Divine Sugar Sticks for April 2001

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Sunday, April 1, 2001

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything with prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God, and the peace of God that passes all understanding shall garrison your mind through Christ Jesus,” Phil 4.

Besides joy, we find peace.

There is joy in answered prayer. In order to get anything out of prayer, you have to first realize that you are speaking to a Person, our Heavenly Father.

We have to know that He loves us and we have to be conscious when we pray to Him of His Grace and power. We have to know that we can influence Him, and that He will be moved with our prayers.

He wants us to pray to Him. Prayer glorifies Him. We honor Him when we go to Him because we are acknowledging that He is the One and the Only One that can help us.

We can expect those things which are good for us because God will not give us anything that is not good for us. If you went out and got something that hurt you, you know that God didn’t give it to you. You got it yourself.

When we pray for something and don’t get it, we know it wouldn’t be good for us – at least at that time. Therefore, God has protected us and we should thank Him because He answered our prayer in the negative.

If you will only remember that God is only going to give you things that are good for you, then you are going to have joy in knowing that you can depend upon the Lord.

You can have peace. He will give you that blessed and wonderful peace that guards your mind. You know that you haven’t a thing in the world to worry about because you have turned your problems over to Him. You have talked them over with Him and you have left them in His hands.

You want what is best for you. When we learn that, we will have the “fullness of joy,” the joy of answered prayer.

“Faith Can be Seen”

We are told four times in Scripture, “The just shall live by faith.” Romans, Galatians, Hebrews, and Habakkuk. Faith that honors God can be seen by others and particularly by our Lord. “The just shall live by faith.”

Live by faith. Faith is life. It is a matter of faith and it can be seen. Luke 5:20, “And when He saw their faith.”

Faith can be seen by others and particularly the Lord Jesus Christ.

“And behold men brought in a bed, a man which was taken with a palsy, and they sought means to bring him in, and to lay him before him. And when they could not find by what way they might bring him in because of the multitude, they went up upon the housetop and let him down through the tiling with his couch into the midst before Jesus.”

If they hadn’t had faith in two things, they wouldn’t have been able to do what they did. Faith embodies a two-fold attitude, or a two-fold knowledge.

First, they knew that our Lord could heal their friend.
People believe today that God can do something, but they don’t trust Him to do it. Now a faith that can be seen is a faith that recognizes that God is able to do everything that He promises and that God will do everything that He promises.

These people went to a great deal of effort. If they hadn’t known, if they hadn’t had faith in the Lord, not only that He could heal their friend but also that He would heal their friend, they would not have gone to all this trouble.

There was evidence of their faith. That is the reason we find in Luke chapter five, verse 20, “And when He saw their faith.”

Your life portrays and reveals your faith.

Your faith is revealed by the way that you live.

You can not evade that.

Faith That Takes God at His Word Honors God!

First, we recognize that He is truthful and we just depend upon His Word.

Second, it honors Him because it can be seen. Faith can be seen. We have a wonderful example of that in Abraham. Remember Abraham was told that he was going to be a father of many nations when he was about 100 years old.

Rom 4:19, “And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body dead, when he was about 100 years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah’s womb. He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strong in faith giving glory to God and being fully persuaded that, what He had promised, He was able to perform. And therefore it was imputed to Him for righteousness.”

Here we find Abraham just taking God at His Word. God said it and Abraham believed it. He didn’t have to have a sign or anything else. His faith honored God.

”The Jews seek a sign and the Greeks seek wisdom. But Christ is the Wisdom and the Power of God.”

”Without faith it is impossible to please Him.”

Monday, April 2, 2001

“The Lord is Gracious and Full of Compassion, Slow to Anger, and of Great Mercy”

Or, “Great in Mercy,” Psa 145:8-20

Certainly we find One that we can depend upon, One that we can expect to understand us, One we can go to in time of need, expecting help because we know that He is gracious, full of compassion – meaning that He suffers with us. And He is slow to anger and great in mercy.

We find He is one we can depend on. And, we find that we have the right to go to Him expecting help.

In verse 9 we have another attribute. ”The Lord is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works.” Christ is no Respecter of persons.

Notice the great individual invitation, “Come unto Me all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

He said all – not come unto me those of a particular group. This is to all. God is irrespective of persons. It is your need that brings Christ close to you. He loves us and wants to help us.

In verse 14 is another attribute. “The Lord upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth up all those that be bowed down.”

In a moment of weakness we can depend upon the Lord. He is the Almighty One. He is the One we can go to. He is the all-important One. He will do for us everything that we need.

Notice verse 18, “The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon Him, to all that call upon Him in Truth.” Whenever you are in need, your need brings the Lord close to you. Your cry of need brings God close to you just as the cry of your child in need brings you close to your child.

“Sing Unto the Lord a New Song. Sing Unto the Lord All Ye Earth,” Psalm 96

Here we find the psalmist conscious of the Lord. He wanted all to sing unto the Lord. ”Sing unto the Lord. Bless His Name. Shew forth His salvation from day to day.”

The Lord is the focal point of the psalmist’s thoughts. He said “Shew forth His salvation.” Not our salvation. Not your salvation. But “the Lord’s salvation.” Salvation is of the Lord.

”Declare His glory among the nations, His wonders among all of the people.” Every Christian should have a song in his soul directed unto the Lord. Not an oral song, but the joy that explodes in one’s soul, the real you. It just overflows.

Some people have great joy in their souls because of something they have done or because of their ability to live a good life. This is not taking away from service. This is not taking away from work. But some people seem to have a greater joy in their accomplishment than in the Lord’s accomplishment.

But He said, “Declare His glory among the nations, His wonder among the people.” The Lord is the center of this man’s thoughts. ”For the Lord is great and greatly to be praised. He is to be feared above all gods, for all the gods of nations are idols, but the Lord made the heavens.”

This man is conscious of our Lord. When one is conscious of the Lord, he ceases to be worried about anything else. He is occupied with Christ.

You cannot be conscious of the Lord and worry about anything. When a Christian is more conscious of himself, his tragedy, the condition he is in, he is bound to be resentful, distressed, hurt, bitter, and confused. It is purely and simply because he is not “Christ-conscious.”

”Give unto the Lord, O ye kindreds of the people, give unto the Lord glory and strength, Give unto the Lord the glory due unto His Name. Bring an offering and come into His courts.”

“Give unto the Lord. Give unto the Lord. Give unto the Lord. Bring and come.”

Psalm 61

David went through a time in his life for many years that was very distressing to him. But through it he learned something. After all, the way to learn is through experience.

”Hear my cry, O God. Attend unto my prayer.” He was crying out to the Lord because he wanted the Lord to pay attention to him.

”From the end of the Earth will I cry unto Thee, when my heart is overwhelmed.” Regardless of where he was, he was going to cry unto the Lord. The first thing that we see is that he wanted God to hear his cry and to attend to it. His heart was overwhelmed.

Maybe your heart is overwhelmed and you have reached the point spiritually and emotionally that you can’t go on. When we cry out to the Lord with a burdened soul, an overwhelming sorrow, and grief in our hearts, God hears and that condition brings Him close.

”The Lord is nigh to all them that call upon Him, to all that call Him in Truth.” That means those that cry out in need really meaning business and depending upon the Lord. Psa 145:18.

When you cry out to the Lord in sincerity, it has the same effect that the cry of your child has on you. In the middle of the night, your child has a bad dream and cries out and you run in.

”Whosoever shall call upon the Name of the Lord shall be saved.”

There are many believers today that are in deep distress. They have been confused and hurt. And they may be in this condition because their friends and loved ones have turned from them in misunderstanding.

Or, it may be that conditions are such that they just don’t know which way to turn. If you are like that, remember that the Lord is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

David was in a miserable condition in Psalm 55. “Because of the voice of the enemy, because of the opposition of the wicked, for they cast iniquity upon me, and in wrath they hate me. My heart is sore pained within me.”

He was greatly distressed. In fact, he said, “Oh that I had wings like a dove for then would I fly away and be at rest.”

He felt that if he could run away he could find rest. But there is no rest in running away. If you have a condition in your life that you have to face, you must learn to adjust yourself to life as it is. Sometimes we get to such a point that we don’t know how to do it and we need help. David had reached that point, and I imagine there are many others that feel the same way.

”Oh that I had wings like a dove! For then would I fly away and be at rest.”

He wanted to get out of the situation. You may be just like David. You wish there was some way in which you could get away and get out of that situation. But there is no rest in running away. David said if he had the wings of a dove he would leave. But he didn’t, so let us see what he really did.

Verse 16, “As for me, (he couldn’t fly away, so he said) I will call upon God and the Lord shall save me.”

Because of previous experience, he knew that God was going to save him. Therefore, in verse 17, “Evening and morning and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud, and He shall hear my voice.”

David was going to pray in the morning and at noon and night. He was going to cry out unto God and he knew that God would hear his voice. God always hears the cry of His children in affliction.

