
reasons for our walking in love are: it is commanded and it demonstrates our
identity as God’s children. Three tests of loves existence were given: 1st How much we love the world, (love God hate world, love world hate God)
2nd How much we love each other, and 3rd How we demonstrate mercy, grace and forgive. (real or fake)
What is Joy? It
is an emotion? It is an attitude? Is
it a philosophy? Can you know you have it?
Can’t it be grown up and matured? Clinically speaking, Joy is a
noun. Rejoicing is an action that can flow out of joy. Joy is not produced by circumstance and yet events can affect it.
Joy can be given and received and even increased but does not seem to be something one can create.
When each of you who are alive in Christ became a child of
God, you gave Joy to the Angels of Heaven. You also received Joy (I Thes 1:6). They received the ‘word’ in the midst of tribulation with joy of the Holy
Spirit. It is not the tribulation that gave them Joy. It was the reception of the Word. (Food for thought: is laughter created by a joke or cartoon or is the
laughter imbedded in or contained within the cartoon?)
Notice the parable of the sower, Mat 13:18-23, the ones who
received the word did so with joy, those who do not receive the word don’t get joy either. Just like those who don’t get a joke don’t laugh. John
says this is his joy and I believe that of the Lords and mine also: “I
have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth.” III
John 1:4
Whey is Joy important?
This is what I think; it is the validation of the message. Laughter proves
the success of a joke. Joy proves the success of the message. If eyes do not twinkle with the joy of the Lord at the telling of His greatness towards us, how real is
the message? Joy is imbedded in the message because of the teller. Joy started in the heart of God and it has been poured out on us through His son. Did Jesus live His life in demonstration of Joy? His life’s
story proclaims Joy’s high price. “…who for the Joy set before
Him endured the cross…” (Heb 12:2)
Does your Joy shine in the midst of suffering? Jesus did not suffer pointlessly! He suffered for the sake
of the Joy that His death made available. You do not suffer pointlessly either! You too are called into the suffering of our Lord for the sake of that same Joy. “Consider it all Joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials…”
(James 1:2) Paul also expresses Joy overflowing in his afflictions for the sake
of the brethren. (II Cor 7:4) (look
at the “sower” Mat 13:20-21)
What builds Joy? An
increase in understanding the need that each of us has for Jesus’ sacrifice and His total fulfillment of the need. My Joy: Jesus!
Peace
(11-24-02)
Psalm
34:1-14
Today we look to another attribute of the Spirit of God that
He has caused to dwell in you. We have looked already at Love and Joy, both being
primary in that they have an affect on everything else. Peace, like all others,
is a noun. When present, it has a profound effect on how and with what we motivate
our life.
What peace, in this case is not, is a legal position. The whole world is found guilty before God.
All are counted sinners. As sinners, everyone has been assigned death. As sinners, God’s wrath rests upon each and every one, without exception. When a person comes to the Lord Jesus and has their sins washed away in the watery
grave of baptism, God’s wrath is removed. There is now peace between that
person and God. (Rom 5: 1 positional peace) This peace that Paul talks of in Gal 5:22 is not that kind of peace. This peace is more of an attitude or mind set, and yet different.
This Peace is not altogether an absence of struggle and trials
and persecution. That kind of peace is good if you have it, but that kind id
dependent on circumstance and not an internal response toward life and the living. The
Peace that is a facet of the Spirit exists even in strife and persecution and adverse trials.
(Luke 10:5-6) When
Jesus sent out the 70, he gave them instruction on another type of peace. “When
you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ If a man of
peace is there, your peace will rest on him; if not it will return to you.” This
is a deep well! This peace has to do with being at ease, being comfortable with
the nature and attitude of the householder and family. If they are distressed
and uncomfortable, maybe even hostile inwardly, it is perceptible. For the emissary
it is necessary to remove themselves and the grace that they bear from the availability of that household. They loose the opportunity.
The Peace that Jesus gives His children is a calming of their
emotions and intellect. Have you ever met someone who thrived on stress? Adrenaline junkies! Thrill seekers! If their life gets quiet they have to stir strife and agitation so they can feed their
addiction. (Strife excites) The
outcome of their life is constant strife and turmoil and conflict with everyone. They
feed on it. For them an early grave is likely to be their resting and even there
they will have no peace forever. (Rom 3:17
“and the way of peace they have not known.”)