Running away, a change of environment, is not the answer. “Stand still and see the deliverance of the Lord.” “Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him.”

“The Lord is My Light and My Salvation. Whom Shall I Fear?” Psalm 27:1

“The Lord is the Strength of my life. Of whom shall I be afraid?”

We see three needs of the soul found in the Lord. There is first understanding. Second, salvation. Third, strength. If we let the Lord meet these needs, there will come a three-fold assurance.

”The Lord is my Light.” The Lord can meet the need of the soul for He is the true Light, John 1:4.

”The Lord is my Salvation.” In this life which I live in this old flesh, the Lord is my Strength. If we will turn to the Lord for understanding and trust in the Lord for our salvation, and if we will trust in the Lord for our strength, then we will be able to say as David did, “For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion, in the secret of His tabernacle shall He hide me. He shall set me upon a rock.”

David found if he would turn to the Lord for understanding, salvation, and strength, then he would find shelter in a time of trouble. How blessed it is to go to the Lord in a time of trouble knowing that He will guard us and shelter us? “Do you live a sheltered life?”

Too many of us do not experience this because in time of trouble we go to every other help but this True Help. We go to our friends and we try to depend upon our wisdom and we try to reason things out that are beyond our understanding and there is nothing but confusion.

If we would only turn to Him in time of trouble, there will come peace and tranquility into our souls knowing that the Lord is taking care of us and guarding us. He understands the condition you are in. Just turn to Him and He will shelter you.

Live a sheltered life!

A Christian Never Dies!

How wonderful it is to know that there is no such thing as death for a Christian!

Christ said “He that liveth and believeth in Me shall never die.”

What a blessing to know that when we die, as we call it, we go out of this old body of our home to be with the Lord, 2 Cor 5:8, and there is no fear on the trip because “the Lord is with us.”

We go beyond that little thin veil of tomorrow where the whole existence is dominated by a great love, to a place prepared for us, to meet the Lord. The hope that there is in that knowledge, and there is comfort in knowing that.

”For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope,” Rom 15:4.

A person without hope is a pathetic person. But it is blessing to us who are children to know that we have His Word and His Word is certain. It not only cleanses our lives, but it strengthens us and permits us to live a life that God can gain glory from.

Not only that, but it gives us assurance and we can go out and tell the blessed story. We have a hope for tomorrow, the Blessed Hope, a hope that was cemented for all eternity by the resurrection of our Lord.

In 1 Pet 3 we find “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to His abundant mercy, hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”

We have a Living Hope. We know His Word is certain. Based upon His Word our lives are cleansed. Not only are we strengthened, not only do we have assurance, but also we have a Living Hope – a hope that lets us live today.

Tuesday, April 3, 2001

What Are We Trusting In?

“Some trust in chariots, and some in horses, but we will remember the Name of the Lord our God.”

Notice that first phrase. ”Some trust in chariots and some trust in horses.” That means man-made instruments. Horses are man-controlled power. Unfortunately we find today that there are many of God’s children that are trusting in “man-made things” rather than the Lord.

There are many who are not God’s children who are trusting in these also. But many of God’s children, who because of wrong associations, are putting their trust in the things made by man. And that is unfortunate.

The most unfortunate of all are those who have been blinded by man, who put their faith and trust in things which man controls. I wonder how many people believe that they are all right because they are a member of some church, or some local assembly, or man-made denominations?

It is good to be in churches, don’t misunderstand. It is good to have faith in your church. This is not finding fault with any church or group of churches. There is a place for the church, but it is not the first place. The thing we need to do is trust only in the Lord.

”But, we will remember the name of the Lord our God.”

There are many who take great pride in things made by man, and because they are associated with that particular man-made thing or power, they think they are all right. We who say that we know that the Lord saveth His anointed, and that He will hear us. We will remember the Name of the Lord our God.

The Six-Fold Character of the Lord. Psalm 36:5-10

First: “Thy mercy, O Lord, is in the Heavens.”
Our Heavenly Father is a merciful God. He extends mercy to all those who cry unto Him. He is ever willing to forgive and extend mercy to you.

Second: “Thy faithfulness reaches unto the clouds.”
Many forget the faithfulness of God. We find in Timothy, “Though we believe not, yet He abideth faithful. He cannot deny Himself.”

Too many of us put on God the same stigma of faithlessness as we have in our own lives. Because we are sometimes unfaithful, that does not mean that God is unfaithful. We make promises that either in weakness or in time of forgetfulness we are not faithful to the promise. But that does not change the faithfulness of God.

Third: “Thy righteousness is like the great mountains.”
The fact that He promises makes it a certainty. God’s promises are the most certain things on the face of this Earth. Man may rise and man may fall, nations and kingdoms and empires rise and fall, but there is One that remains true. There is One that is the same yesterday, today, and forever. There is One that we can depend on and put our trust in, and that One is God because of His righteousness. We need to place our faith not only in God’s mercy and faithfulness, but also in God’s righteousness.

Fourth: “My judgments are a great deep.”
The decisions of God are eternal. The purposes of God are eternal. They are from everlasting to everlasting.

Fifth: “O Lord, Thou preserveth man and beast.”
Not only do we find that He is merciful, faithful, and righteous, not only is He eternal in His judgments, but we find preservation, too. He does the preserving. How wonderful it is to be preserved, to be kept, to be guarded by God.

Sixth: “How excellent (literally, precious) is Thy lovingkindness.”
We see that God exhibits lovingkindness in His dealing with man. Because of these six-fold characteristics of God, the children of men put their trust under the shadow of His wings.

Why do we Trust the Lord? Why do we put our faith in Him? It is because of His mercy, His faithfulness, His righteousness, His eternal judgment, His preservation, and His lovingkindness.

When Christ Broke the Silence!

“When He cometh into the world, He saith, Sacrifice and offerings Thou wouldst not, but a body Thou hast prepared for Me.”

Then the silence.
”As a lamb before his shearers is dumb, so He openeth not His mouth.”

Then He broke the silence.
”My God, My God, Why hast Thou forsaken Me?”

In these words we find great Truths. We see the explanation of the Cross. Our Lord came as a sin offering. He was born to die. He became flesh that He might bear our sins on the Cross.

In Hebrews we find “He endured the Cross, despising the shame.” In this cry, “Let this cup pass from Me” He didn’t mean that He didn’t want to be our sin sacrifice. He didn’t mean that He didn’t want to die. For that is the reason He came.

He said it because He knew what the Father had to do. That is to forsake Him. In these words, “My God, My God, Why hast Thou forsaken Me?” we find the explanation of that cry of our Lord and we see the righteousness of God manifested.

Remember, “The wages of sin is death.” That is separation from God. When Jesus Christ became what we were, God had to forsake Him. We find here a phrase of eternity without Christ. Separated eternally from the Lamb who is the Light of the world, we see the agony of the soul, and we find the Heavens are silent to the cry.

Oh, what it must mean to be in eternity without Christ! The eternal darkness, the eternal physical, spiritual, and mental agony, that terrible eternity when the heavens shall be silent.

Also, in these words we see the absolute holiness and inflexible justice of God. So holy is God that the very heavens are not clean in His sight. Job 15. So holy is God that He “is of purer eyes than to behold evil and will not look upon iniquity,” Habakkuk.

God did just that when Christ became sin for us. He had to deal with Him as such.

”He made Him to be sin for us, Who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.”

He's Funny That Way!

I am not much to look at
And nothing to see
I am glad I am living
And happy to be.
I know the Lord
and He loves me.
He’s funny that way.

I don’t have a dollar
I can’t save a cent.
He wouldn’t bother
He would live in a tent.
I know the Lord
and He loves me.
He’s funny that way.

Though He would work
And slave for me every day
He would be much better off
If I went away.

But how can I leave Him?
Where would I go?
He would be unhappy
Without me, I know.
I know the Lord
and He loves me.
He’s funny that way.

A Cure for Depression– Psalm 38

In this Psalm we find David in despair. There are many who feel the same way. You may find that in you there is no good thing and that you fall short of the glory of God. Well, you can find help in this Psalm.

First, God’s children yearn that God will hear them when they cry out to Him in need. ”For in Thee, O Lord, do I hope Thou will hear O Lord, my God.”

Remember what Jesus Christ said to the blind man. “Be of good cheer.” That is God’s answer. He hears your cry and He asks you what it is that you want Him to do for you.

Second, “Forsake me not, O Lord,” verse 21. Here is the prayer not to be forsaken. And God has promised never to forsake us. He will never leave us, even in our weakness. In a hour of great trouble we will find our Lord close to us.

Third, “Make haste to help me, O Lord of my salvation,” verse 22. This is the prayer for help. God has never turned His back on one of His own. Whosoever believes in Him will not be ashamed. This is the One who died on the Cross to save our souls. So, He will help you now in your hour of need.

He will hear your request. He will never forsake you. Here is David’s petition from a broken heart. His friends had left him and many were trying to do what they could to snare him. Yet in his hour of trouble he recognized three things:

God hears. God will not forsake. And God will help.

“God is My Refuge and Strength and a Very Present Help in Trouble,” Psalm 46

Who is this God that we should turn to for refuge, who promises us His strength and says He will be a very present help in time of trouble?

Compare “Lord of hosts” found verse 7 with Genesis 2:1. The celestial bodies are the hosts of Heaven. The “Lord of hosts” expresses the universal domain of God.

All the armies of Heaven and every creature of the cosmos are the servants of God. He is also the God of Jacob. This shows us that this Mighty Commander of the armies of Heaven is willing to enter into a living and personal relationship with any poor soul that will let Him. He is willing to lavish all of His love and Grace and strength upon us, if we will let Him.

This is our trouble, real trouble. We do not have a vision of God. We use the name God so flippantly sometimes. People discuss God without any depth of thought. They take Him for granted. They need a vision of this “Lord of hosts,” the Almighty God without limit of power, who wills and brings it to pass.

We need to know that there is nothing too great for Him. He is waiting to enter into a personal relationship with you only if you will let Him.

”He is tapping His foot waiting to be Gracious unto you.”

Don’t think of God as a three letter word. Think of Him as He really is – the Almighty One who is concerned with every individual. We are prone to believe that God is too busy to be interested in one person. But He is the God of Jacob, one man. There is not one soul that God is not interested in.

“Not By Works of Righteousness That We Have Done,” Titus 3:5

Notice the reality of salvation.

First salvation is entirely unmerited. “Not by works.” All through the ages man has shown his need and longing for a salvation and his earnest desire to be right with God.

But, unfortunately man ever sought to accomplish this end by his own unaided efforts. It was through the desire to be independent of God that man fell.

Almost ever since that day man has tried with the same independence of God to get back to the Divine presence. That is, of course, impossible. We remember that sin effects every part of the moral man. Therefore, we know if man is to be saved, it has to be done outside of his works.

All mankind is divided into two classes: those who are utterly distrustful of self and human merit who say, “Nothing in my hands I bring, simply to Thy Cross I cling” and those who try to gain the approbation of God by their own works.

There are the two classes that began right outside the Garden of Eden with Cain and Abel.

”Not by works of righteousness which we have done.”

”Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

”For by Grace are ye saved through faith and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God and not of works, lest any man should boast.”

We Find That Salvation is Divinely Merciful, Titus 3:5

“According to His mercy, He saved us.”

Salvation, if it is to be effectual, must of necessity be Divine. It must be the work of God and no one else. This is the burden of Christianity.

”Salvation is of the Lord.”

”God our Saviour” is one of the most remarkable titles of the Divine Being. It is of His mercy alone that salvation has been brought to man. There is nothing in man to merit it or deserve it. But God, in His own mercy, came to our rescue and saved us in Christ with an everlasting salvation.

Man didn’t cry out to God to send His Son. Mankind was against God when He sent His Son. It was the need of man that touched the heart of God. And in His Divine mercy sent His Son that we might have everlasting salvation.

”To Him do all the prophets give witness, that through His Name is the remission of sins.”

”There is none other Name under Heaven given to man whereby we must be saved.”

Wednesday, April 4, 2001

How Many Believers Are Actually Waiting for the Rapture of the Church?

“For we believe that Jesus died and rose again,” 1 Thes 4:14.

The question ... Do you believe this? If you do, fine. ”Even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him. For this we say unto you by the Word of God.”

Notice that Paul continually refers to the Word of God. John refers to it. Peter refers to it. Luke refers to it. Matthew refers to it. Mark refers to it.

But many of the churches today are getting so wise they don’t feel that they need God’s Word. Not all, but quite a few are getting to the point that the intelligentsia feel that they have outgrown the Word of God. Because men have automobiles, airplanes, atomic bombs, television, and other conveniences, he feels he doesn’t need God’s Word.

If you don’t feel that the Word of God is very important, let me ask you a question. When you get to the point where you don’t know if you are going to see tomorrow or not, what are you going to lean on? What are you going to depend on? I thank God I have God’s promises and God’s Word and that means more to me than anything else in this world.

Matt 4:4, “Man cannot live by bread alone, but by every Word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.”

Luke 4:4, “Man cannot live by bread alone, but by every Word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.”

How Many Christians Are Actually Waiting for the Rapture of the Church?

When you stand over a loved one that is passing out of this world and you don’t believe God’s Word, and don’t think it is important, what do you have? What can you tell them?

When Howard Paine’s mother was dying, she called her son, an atheist, to her and said, “All right. Now I am dying. I am passing over to the other side. You have taken away my God. You have taken the Bible from me. You have ridiculed and taken away all the Truths that I had when I was young. Now I am dying. What do you have to give me?” He turned away and bowed his head and walked away in shame.

What do you have if you don’t have God’s Word? Nothing! And that is the reason Paul said,

”For this we say unto you by the Word of God. That we which are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord shall not precede them which are asleep. For the Lord Himself shall descend from Heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trump of God. And the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words,” 1 Thes 4:13-18.

The most comforting thought in the Bible is found in these verses. We stand over a loved one that is passing on and we know that one of these days we are going to see him face to face.

What Do You Have if You Don’t Have ... 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18?

You don’t have anything. You can only look on in distress. I remember one time I was in a hospital and the doctor’s father was passing away. I don’t think I will ever forget it. The doctor was of a different faith.

I was walking through and saw him sitting down in a chair. And I said, “What is the matter doc? Are you tired?” He said, “No, my father is in the other room dying.”

I knew he was of a faith that does not believe in Christ. I asked him if he minded if I went into the room and had a word of prayer. He told me he would appreciate it if I would. So I went into the room and there was the dying man’s wife kneeling beside the bed and crying.

”Oh, I will never see him again.” “I will never see him again.” Over and over she cried the same thing. The loved ones were gathered around the bed moaning and crying. They had no hope whatsoever. His daughter was there sobbing broken hearted. I told them the son had told me that I could pray.

After I prayed, I turned away. While I was praying they hadn’t stopped sobbing and crying. As I put my hand on the doorknob to go, I felt a hand on my arm and turned around. There was the daughter.

She said “At times like this I wonder if we are not wrong and you are right. We have no hope whatsoever but you do. I wish I had your hope.”

They didn’t have any hope because they didn’t have God’s Word. They didn’t have the culmination of God’s plans and purpose for creation, for the salvation of man. They had no hope because they had no Passover Lamb. They had no risen Christ.

We Have Hope. We Have The Blessed Hope!

We have hope. We have the Word of God. We have the shed blood of our Lord as the Lamb which taketh away the sins of the world.

We have the risen Christ who rose as Firstfruits and entered into Heaven as a Forerunner, as our High Priest. We have the blessed hope that one of these days He is coming back for us. Aren’t you glad you’re a Christian?

Take your stand on these blessed cardinal Truths and you will never be led astray.

When you understand your true relationship with Jesus Christ, your faith in Him will strengthen you and you will be able to walk during times of confusion and distress, rejoicing in the Lord.

”Behold I shew you a mystery. We shall not all die, but we will changed in a twinkling of an eye.”

”Absent from the body and face to face with the Lord.”

Who is afraid to go home?

There Are Four Cardinal Truths on Which We Can Stand Amidst the Clutter and Clamor and Confusion of This World

1. The first blessed and wonderful Truth is that we have God’s Word.
   
2. The second blessed cardinal Truth we have is that our precious Lord is our Passover.
   
3. The third Truth that we can really take our stand on is the resurrection.
   
4. We have a fourth Truth – our Lord’s second coming.

Take your stand on these four blessed cardinal Truths and you will never be led astray.

”Stand fast in the liberty where Christ has made you free.”

What a Blessing We Have as God’s Children

What a contrast there is between those who don’t know the Lord and we who do. Think of the confusion in the minds of those today that have no hope for eternity.

They just have blind opinions that they have formulated to satisfy their lives. They know there is no basis for their opinions, but they continue trying to fool themselves.

Just think of their mental attitude. There is confusion, fear, distress, and anxiety on the part of everyone. Doctors say we are in the age of anxiety. The need for psychiatrists is multiplying.

A president of the American College of Physicians and Surgeons released the statement that over 70 per cent of all illness is of psychosomatic origin.

The great need today is to have our Lord and to understand the relationship of the Christian with Christ. I am glad that the Lord opened my eyes and the Holy Spirit led me to accept Jesus Christ as my personal Saviour.

What a difference between the poor soul that has no hope and we who have. We who hope in Christ have assurance and peace of mind. Through the study of the Word of God we get a better understanding of what we really have in the Lord Jesus Christ, so that our life is strengthened and we can walk during times of confusion such as we are in today rejoicing in the Lord.

”Looking for that Blessed Hope and the soon appearing of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.”

How Can I Develop My Faith?

There are seven circles of faith.