Jesus spoke of this peace in John 14:27 “Peace I leave
you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives, do I give to you. Let not
your heart be trouble, not let it be fearful.” And also in 16:33 “these things I have spoken to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage I have overcome the world.” (Was Jesus at peace even when standing before Pilate?)
The peace we are to nurture in ourselves is one that governs
our attitudes. Rather than seek vengeance and retribution toward those in the
world; we pursue and let our hearts dwell on better things. Ron 14:17, 19; Heb
12:14; I Pet 3:11.
Are you at peace in the inner being? If you are not, then seek after it! Do yourself a favor, as
far as your health is concerned, replace the stresses of your life with the peace that passes all understanding and your health
will improve. Most importantly your relationships will improve! Seek to be one who knows the way of peace.
“Patience”
(12-01-02)
II
Pet 3:8-15
We started some weeks ago looking at the facts of our salvation. When someone comes to the Lord in submission to the gospel message, God works in them
such marvelous and wonderful things. He takes away sin. He makes them a child
of His. He makes them citizens of His Kingdom.
There is literally dozens of things that are the direct result of God’s hand upon us. The greatest of these works that He accomplishes in humanity is the transformation at the inner level of
our being. He places within each of us a portion of His Spirit. The re-birthing of divinity.
That Spirit within us is the mark of our having been purchased
or redeemed by Him. Imbedded within that Spirit is the nature code of the Almighty. Paul in Gal 5:22 speaks of these as the fruits of the Spirit. They are in truth the very attributes of the Jehovah God to whom we give praise. Each of these traits are found in their fullness in Jesus because the Father was pleased to give Himself
fully to His Son. We are to be like our older brother in that we have an obligation
not to the flesh, but to the Spirit. As Jesus grew we too are given charge to
labor toward maturity as well.
Love is the greatest quality of God. It is in us and is the attribute that brings the greatest glory to God; when we walk in it. Joy is equal to Love in that it demonstrates our reception of the gospel message in a perceptible way;
the twinkle in our eye. Peace is that tremendous calming of our inner being;
a quiet that speaks loudly in all of our affairs.
The next attribute or fruit of the Spirit, to be looked at
is ‘Patience’. This is one of those qualities that the world has
little of. (case in point: microwaves,
modular homes, TV dinners, fast food) From scripture we find strong reason to
accept patience as a required part of our new nature. In II Cor 6:3-6, Paul shows
its place in the lives of God’s servants. II Tim 3:10-12 Paul indicates
the common knowledge of such qualities being practiced. Paul gives strong charge
to the Churches to use this facet of God’s Spirit with purpose and diligence.
(Eph 4:1-3; Col 1:9-14) Patience
must be found in the redeemed. (Heb 6:9-12 It is expected!)
As a preacher and you as teachers and deacons and elders
and all the rest of you as fellow servants of the word, soldiers of the cross, it is commanded of us to practice what God
demonstrates. (II Tim 4:1-3; James 5:9-11)
Patience as a quality, if we are to gain some understanding, can best be viewed by looking at those who possessed and
practiced it. As we do this, look for the substance of patience; that which fuels
it. II Pet 3:1-18 gives insight to this fuel.
The desire of God’s heart compels His patience! This same desire
was demonstrated toward Paul. This same desire was demonstrated toward Paul. (I Tim 1:16) This same quality of God’s
being is made clearer in Rom 2:1-(4)-11; 9:22; I Pet 3:20. God shows us that the fuel of His patience is the intensity of His love toward both
the redeemed and lost. What kind of mileage does your fuel get?
Kindness
(12-08-02
Eph
4:29-32
It seems good to continue the series on the attributes or
fruits of the Spirit, kindness being next. Let me encourage you to look deeper
into each of these fruits for your own growth and ultimately our collective edification.
It is understood by scripture that we all grow by the single efforts of the individual as each shares what good things
they are growing by. The reading for today lays an interesting contrast for us
to look at: that which rests within our old nature that is to be supplanted by
the new. The new, by this scripture alone shows that one can not well grow, if
the former is not uprooted first.