1. The first step is salvation. Eph 2:8-9.
   
2. The second step is “Faith cometh by hearing,” Rom 10:17 – the daily intake of the Word of God.
   
3. The enlargement of faith by the exercise of faith, faith resting in the Word of God. Heb 4:1-3.
   
4. The fourth circle is the Spirit-controlled life, Gal 5:22-23, which includes faith.
   
5. The fifth circle is the area of testing or suffering. 1 Pet 1:7
   
6. The sixth development is occupation with Christ. Heb 12:2.
   
7. Finally, we move into the area of maturity and stability, classified as fathers.
   

Occupation With Christ

Psa 27:8 and 13, “When Thou saidst, Seek ye My face, my heart said unto Thee, Thy face, Lord, will I seek.”

This is occupation with the person of Jesus Christ. This comes as a result of a great pressure mixed with claiming the promises of God and trusting Him in the midst of these pressures.

We build tremendous faith and stability when we take our sufferings, trials, and problems and apply Scripture to every severe situation. If we turn the battle over to the Lord., we can stand still and watch His deliverance.

Then we develop tremendous peace, blessing, and joy in life, which results in occupation with the Lord Jesus Christ. Our eyes are upon Him. Heb 12:2.

No longer do we carry illusions with regard to people or things, or even self. We are no longer guilty of lusting after materialistic things so that we are off balance much of the time.

Spiritual Maturity

Psa 27:14, “Wait on the Lord.”

Psa 27:13 gives us the preview of it. “I had fainted unless I believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.”

The word for “believe” in verse 13 means to use God as a prop. It is our English word “amen.”

”I had fainted” means I would have fallen apart mentally, even as a Christian, knowing that I have eternal life, knowing that I have an eternal relationship with Him, unless I believed it.

This faith which has been developing through the reading and the studying of the Word of God, through the application of the Word, resting in the Promises of God, through the filling of the Holy Spirit, through its application in time of great adversity and trial. This faith now brings us to a place of peace, stability, and blessing. We have found that in time there is a true happiness which nothing can remove and nothing can destroy.

If happiness depended upon materialistic possessions, then we will find that our materialistic possessions can be removed, leaving us unhappy. Therefore, we will be constantly potentially unhappy even though we may appear happy, for we will be constantly in fear of losing our materialistic possessions.

Having things causes us to worry about losing them. And, if I do not have them, I am constantly wanting them. Either way we are off balance and miserable, even though we may be believers in the Lord Jesus Christ.

But with true inner happiness we come to the place of contentment found in Phil 4:11-12. “I know both how to be abased and I know how to abound. For I have learned in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.” That is true Christian happiness – inner happiness.

“Wait on the Lord,” Psa 27:14

The word for “wait” is a very interesting Hebrew word, “KIWAH.” When you start out as a believer you start out like a string or a thread. You begin as one strand. Anyone can pick you up and snap you, just as you can snap or break a thread.

But as you begin to study and learn something, another thread is added. Now you are just a little bit stronger and just a little bit bigger. You do the same thing the next day. Then you have a problem and you claim a Promise which you have read and studied.

The next day it is something different. Each day you read and apply. Then you come to a very difficult spot in your life which you face with faith in the Word. You keep weaving these strands and suddenly the life that started as a little strand is now a great, powerful cable which nothing can break.

The word “wait” is the greatest word in the Hebrew language for trusting. It means that you start out as a little strand but as you weave yourself in with the Promises and Doctrines and all the things which are provided in the Word of God. You become like a mighty cable – strong and unbreakable.

”Wait on the Lord, Be of good courage and He shall strengthen thine heart. Wait, I say, on the Lord.”

“Without Faith it is Impossible to Please Him,” Hebrews 11:6

It is impossible for the believer to mature apart from the development of faith. One of the characteristics of Christian maturity is a strong faith. It requires each of the activities of “Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.”

The rather trite expression which is used as a panacea, “have faith,” is absolutely meaningless unless you follow the procedures of “growing in Grace.”

There is no magic formula for the development of a strong faith. It requires daily nourishment from the Word of God, the exercise of faith in the Promises of God, the filling of the Holy Spirit, the pressure of suffering and occupation with Christ.

All of these ingredients contribute to the development of faith from a grain of mustard seed, to a power that can remove mountains. We are reminded in Heb 12:6, “But without faith it is impossible to please Him.”

”The just shall live by faith.”

The Principle of the Negative Emphasizing the Positive

You may not know who is right for you, but you know who it is not! In Scripture the structure is that the negative emphasizes the positive.

Negative:
”Not by works of righteousness which we have done.”
Positive:
”But according to His mercy He saved us,” Titus 3:6.

Negative:
”But to Him that worketh not”
Positive:
”But believeth on Him that justifieth the ungodly, His faith is counted for righteousness,” Rom 4:5.

Negative:
”The wages of sin is death.”
Positive:
”But the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus,” Rom 6:23.

Negative:
”For by Grace are ye saved through faith, but that not of yourselves”
Positive:
”It is the gift of God.”
Negative:
”Not of works lest any man should boast, Eph 2:8-9.

Don’t you wish everything in life would be that simple?

What Pleases the Father?

“For it pleased the Father that in Him should all fullness dwell,” Col 1:19.

Here is where the preeminence of Christ begins. The Father is pleased that “all fullness” should dwell in the Person of Jesus Christ.

”Fullness” (PLEROMA) is the sum total of all Divine power and attributes of God residing in the Person of Christ. Our happiness begins with the fact that God the Father is pleased with “One Member of the human race.” And since the believer is “in Him,” this word means potential happiness for every Christian.

All believers have the potential to possess happiness. There is no excuse why every believer should not have perfect orientation, peace, and happiness under every circumstance of life, whether it be success or failure, difficulty, or blessing.

The joy or happiness which belongs to Christ is available, but it depends upon our understanding and use of the Word of God. Positionally this fullness belongs to you and to me, but experientially it depends upon the techniques of the filling of the Spirit and occupation with Christ through the Word of God, which results in maturity and living the Grace life.

”This is My Son in whom I am well pleased.”

The Chronology of the Crucifixion!

A further evidence of the uniqueness of Christ is seen in the words that He uttered as He hung upon the Cross. To understand all the spiritual lessons involved, we need to review the chronology of the events of the Cross. It is interesting to note that no one Gospel records all events because each has a different emphasis.

1. The procession arrived at Golgatha. Matt 27:33.
   
2. Jesus was offered a stupefying drink of vinegar and gall which He refused. Matt 27:34.
   
3. Jesus Christ was crucified between two thieves. Luke 23:32, 33. Followed by the first cry on the Cross, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” Luke 23:34.
   
4. The soldiers gambled for His clothes as was the Roman custom. Matt 27:35, 36.
   
5. The Jews began to mock Him. Matt 27:39-43.
   
6. The thieves began to rail upon Him, but one of them believed. Luke 23:39-43.
   
7. The second cry was uttered, “Today thou shalt be with Me in Paradise.” Luke 23:43.
   
8. Then seeing to the care of His family, the third cry, “Woman, behold thy son.” John 19:26, 27.
   
9. At exactly 12 noon darkness covered the Earth. Matt 27:45.
   
10. This was followed by the fourth cry, “ELOI ELOI LAMA SABACHTHANI.” Matt 27:46.
    
11. The fifth cry, “I thirst.” Christ thirsted that we might never thirst. John 19:28.
    
12. The sixth cry, “It is finished.” John 19:30.
    
13. And finally, the seventh cry. “Father into Thy hands I commit My Spirit.” Luke 23:46.
    
14. After this the Lord dismissed His Spirit. Matt 27:50.
    

The recorded Words of Christ on the Cross.

Galatians 4:19, “Christ be Formed in You”

The simple application of the rules of Greek grammar and syntax will often lead one to the discovery of some tremendous Truth which would be passed by unnoticed in the use of the English translation, or even of the Greek text, when the rule is not deliberately called to mind and applied to the exegetical problem under consideration.

The phrase under consideration is “Christ be formed in you.” “Be formed” is from “MORPHOO,” a Greek philosophical term referring to the outward expression which comes from and is represented of one’s inner being.

Literally, “Christ be outwardly expressed in you.”

The verb is unmistakably passive in voice, since it is aorist in tense. This puts us on sure ground here and we can bear down on the full significance of the passive voice.

First, the subject of the verb is inactive, passive. Second, it is acted upon by someone or something else.

The passive voice is the voice of Grace, which means we receive “Christ being formed in you.” The tremendous Truth brought out is that Jesus Christ is resident in the soul of the believer and lives in an inactive or passive state.

But, this passivity or inactivity is defined and limited by the meaning of the verb. He is not inactive when it comes to fellowshipping with the saint or ministering on behalf of the saint in His office as Advocate.

But, He is inactive and passive so far as expressing Himself in and through the life of the saint is concerned. That is the Truth brought out.

That Person who acts upon the Lord and expresses Himself through the life of the saint is God the Holy Spirit.

Excellent Material For an Evangelistic Message is Found in the Use of the Present Participle and the Aorist Subjective in John 3:13-14, Where Our Lord Says,

“Whosoever keeps on drinking of this water shall thirst again.”