Paul gives us good reasoning.
He says: “get rid of all bitterness, rage, and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.” Then he gives equal charge: “Be
kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Be imitators of God,” (Eph 4:31-5:1a) How can I demonstrate true kindness when consumed by bitterness
and rage and malice? Have we not seen in scripture that God is the seer of the
hearts and minds of mankind? (I Chro 28:9)
Is it a truth that faith comes from hearing the word of God? Can we hide what we are from the Almighty? How
can any of us hope to escape our own nature if we are so completely laid bare before Him to whom we must give account? Do we or do we not by our own failings always stand condemned before the Judge of
all humanity?
I say all this to remove any foolish hopes that we may have
those good things of God in abundance without a striving in the flesh. The tendencies
of our flesh forever war against this Spirit that God has caused to dwell within us. (Gal 5:17) To deny this struggle and the existence of those qualities of the flesh within us is to call God the liar
when it is clear by his word that it is we who are found to be the liars (Rom 3:4) (Rom 3:12 no one does kindness)
As any good gardener knows, if they desire to raise a fit
crop, they must keep the soil free of weeds and parasites and other elements that destroy the produce desired. It is even understood that some plants will not thrive next to certain other plants, they are not compatible.
Kindness is seen in how God deals with the fallen race of
mankind. Rom 2:4 (2:1-11) also in Luke 6:27-36 (35). Kindness creates the platform on which we do good things to and for undeserving people. Kindness closes the eyes to a person’s worthiness and only sees the need. (After all, who is truly
worthy? Let’s not fall under deception.)
This Jesus demonstrates in Eph 2:7 and Titus 3:4 where we see His present actions demonstrate His kindness to the future. (Rom 11:22)
Kindness is to see what is needed and a seeking to fill that
need without judgment!
Goodness
(12-15-02)
Psalm
52
What do you think of when someone speaks of goodness? Was Jesus acting out of His goodness when he cleansed the temple? How about when Jesus scolded a disciple (Peter) for trying to talk Him out of going to Jerusalem? What I have come to learn about goodness is that it is a power to perform great things. Many of our hospitals came into place by the driving force of goodness. Many other
things that are done receive their energy from this compelling force. The fight
against abortion is a wonderful example of this. Imbedded in this quality is
the strength for rebuke, correction, and instruction. When goodness sets its
sights to a task, it can carry in its wake a tremendous inertia that cascades over many an obstacle.
We are not able from the New Testament to gain a lot of understanding
since Paul is the only one to use the word. Paul like many other writers uses
poetic license to create words as needed to bring meaning across. In the English
language we would add “ness” to the end of a word to make the desired meaning.
Someone could push people around. As a trait some would say he gets things
done by his pushiness. Such is the word Paul created and used 4 times. Rom 15:14; Gal 5:22; Eph 5:9; and II Thes 1:11.
II Thes 1:11 gives
a hint of what might be hidden within Paul’s intent. In this passage goodness
and work of faith seem to both be joined to the word “power.” (This passage is translated many ways because of
its awkwardness.) “…we pray always concerning you that you may be
(counted) worthy of the calling of our God and may fulfill every good desire of goodness and work of faith in power.” Paul’s desire and prayer is that they may accomplish both in power; every good
pleasure of goodness and every work of faith. (My opinion does not agree with
all of the translations and their attempts at making sense of this passage.) For
the sake of clarity let’s consult the rest of Holy Scripture for some understanding.
The word that Paul uses shows up in several places of interest in the Septuagint (LXX) version of the Old Testament. Psalm 52:3 (51:3 in LXX) and for our scrutiny Neh 9:25, 35 and II Chron 24:16.
Jehoiada is a wonderful place to look for this quality of
goodness to be portrayed for us. The context that must be looked at is the window
of this priest’s life that scripture opens up for us from II Chron 24:1-16 and II Kings 11:4-12:16. I’ll try to sum up the perspective:
Jehoiada is priest, his wife Jehosheba is the daughter of
King Jehoram or Joram. She is also a ½ sister to Athalia. Athalia was the mother of King Ahaziah. When he was killed
Ahaziah began to kill every one of the other family members who has a claim to the throne which she herself usurped and ruled
the kingdom from. Athalia rescued Joash the son of King Ahaziah from that destruction. She hid Joash, who was a year old or there about, for 6 years. At seven Jehoiada succeeded in making the necessary alliances and was able to bring Joash out of hiding
and anoint and crown him King of Judah.