”But whosoever shall take a drink of the water that I shall give him, shall never thirst.”

Continual drinking at the wells of the world never quenches the soul’s thirst for satisfaction. But one drink of eternal life satisfies forever.

The use of the “aktionsart” of the present tense in the indicative mood and in participles is durative action. The aorist subjunctive is punctiliar speaking of the fact of an action.

Here we have the mechanics of the Greek syntax which produced the translation offered above. The reason one drink of eternal life satisfies without a repeated drinking of the same is given us in the context by the two words translated “well.”

The first speaks of a well into which water seeps, and which becomes stagnant, but the latter refers to a “spring” always fresh, overflowing, and alive.

The one drink of eternal life the believing sinner takes at the moment he is saved is in itself a supernatural spring, always alive, refreshing, and satisfying the person in whom it has been placed by the power of God.

Thursday, April 5, 2001

“Where There is No Vision,” Proverbs 29:18

The spiritual life is necessary to have the true vision of God. ”Where there is no vision the people perish.” The word “perish” means to go to pieces.

”Where there is no vision, My people go to pieces.”

That is the trouble today with so many. They don’t have the true vision of God. Why? Because they don’t have the spiritual life. Their vision of God is darkened by their opinions. They don’t have the true vision because they don’t have the abundant life, the life of fellowship with the Lord.

When you have a true vision of God you see Him as He really is. What is God? He is a Spirit. That is true, but what are His characteristics?

1 John 4:16, “And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God. And God in him.”

Notice that we find that God is love. This is the most important thing in the world for us to know. God is love.

”Herein is love for us made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world.”

When we are confident of His love, there is no fear of judgment. We are confident of His love when we are conscious of fellowship with Him and we know that God is love.

”There is no fear in love, but perfect love casteth out fear because fear hath torment. He that feareth is made perfect in love.”

Yea, “Perfect love casteth out fear.”

We need a true vision of God today.

The Spiritual Life is Necessary to Get the Most Out of Life in Eternity

Spiritual life does not go unrewarded. What is death to a Christian?

Death is homecoming.

Paul said, “To be absent from the body is to be at home with the Lord, which is far better.” When we pass out of this old body we go straight home to be with the Lord.

Now this is what God said, not what people say.

Paul said twice “to be absent from the body is to be at home with the Lord, which is much better. And I believe it. When a person passes out of this world, he goes straight out of this old body and goes straight home to be with the Lord.

That is when eternity, real life, begins. Life, real life, begins in eternity. Of course, we have eternal life now. But when we get to Heaven then we will really begin to live.

How we live here depends a great deal upon how we will live there. Death is a homecoming. Life for a Christian begins when he or she goes home to be with the Lord.

”Absent from the body, face to face with the Lord.”

“Lay Not Up For Yourselves Treasures Upon Earth Which Moth and Rust Doth Corrupt, and Where Thieves Break Through and Steal,” Matthew 6:19.

Don’t do that!

Don’t sell your future in eternity for things down here that are not going to last very long. This doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t have drive and ambition. This is not saying that you shouldn’t try to be successful.

There is no doubt the Lord needs successes in this world, too. Some of the most successful men in the world are Christians. But they are not laying up for themselves only. They are using their wealth to help others in need.

”But lay up for yourselves treasures in Heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal.”

A lot of people have prepared themselves to die. Every person that has accepted Christ as their personal Saviour has prepared himself to die. But how many of them have prepared themselves to live?

Our Lord tells us that we can lay up treasures in Heaven, or we can lay up treasures on Earth. Which is it going to be for you? Which path are you going to take?

Matt 6:21, “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” That is the reason we should be laying up treasures in Heaven.

To get the most out of eternity we need the spiritual life today. The spiritual life is necessary if we are going to be conscious of fellowship with the Lord. We have the true vision of God and we know that God is love.

Man Has the Capacity to Know God!

In order to submit our will to God’s will, we must first know God. How could one submit to one he knew nothing at all about?

But we find that man has the capacity to know God. John 17:1-3, “These words spake Jesus and lifted up His eyes to Heaven and said, Father, the hour is come, Glorify Thy Son, that Thy Son also may glorify Thee, as Thou hath given Him power over all flesh. That He should give eternal life to as many as Thou hath given Him. And this is life eternal that they may know Thee, the Only True God, and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent.”

Notice this verse again. “And this is life eternal, that they may know Thee, the Only True God and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent.”

Certainly we can see that man does have the capacity to know God, because that is what eternal life is.

We Read God’s Warning to All Mankind in Romans Chapter One

Reading from verse 21 we see the charge against the Gentiles, the heathen group.

”Because that when they knew God, they glorified Him not as God, neither were thankful, but became vain in their imagination and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore God gave them up to uncleanness.”

Notice, man knew God … at one time. But he turned from God. When mankind turned from God, God turned from man.

We who are born again now have the capacity to know God, as it is written in John 17:1-3. And knowing God gives us assurance.

2 Tim 1:12, “For the which cause I also suffer these things, nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have trusted, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day.”

Necessary to the spiritual life is assurance. And when we know God, we have assurance. A sure assurance.

Man Not Only Has the Capacity to Know God, But Also the Capacity to Love God

Knowing God gives us confidence in His love. 1 John 4:16, “And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love, and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God and God in him.”

Here we find that you and I have the capacity to know God and knowing God as He really is, gives us assurance. Because to know God is to know that He loves us.

What a blessing that is! It is worthwhile repeating. This is very important for the man who desires the spiritual life. We have the capacity to know God. And knowing God, knowing of His love for us, gives us assurance.

If man has the capacity to know God, man can know that God loves man. Therefore, man also has the capacity to love God.

1 John 4:19, “We love because He first loved us.”

Man has the capacity to know God. Man also has the capacity to love God.

”If God were your Father, ye would love Me, for I proceedeth forth and came from God. Neither came I of Myself, but He sent Me,” John 8:42.

In other words, Jesus Christ is telling the Pharisees that if they were born of God, they would love Him because He came from the Father. We who are Christians have been born again. That new birth produces love for the Lord. We can’t help but love Him.

So, man not only has the capacity to know God. But man has the capacity to love God.

Man Has the Capacity to Obey God

Obedience is necessary for the spiritual life. Because man can know God, man loves God. Man’s love for God makes him want to obey God. How we need to know that!

This is very important to understand because the kind of life you live depends entirely upon whether or not you love the Lord.

John 14:15, “If ye love Me, keep My commandments.”

Then in verse 21, “He that hath My commandments and keepeth them. He it is that loveth Me and shall be loved of My Father and I will love him and will manifest Myself to him.”

In verse 23, “If a man love Me, he will keep My Words and My Father will love him. And We will come unto him and make Our abode with him.”

Man has the capacity to know God.

Man has the capacity to love God.

Man has the capacity to obey God.

What Are the Commandments We Will Keep if We Love God?

Every Christian you talk to has an answer to this question, but unfortunately, too few give the answer we find in 1 John 3:22-23. “And whatsoever we ask, we receive of Him because we keep His commandments and do those things which are pleasing in His sight. And this is the commandment that we should believe on the Name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as He gave us commandment.”

”Believe on the Name of His Son Jesus Christ” is salvation.
And, “Love one another as He gave us commandment” is spirituality.

If we love God, we are going to try to obey Him. There are many people who are trying to get others to live a good, spiritual life. They are honest in their efforts. But they begin at the wrong end.

The basis of a spiritual life is love. You see God looks on the heart of man. Man looks on the outside, but God looks within. God sees the desire of man. Man sees the execution of man. The Lord knows that the only one who is obeying His commandments is the one who loves Him.

The walk under Grace is motivated by love for God. We desire a good, clean, separated life because we love the Lord and we know that the spiritual life is the only life that brings honor and glory to Him and pleases Him. But love is the motive and basis and power of the Christian life.

Friday, April 6, 2001

The “Much More Grace” of God’s Care – Romans 5:9-10

1. Objects of His love. Eph 2:4, 5:2
   
2. Objects of His Grace.
   A. For salvation. Eph 2:8-9, “For by Grace are ye saved.”
   B. For keeping. Rom 5:2
   C. For service. Eph 4:7
   D. For instruction. Titus 2:11-12
   
3. Objects of His power. Eph 1:19, Phil 2:13
   
4. Objects of His faithfulness. Heb 13:5, Phil 1:6
   
5. Objects of His peace. Col 3:15
   
6. Objects of His consolation. 2 Thes 2:16
   
7. Objects of His intercession. Heb 7:5, Rom 8:34, Heb 9:24
   

   

A Heavenly Association

Eph 2:6, “And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:”

1. 1. Partners with Christ in life.
   Col 3:4, “When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with Him in glory.”
   1 John 5:11-12, “And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.”
   
2. Partners with Christ in position.
   Eph 2:6, “And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:”
   
3. Partners with Christ in service.
   1 Cor 1:9, “God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of His Son Jesus Christ our Lord.”
   
   A. Workers together with God.
   2 Cor 3:9, “For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory.”
   B. Workers together with Him.
   2 Cor 6:4, “But in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses.”
   C. Minister of the New Testament.
   2 Cor 3:6, “Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the Spirit: for the letter killeth, but the Spirit giveth life.”
   D. Ambassadors.
   2 Cor 5:20, “Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.”
   E. Epistles.
   2 Cor 3:3, “Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshly tables of the heart.”
   F. Ministers of Christ.
   2 Cor 6:4, “But in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses.”
   
4. Partners with Christ in suffering.
   2 Tim 2:12, “If we suffer, we shall also reign with Him: if we deny Him, He also will deny us.”
   Phil 1:29, “For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on Him, but also to suffer for His sake.”
   1 Pet 2:20, “For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God.”
   1 Pet 4:12-13, “Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when His glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.”
   

Vitally United to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit

1. In God. 1 Thes 1:1, Eph 4:6
   
2. In Christ. John 14:20, Col 1:27
   A. A member of His body, 1 Cor 12:13
   B. A branch in the vine, John 15:5
   C. A stone in the building, Eph 2:19-22
   D. A sheep in the flock, John 10:27-29
   E. A part of His bride, Eph 5:25-27
   F. A priest of the kingdom of priests, 1 Pet 2:5-9
   G. A saint of the new generation, 1 Pet 2:9
   
3. In the Spirit. Rom 8:9, 1 Cor 2:12
   

Vitally United to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit

1. In God.
   1 Thes 1:1, “Paul, and Silvanus, and Timotheus, unto the Church of the Thessalonians which is in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.”
   Eph 4:6, “One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.”
   
2. In Christ.
   John 14:20, “At that day ye shall know that I am in My Father, and ye in Me, and I in you.”
   Col 1:27, “To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:”
   A. A member of His body.
   1 Cor 12:13, “For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.”
   B. A branch in the Vine.
   John 15:5, “I am the Vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in Me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without Me ye can do nothing.”
   C. A stone in the Building.
   Eph 2:19-22, “Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the Chief Corner Stone; In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.”
   D. A sheep in the flock.
   John 10:27-29, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand. My Father, which gave them Me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of My Father’s hand.”
   E. A part of His bride.
   Eph 5:25-27, “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave Himself for it; That He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word, That He might present it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
   F. A priest of the kingdom of priests.
   1 Pet 2:5-9, “Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. Wherefore also it is contained in the Scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a Chief Corner Stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on Him shall not be confounded. Unto you therefore which believe He is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the Stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the Head of the corner, And a Stone of stumbling, and a Rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the Word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed. But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness into His marvellous light:
   G. A saint of the new generation.
   1 Pet 2:9, “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:
   
3. In the Spirit.
   Rom 8:9, “But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His.”
   1 Cor 2:12, “Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.”
   

Blessed With the First-Fruits and the “Earnest of the Spirit”

1. Born of the Spirit.
   John 3:6
   
2. Baptized with the Spirit.
   1 Cor 12:13
   
3. Indwelt by the Spirit.
   1 Cor 6:19, 2:12, John 7:39, Rom 5:5, Gal 4:6
   
4. Sealed by the Spirit.
   Eph 4:30, 2 Cor 1:22
   

   

Children of God

1. Born again.
   John 3:7, 1 Pet 1:23
   
2. Quickened.
   Eph 2:1, Col 2:13
   
3. Sons of God.
   1 John 3:3, 2 Cor 6:18, Gal 3:26
   
4. A new creation.
   2 Cor 5:17, Gal 6:15, Eph 2:10
   
5. Regeneration.
   Titus 3:5, John 13:10, 1 Cor 6:11
   

Accessible to God by Jesus Christ

1. Made the righteousness of God in Him.
   Rom 3:22, 1 Cor 11:30, 2 Cor 5:21, Phil 3:9
   
2. Set apart positionally. Christ Jesus who is made unto us sanctification.
   1 Cor 1:30, 1 Cor 6:11.
   This is not to be confused with experiential sanctification in John 17:17 or the final perfection of the believer.
   Eph 5:27
   
3. Perfected forever.
   Heb 10:14
   
4. Made accepted in the Beloved.
   Eph 1:6, 1 Pet 2:5
   
5. Made meet.
   Col 1:12
   

   

Vitally Connected to Christ for Judgment of the “Old Man” Into a New Walk

1. Crucified with Christ.
   Rom 6:6
   
2. Dead with Christ.
   Rom 6:8, 1 Pet 2:24
   
3. Buried with Him.
   Rom 6:4, Col 2:12
   
4. Raised with Christ. To walk a new life principle.
   Rom 6:4, Col 3:1
   

   

The Lord is My Light

The light is on the inside. This light is His provision.

First of all, Christ is the Light and Christ is in us, indwells us, “the Hope of glory,” Col 1:27.

Secondly, God the Holy Spirit is in us, indwells us, and is also called “our Light” in Eph 5:8. The word “Spirit” should be translated “Light,” which is the filling of the Spirit. Gal 5:22.

The principle is further stated in Eph 5:14, “Wherefore He saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead.” 1 John 1:9 – restoration back to fellowship, not salvation in this context. “And Christ shall give thee light” – filling of the Holy Spirit.

The filling of the Holy Spirit, which produces light, also become a developer of faith.

“The Lord is My Light and My Salvation,” Psa 27:1

David wrote many hundreds of year ago that he had accepted the Promised Messiah as his Saviour, for he said, “The Lord is my Light and my Salvation.”

The Lord is my Salvation. Salvation is a Person.

If Jesus Christ alone is salvation, whom else can we trust ? The answer is no one. The whole principle of Psalm 27 is that eternal relationship with God can only be obtained through faith in Christ. Eph 2:8-9.

The Cross is the only barrier that stands between you and God.

God cannot have fellowship with you because you are a sinner by birth and by action. But Christ died on the Cross and paid for your sins. God cannot have fellowship with you as a member of the human race because you are under the penalty of sin, which is eternal death, which is separation from God.

When Christ died, He paid the penalty. Furthermore, God cannot have a relationship with you because you are born into this world with three strikes against you: imputed sin, inherent sin, and personal sin.

Jesus Christ resolved all three problems when He died on the Cross for you.

”He made Him to be sin, Who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him,” 2 Cor 5:21

By human standards your life may be impressive with many good deeds. But as far as God is concerned, they all add up to relative righteousness – “We come short of the glory of God.”

All the good deeds in the world cannot measure up to God’s standard of absolute righteousness … “God is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity.”

Jesus Christ is equal with God, John 10:30, and yet at the same time, a true Member of the human race. He was absolute righteousness.

Therefore, everything that God has against me as a member of the human race was resolved at the Cross. The Cross takes care of everything, so that Jesus Christ becomes my Salvation when I believe in Him.

”Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.”

”The Lord is my Light and my Salvation, whom shall I fear?” Psa 27:1, or “Whom shall I Trust?” There is only one Person in whom I can trust. Because there is only one Saviour, not two, or a dozen saviours. Not a lot of religions, not a universal Fatherhood of God and brotherhood of man.

There is only one Saviour, Jesus Christ, and therefore only one condition of salvation: ”Verily, Verily, I say unto you. He that believeth on Me hath everlasting life,” John 7:47.

”For there is salvation in none other, for there is no other Name under Heaven given to man whereby we must be saved.”

Assurance of Salvation

“The Lord is the strength of my life,” Psa 27

This has to do with eternal security. For remember that all security in time is based upon security in eternity.

Once I believe in Christ, I possess eternal life. This eternal life which is given to me at the moment of salvation is something that can never be removed. There are many facets of this security.

First of all, I am in union with Christ. The moment I accept Him as my personal Saviour, I cannot get out of that relationship.

Rom 8:1, “There is therefore no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus.”
Further Paul states, “I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, no angels, nor principalities, nor power, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord,” Romans 8:38-39.

To believe in Christ, to put one’s trust in Him, to depend upon Him for salvation means that I cannot lose my salvation. This relationship cannot be broken. There is nothing I can do to change this situation.

Once I have trusted in Jesus Christ, I possess a relationship with Him which lasts forever. Eternal security is exactly what its definition implies – secure for all eternity.

Consequently, in this verse we have not only salvation, but assurance of it. I am assured of life forever in the presence of God. While it is impossible to describe in human language, I am to understand that it is a fantastically wonderful blessing.

”I give unto them eternal life and no one shall pluck them out of My hand.” John 10:28 … “and My Father’s hand.”

You are in good hands ...

Receiving the Lord Jesus Christ as My Personal Saviour

The assurance that nothing can take away this so great salvation, I know that He is the One “who keeps me from falling and will present me faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy,” Jude 1:14.

I know also that “I have an inheritance which is incorruptible and undefiled, and that fadeth not away; Reserved in heaven for those who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time,” 1 Pet 1:4-5.