By the council of Jehoiada Joash restored much of the state
of the Kingdom and the operations of the Temple back to the worship of God. II Chron 24:2 and 15, 16 give us the insight of his drive. Verse 16 from the LXX translates: “And they buried him in the city of David
with the Kings because he worked goodness with Israel and
with God and His house. Goodness is the energy that strives for right things!
Faith
(12-22-02)
I
Pet 1:3-9
Some may know and appreciate the struggle that it takes to
put together a sermon. Some lessons are easy because they are simple theologically,
others are not. Some are difficult because they go beyond our normal depth of
thinking. Each of these lessons done so far on the fruits of the Spirit have
been some of the toughest to do. I would hope that they have also been challenging
to you. Not that what has been preached is some kind of new thinking, contrary
to what you have heard, but rather it causes us to look at some common things from a little different angle.
I believe that it is right to look at the fruits of the Spirit
as unique attributes. Unique in that they are found in those who pose the Spirit
and are not found in those who do not have Him. It has been challenging to find
enough scriptural evidence to make a distinction between love or joy or peace or any of the other fruits and their earthly,
natural counterpart by the same name. For the 1st six attributes the
scripture has yielded enough evidence to make such a bold conclusion.
The attribute of “Faith” has been like an elusive
advisory, always just out of sight, just beyond reach. You knew it had been there,
the signs read true, yet gone like a vapor. In the purity of scientific deduction
it is necessary for a theory to be proved true by its ability to function repeatedly with equal results. By that logic, faith also must by scripture be proved to have a unique existence found in the redeemed
and absent in the lost in order for the whole theory to be valid.
Is Faith as a fruit of the Spirit of God to be found?
Faith and its usage’s as a word in scripture are found
279 places in the ASV of the New Testament. What is evident by word usage based
on context is complex. What “Faith” is: Faith is listed as one of the gifts of the Spirit. (I Cor 12:9) Faith
as a product of hearing the word of God. (Rom 10:17) Faith as a collected body of knowledge or understanding. (Phil
1:27; Col 1:23; I Tim 3:9) Faith
as a demonstrated dependability. (II Thes 3:3; Eph 6:21) Faith as a knowing the
reality of something. (Jam 2:19 [2:14-26]. And I am sure faith also has several other nuances but what of faith, the defined
attribute of the Spirit of God?
Paul insists that Faith comes by hearing the word of God. It does! (Rom 10:17) Paul also insists that Faith is first and last.
(Rom 1:16-17) Faith seems to be existent almost as if the very life force
of the Spirit and yet imbedded within it. (Gal 3:2) We are made aware that it is found in those who are redeemed. (Acts
6:5; 11:24) We are encouraged to grow
it to maturity (II Cor 10:15; II Thes 1:3)
Do you see how convoluted and intertwined and tapestries
this picture word of faith is? We could go on in this way and end up in a jumble. When we force ourselves to look at something with certain demands upon what we see
we sometimes do harm to the picture. How is mercury defined as a metal seeing
as how it is liquid? How is my existence defined by my chromosomes? Did I exist before they did or because of them? Am I what
I am because of their existence? Can I be more than I am, if I honor the potential
of my chromosomes? Chromosomes are the building block of life in the flesh, so
is faith in the Spiritual. The Word of God, the seed with the faith-code of who
a person is to become is embedded, finds fertilization in the womb of human hearts, bringing forth new life. Born of God. (I Pet 1:3-9)
Meekness
(01-05-03)
Esther
5:1-5
Take courage from truth, it will stand. All of us take a lot of comfort in the guarantees that comes with the things we purchase. If we buy something, we expect it to work. The guarantee says
it will, if it don’t, we demand they honor their word. Don’t we do
this? When we enter into the covenant of the Lord should we expect less from
Him? More I should think. We are
told by the reliable source of God’s word that He will take our sins away and He has.