I know that eternity is solved once and for all. And I know who solved it. “The Lord is My salvation,” Psa 27:1. I did not earn it. I did not work for it. I did not deserve it. Nor did I add anything to it. I simply trusted Him. I simply believed it. As far as eternity is concerned, beyond the grave, beyond death, there is nothing for me but blessing.

”There shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying. Neither shall there be any more pain. For the former things are passed away,” Rev 21:4.

I know that “to be absent from the body is to be face to face with the Lord,” 2 Cor 5:8.

I know that Jesus Christ said. “I am the Resurrection, and the Life, and he that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live,” John 11:25.

I know that I, as well as other believers, will be in a place that is so wonderful it is beyond human description. Therefore, immediately I say to myself, beyond death there is nothing to fear. There is nothing harsh or unpleasant to anticipate for ever and ever.

“One Thing Have I Desired,” Psalm 27

First, as soon as I am born again, if I am a normal spiritual baby, I have a desire for spiritual milk. Spiritual milk is contained in the Word of God. ”One thing have I desired of the Lord.”

Regeneration brings a desire for the Word of God, for Divine Truth. ”That will I seek after.”

This is the pattern of studying the Word of God. I will seek after the Truth, the milk or the food that God gives.

First of all, then, there is motivation. I now have a desire to study the Word of God. Before I believed in Christ, the Bible was just another book, one in which I personally had little interest. Apparently a lot of controversy existed over this Book, but I found other books much more interesting to read.

Now everything is changed. I believe in Jesus Christ. The Bible is a real and living Book. The Bible is God’s Word. It is a Book which has stood all the tests, all of the controversies, all of the opposition of the ages. And continues to exist, right up to this moment, as a best seller, even though at the same time it is the most attacked Book in the history of mankind.

It is God’s Word in written form. In it I have promises and principles to apply to every circumstance of life. I am suddenly aware that not only is the Person of Jesus Christ my temporal and eternal security, but also that He has very graciously given me something in addition to salvation. He has given me written promises and principles to use in time. As I utilize and apply these principles, I have the full realization of temporal security.

”One thing have I desired.” Motivation, desire, for the Word of God.

”That will I seek after.”

Divine Truth must be sought at its source. There is only one Source, the Word of God, the Bible you hold in your hand.

A Complete, Thorough Study on the Doctrine of the Heart

1. Definition:
   ”The heart” is a part of the mentality, the mind. The Hebrew word is “LEB” and the Greek word is “KARDIA” – the thinking part of the mind.
   
   A. It is always used in the Bible for the origin of thinking. 1 Sam 16:17, Prov 23:7. “As a man thinketh in his mind, so is he.” It is never used for the physiological heart or from the emotions.
   
   B. Gen 6:5 distinguishes between imaginations and thoughts of the heart.
   
   1. “Imaginations” “everything formed”– that is every frame of reference.
   2. “Thoughts” – thoughts, designs, prospects.
   
2. The essence of the heart.
   A. The frame of reference, the entrance antechamber of the Word. Prov 4:4
   
   B. The memory center, the “pump” that circulates the Word into various areas of the mind, Phil 1:3.
   
   C. The vocabulary storage – the empty house for the formation of thought.
   
   D. The categorical storage – the supply house for the classification of thoughts.
   
   E. The conscience – storage for all norms and standards. Rom 2:15, 9:1, 13:5; 1 Cor 8:7; 2 Cor 4:2, 5:11; Titus 1:15; Heb 9:14; 1 Pet 2:19.
   
   F. The launching pad – Source of all the mental attitudes in life.
   
3. The analogy of the heart.
   A. A heart is designed to dominate the soul. All other parts of the soul are designed to be subordinate – self consciousness, volition, emotion.
   
   B. The heart is the target for growing in Grace. To reach the target, the Word must be passed through the mind and the human spirit.
   
   C. Therefore, the doctrinal content of the soul must reside in the heart or mind. 1 Kings 3:9, 12; Job 38:36; Psa 19:14, 119:11; Prov 2:2, 10:8, 15:14, 18:5.
   
4. The facets of the heart.
   A. The heart can reject Bible teaching, Prov 5:12-13.
   
   B. The heart is the source of discord and troublemaking, Prov 6:14, 18.
   
   C. The heart of the prostitute is subtle, Prov 7:10.
   
   D. Hatred emanates from the heart, 2 Sam 6:16.
   
   E. The heart suffers disappointment from promises not kept, Prov 13:12.
   
   F. The heart promotes mental attitude sins.
   1. Bitterness, Prov 14:10
   2. Sorrow and disappointment, Prov 14:13.
   3. Pride, Prov 21:4, Obad 3
   4. Worry, Ecc 2:23
   
   G. Women use the heart to trap men, Ecc 7:26.
   
   H. Frantic search for happiness is related to the heart, Ecc 1:13
   
   I. Negative volition is described in terms of the heart, Jer 17:5, 9, Zech 7:12
   
   J. Revolution and insubordination are described as being in the heart, 2 Sam 15:6, Jer 5:23, Ezek 6:9.
   
   K. Hypocrisy is related to the heart, Job 36:13, Psa 55:21

More to come ...

Saturday, April 7, 2001

The Six Trials of Jesus Christ

1. Annas – John 18:12, “And led him away to Annas first; for he was father in law to Caiaphas, which was the high priest that same year.”
   
2. Caiaphas – Matt 26:57, “And they that had laid hold on Jesus led him away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled.”
   
3. Caiaphas –Luke 22:66, “And as soon as it was day, the elders of the people and the chief priests and the scribes came together, and led him into their council, saying,”
   
4. Pilate – Luke 23:1, “And the whole multitude of them arose, and led Him unto Pilate.”
   
5. Herod – Luke 23:8, “And when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceeding glad: for he was desirous to see Him of a long season, because he had heard many things of Him; and he hoped to have seen some miracle done by Him.”
   
6. Pilate – Luke 23:13, “And Pilate, when he had called together the chief priests and the rulers and the people.”
   

The Death of Christ

1. His Spirit went to the Father – Luke 23:46, “And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, He said, Father, into Thy hands I commend My Spirit: and having said thus, He gave up the Spirit.”
   
2. His soul went to Hades – Eph 4:9, “Now that He ascended, what is it but that He also descended first into the lower parts of the Earth?”
   Luke 23:43, “And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with Me in Paradise.”
   1 Pet 3:18-21, “For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: By which also He went and preached unto the spirits in prison; Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water. The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.”
   Psa 16:10, “For Thou wilt not leave My soul in hell; neither wilt Thou suffer Thine Holy One to see corruption.”
   
3. His body went into the grave – Luke 23:53, “And he took it down, and wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a sepulchre that was hewn in stone, wherein never man before was laid.”
   

   

What is So “Good” About “Good Friday”?

The Jewish time was that one day was from 6 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Matt 12:40, “For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the Earth.”

Day 1: Wednesday April 14 (after 6 p.m.) – the Passover – to Thursday, April 15 – the Feast of Unleavened Bread.
Lev 23:6, “And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto the Lord: seven days ye must eat unleavened bread.”

Day 2: Thursday, April 15 to Friday, April 16

Day 3: Friday, April 16 to Saturday, April 17 – a Sabbath. Lev 23:3, “Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the Sabbath of rest, an holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein: it is the Sabbath of the Lord in all your dwellings.”

Sunday, April 18 – the Firstfruits – Lev 23:10-11, “Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest: And he shall wave the sheaf before the Lord, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it.”

On Friday Christ was still in the grave. What’s so good about that?

A Personal Challenge!

“And having made peace through the blood of His Cross, by Him to reconcile all things unto Himself. By Him, I say, whether there be things in Earth or things in Heaven. And you, who were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet hath He now reconciled,” Col 1:20-21.

Alienated from God and in a continuous state of estrangement since the time of Adam’s sin. All mankind is under the condemnation and wrath of God, therefore, separated from fellowship with Him.

This verse goes even a step further to indicate the thoughts of mankind as at enmity with God. The area of the unbeliever’s hostility is in the mind. Human viewpoint is hostile to God.

Furthermore, no work of the believer is acceptable to God. All human good is relegated to the category of “wicked works.”

”We are all as an unclean thing and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags,” Isa 64:6.

There are six strikes against every person born into this world which constitute an impassable barrier between God and man.