We are told by the same Word that all those who He has taken away the sins of, He has given His Spirit to. Are you willing to accept this as true? It is!
Paul in that same Word of God tells us that there are fruits
that belong to that same Spirit God has given. They are part of the package.
(Gal 5:22-23) “But the fruit of the Spirit is…”! This list of nine qualities or attributes or as Paul calls them “fruits”; we have been studying
for 10 weeks. Why? The reason I
am teaching on them is because we understand so little about what God has so freely given us.
He has given us His Spirit to dwell within us. (Fact!) (Rom 8:9) Humans poses the gift of speech correct? Does that ability have to be developed? Is it important to
do so? Communication is vital to our social existence.
The fruits of the Spirit are equally as vital to the Church. These qualities are windows for the world to see God through. These qualities are a part of Gods nature and we are His offspring, therefore these attributes are in us
as part of the divine nature that we have been re-born with. We have an obligation
to labor to develop each of these fruit facets so that the Glory of God can shine forth from us into the world. Today we look at #8 in the list; meekness or gentleness. Jesus
says that the meek will inherit the earth. (Mat 5:5) Does that contradict the
world’s point of view or what? What do we think of when we think of meek? Weak? Puny? Wimpy? None of these are correct! Jesus said; “take my yoke upon you, learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you shall
find rest for your soul.” (Mat 11:29)
Will a soul find rest and security in the arms of a wimpy God? A God who
has no power to deliver?
Meekness is power under control. Jesus was the most powerful man to ever walk the face of the earth, but He did not come to exercise His
power in judgment against the godless. Jesus came to save. Jesus was gentle or meek with us as a mother to a small child. Moses
is reported to have been the meekest man to ever walk the earth. (Num 12:3) (Your
version may say humble or some other choice word) Moses was the second most powerful
man to ever walk the face of the earth. Meekness is not weakness; it is power
under control for a greater purpose.
We are to develop this quality towards each other and toward
the heathen masses who do not yet know Jesus. I Cor 4:21
Paul asked what they preferred of him; to come with a rod, or in meekness? Paul
was capable of delivering over to death. Each of you by withholding your prayers
of intercession and peace bring what upon the world? (Or at least don’t
help prevent) Paul understanding this attribute says to the church: “brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently…”
(Gal 6:1) Look also at Eph 4:1-3; Col 3:12-14.
Meekness is choosing to fix what is in our power to break. (II Tim 2:24-26
a word to people like me!) (Tit 3:1-2 good words for all of us to practice before a watching world. Also Jam 3:13-18).
Self-control
(01-12-03)
I
Tim 4:1-8
What is your position?
Are you in life or in death? It is a serious question. If you have not laid hold of the promise of God’s word, you are dead.
If you have, you live. For those of you who live, God has caused to live
within you, His Spirit. (Gal 5:17; Jam 4:5; I Pet 2:11)
That Spirit is at odds (war) with the flesh and its desires.
The last fruit of this Spirit that God causes to dwell within
us is Self-control. (Gal 5:22-23) I am going to define this “an inner strength to limit or restrain”. Many have believed that Christianity is about abstaining and there are things to abstain from such as eating
blood. It would be more correct to say that Christianity is more about learning
to moderate than obliterate. Paul spoke against the abuses in the teaching of
the harsh treatment of the body. Col
2:20-23 Paul continues his argument in chapter 3:1-17.
Before the watching world well intention Christians have
portrayed a slavery (do not touch, do not handle) we cannot bear, neither could the Jews.
Do not get me wrong, there are things that must be left alone. Paul preached
to Felix about “righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come…” Luke tells us that poor Felix became
afraid and quit the conversation. (Acts 24:25) Something in that conversation disturbed Felix.
Likely it could have been the part about judgments to come, but that is connected to self-control or rather a lack
there of. Anyone who likes to overindulge does not want to hear about moderation. Regardless of what it is they overindulge in.
There have been times in my life when I rode to much motorcycle, went fishing too often, or went hunting too much. I also worked to many hours, took to many naps, and even drank to much, ate to much,
chased my wife to much, and watched too much TV. No, this is not a complete list,
there is more, but who can listen except a gossip whose ears are not yet full of hearing.
You get the picture! Truth is you can even overindulge in moderation! Jesus showed us balance between total abstinence and extravagance.
I leaned in swimming that half-way across the lake is the
wrong place to decide you are too far. Moderation is maintaining safe limits. Paul speaks of self-control and marriage. (Ok, self-control and sex.) If you can’t contain your sexual drive, get married. (I Cor 7:9)
(Some views the church has taught on remarriage have undermined Paul’s reasoning here and just
could be counted “a doctrine of demons”.)
Paul’s strongest statements concerning Christians working at limiting their excesses
is found in I Cor 9:24-27. The NIV does a poor job with our word for self-control
found here in verse 25. KJV or NASV does better.
“...everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things…” (NASV) We have an obligation to strive for mastery over this body God has blessed us with. Left to its own pleasures it would destroy itself. It wants
what it wants! Those Christian men who have done well in this arena have this
as one more reason why they might qualify to shepherd God’s people. (Tit 1:8)
In my opinion, the Church has lost many good people because
of our failure to understand the growth issue involved in the spiritual walk of the Christian and because of that failure,
stood in condemnation of a brother or sister. We have an obligation to grow in
all aspects of the Spirit. Standing in judgment over each other is not a thing
of the Spirit but is a thing of the flesh, learn to control that also.
Fruit
Baskets
(01-19-03)
Eph
5:1-17
What is the Lords will for you? Verse 17 “So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” Do you understand what the will of the Lord is?
Let’s review some past conversations: Two things we know to be true, there was rebellion against the sovereign reign of God. Included in this insurrection is the fall of man. God being
God knew and planned for the rescue of His creation. Jesus’ death on the
cross is a vital link in that plan but not the grand finale. (I Cor 15:20-28) The
grander finale will be when the judgment has come and all things have again been made subject to the Father, who is God Almighty.
This I have come to understand, what God desired for humanity
to be was not Adam and Eve. What God desired for His creation to be, they are
becoming after the cross. (Eph 1:4; I Pet 1:20)
Jesus was the 1st born of the resurrection. (Acts 26:23; Rom 8:29;
Col 1:15ff) God understands what
it takes to make us what he wants. He wants us to be His offspring. Born with His nature and Spirit infused into our very beings.
Is all of that for the sake of this life? No! It is for the sake of the future life. It if for the sake of the resurrection. No one can survive
the judgment to come except they be infused with the Almighty. (JN 3:5-8; I Cor
15:12-ff)
If anyone wants or hopes to live beyond this mortal life,
then they must enter life on this side of the grave. Eternity is not entered
into after death, but before. This is what God has done: He sent us Jesus, His own begotten Son, to show us Himself. To
show the world what is His divine nature. (Jn 14:8) We have just finished a series of lessons on the fruit of the Spirit.
(Gal 5:22-23) That series actually started with a lesson on light. This is the quick picture: God is Light! Jesus in a sense is the prism through which we see the color or rather the attributes
of God. Paul gives explanation to what each of those distinct natures of God
are. He calls them fruits.
We have looked at all nine of Paul’s portrayals looking
for the distinctive nature of God in these qualities. The conclusion drawn for
you consideration is that these are elements of the Spirit of God that He has caused to be in us. Everyone that is truly born again is declared by God to be a new creature.
Anyone who has not been born anew by God does not have His Spirit. Without
His Spirit infused within our being, these elements of His nature will not truly be there.
There may exist some imitation of, but the imitation will not get a person through the gate of death into the Kingdom
of God.
While we yet live in the flesh we have an obligation to live
by the Spirit and exercise the Spirit so that we will do two things: mature and
accomplish the purposes God has set for His Children to participate in. That
participation has to do with the redeeming of the rest of the human race, as many as will hear and be saved. Just as Jesus told Philip that by seeing him, he was seeing the Father; the world must be able to behold
Jesus and the Father in us. That can only be done by growing up to maturity and
putting into use the divine attributes of God.
(II Pet 1:3-11; I Jn 3:2-3; Eph 4:20-24)