The Total Concept of Salvation Encompasses Six Doctrines by Which This Barrier Was Removed

One for each of the six strikes against man

1. Redemption – Removal of the barrier of the bondage of sin.
   1 Pet 1:18-19, Gal 3:13, Eph 1:7
   
2. Expiation – The payment demanded for sin.
   Col 2:14
   
3. Regeneration – The new birth giving life.
   
4. Imputation and justification – The solution to the problem of relative righteousness
   Rom 3:22, 2 Cor 5:21
   
5. Propitiation– Satisfied the righteousness and justice of God.
   1 John 2:1, 2, 4:10, Rom 3:23-25
   
6. Position in Christ – Severing his old relationship to Adam
   Eph 1:3-6, 2 Cor 5:17, 1 Cor 15:22
   

   

The Doctrine of the Heart – Part Two

1. The relation of the heart to thinking and perception.
   A. Function of growing in Grace. Deut 29:4
   B. Thinking of a negativity. Psa 10:6, 11, 13
   C. Thinking of atheism. Psa 14:1
   D. Rationalization of education. Ecc 1:13-18
   E. Rationalization of mental attitude sins. Isa 47:10
   F. Communication of false teachers from the deceit of their hearts. Jer 14:14
   G. Meditation on the Word. Luke 2:19
   H. Ambitious thinking. Luke 9:46, 47
   
2. The analogy to Right-Man/Right-Woman.
   A. The heart is analogous to the Right-Man and dominates the soul in the normal person.
   B. The emotion is the Right-Woman, designed to be a responder to the content of the heart.
   C. Therefore, they are linked in the following Scriptures. Psa 26:2, Jer 11:20, Jer 17:10, Jer 20:12
   
3. The heart and capacity for life.
   A. Since the emotion takes the place of the Right-Woman, the responder, and since the heart is the Right-Man, the aggressor, all capacity for life must be initiated in the heart.
   B. All capacity for life resides in the frame of reference, memory center, vocabulary, thinking, categorizing, conscience of the mind.
   C. From these areas, the heart initiates and the emotion responds as in sex between Right-Man and Right-Woman.
   D. They are both positive and negative in capacity for life.
   1. The positive love, Deut 6:5, 11:13, Joshua 22:5. Happiness, Psa 19:8, 28:7. Dynamics,. Job 9:4.
   2. The negative sorrow. Lev 26:16, Neh 2:2. Pressure, Psa 34:18. Cowardice, Joshua 14:8, 1 Sam 17:32. Discouragement, Num 32:7, 9.
   
4. The basic area for happiness.
   A. Gladness of heart. 1 Sam 1:13, 10:9, 1 Kings 8:66, 2 Chr 7:10, Esther 5:9.
   B. Merry heart. 1 Sam 25:36, 2 Sam 13:28, Prov 15:13, 15, 17:22
   
5. The area of cursing in the soul.
   A. Negative volition in the heart results in national disaster. Deut 28:47, 48
   B. Revenge is a malfunction of the heart. Psa 24:1, 2, Ezek 25:15-17
   C. The heart is related to psychosis. Isa 13:7, 8
   D. Mental attitude sins relate the old sin nature to the heart. Psa 66:18, Psa 101:5, Prov 6:18, Matt 12:35, 15:18, 19, Luke 6:45, 24:25
   
6. A blessing to the growing believer
   A. Heart related to Grace function. Prov 24:17.
   B. Heart related to Grace orientation. Ezek 23:9.
   C. Heart related to happiness. 1 Sam 2:1.
   D. Heart basis of stability in a crisis. Psa 112:7-8.
   
7. The relation to motivation in life.
   A. Temporal life. Ex 35:25, 26, 35, 36:8.
   B. Spiritual life. 1 Kings 18:7, 2 Cor 9:7.
   
8. The relation to positive volition. Rom 10:9, 10
   
9. The heart as an anthropopathism. 1 Sam 2:35, Psa 78:72, Jer 23:20, 30:24.
   A. An anthropopathism ascribes to God human feelings, passions, and thoughts in terms of man’s feelings, passions, and thoughts.
   B. It is designed to explain God’s policies, thoughts, acts, and decisions in terms of human language so that man can have a frame of reference.
   C. Therefore, anthropopathisms are language of accommodation to express the Divine attitude to homo sapiens in man’s vocabulary and language.
   

“And Be Renewed in the Spirit of Your Mind,” Ephesians 4:23

Literally, be restored by means of the Spirit, by means of your mind.

Restoration is achieved by confession of sin. 1 John 1:9. But the continuative particle “and” with the present tense and the passive voice of “renew” indicates that in addition to the points of time when restoration becomes necessary, it is also essential to continue the function of growing in Grace in order to garrison your soul against negative volition and to move on unto maturity.

”By means of the Spirit” is a reference to the Holy Spirit Who energizes the function of growing in Grace.

”By means of your mind” is a rare use of the ablative of means, and when accompanied by the implication of origin or source, indicates that the mind is both the means and the source of cranking up growing in Grace.

The frame of reference provides an alarm system to detect false teaching and erroneous doctrines of the myriad cults and religious con artists of this age. Such discernment is vital during the intensified stage of the angelic conflict.

The frame of reference develops soul capacity and discernment to detect important relationships in life, such as that of Right-Man/Right-Woman.

The frame of reference provides the “furniture” of the soul whereby God is able to share His happiness with the believer.

The frame of reference is the basis for mental attitude dynamics, which lead to the production of Divine Good. This includes proper communication in witnessing, correct content of prayer, and accuracy in other functions assigned to the believer.

“Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,” Eph 3:20

“Ask” is the Greek word “AITEO,” and is the ordinary word for request or prayer. The word indicates the fact that we have the right to petition God for certain needs or desires. However, a new believer or a believer minus Doctrine, has no ability to make proper requests of God. He simply bases his requests on human concepts.

Effective prayer is dependent upon Doctrine in the frame of reference. A person may not yet know the Doctrine of baptism and the indwelling of the Spirit, lacking the necessary frame of reference. He asks for the Holy Spirit. But he is wasting his time praying for something which he already has.

The same is true with the filling of the Spirit. We do not receive the filling of the Spirit by asking. This occurs automatically through restoration (confession of sins).

But with Doctrine in the human spirit cycled into the mind for frame of reference, prayer exhaled toward God has spiritual content and becomes meaningful.

”The power that worketh in us” includes both Doctrine and the ministry of God the Holy Spirit operational through the function of growing in Grace. The power of the Word of God and the power of the Holy Spirit.

Heb 4:12 and Acts 1:8. ”The Word of God is alive and powerful.” “Ye shall be witnesses unto Me when the power of the Spirit is come upon thee.”

That power is “DUNAMIS,” which is dynamite.

Ephesians 4:17, “This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that he henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk in the vanity of their mind.”

”Vanity” is the Greek word “METAIOTES,” which is a vacuum in the soul created by negative volition to the Word of God.

This is the concept of hardening of the heart. It is a stage of negative volition in which the believer becomes entrenched in some form of negative volition through reactor factors in the soul. This leads to a frantic search for happiness and the emotional revolt of the soul. This vacuum becomes filled with the doctrine of demons and results in a blackout of Doctrine in the mind. This leads to the accumulation of calluses on the soul or hardness of the heart. And therefore, a total lack of soul capacity with God.

Eph 4:18, “Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them. Because of the blindness of their mind.”

“Hath Revealed”

”But God hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit. For the Spirit searcheth all things, yet the deep things of God,” 1 Cor 2:10.

”Hath revealed” is “APOKALUPTO.” This introduces the system of perception. Under this verse there is no place for human meritorious perception.

APOKALUPTO signifies only Grace perception. It actually connotes “illumination,” “to bring to light.”

The plan of God and Doctrine have always existed. It is just a matter of transferring them from the Bible to your mind. There are those who keep a Bible handy so if ever they get into a jam they can open it up in a hurry and try to find help.

The Bible is not like a medicine cabinet – for emergency action only. The believer must be inculcated in advance against emergencies by a constant intake of the Word of God.

God has designed you as a royal priest to be spiritually self-sustaining. This is achieved only on the basis of inner resources.

The Bible is the exterior Source of your inner assets. The Word of God is located forever in the Bible, but it has no value to you unless you take it out of your Bible and make it resident in your soul.

More to come on APOKALUPTO, “hath revealed.”

“Hath Revealed” – 1 Corinthians 2:10 – “APOKALUPTO”

The aorist tense of APOKALUPTO indicates the point of time when you are listening to Bible teaching under conditions of the filling of the Spirit.

You have been allotted a certain amount of time on this Earth after you are saved. Since every waking moment cannot be spent in listening to the Word of God, we therefore must listen at various points in time.

The active voice of the verb indicates that God the Father produces the action through the agency of the Holy Spirit. The filling of the Spirit enables the Grace apparatus for function.

The indicative mood is the reality of the existence of a Grace apparatus for perception entirely apart from human I.Q. systems.

The preposition “APO” means that God the Father is the ultimate Source of this revelation.

“For the Spirit Searcheth,” 1 Corinthians 2:10

“Searcheth” is the Greek word, “ERAUNAO.” This verb has four meanings, which are all pertinent to the teaching ministry of God the Holy Spirit to the believer under perspicacity by Grace.

What surpasses knowledge? Knowledge is the word “GNOSIS.” There is also “EPIGNOSIS.” “EPI” means over or beyond “GNOSIS,” knowledge.

Over or beyond knowledge is the Word of God stored in the human spirit. This passage is not saying you cannot understand the love of God because it passes knowledge. It says you can understand God’s love because He had provided “EPIGNOSIS,” the full categorical knowledge and understanding of God.

The Word of God in the human spirit and in the mind becomes capacity to love Christ or occupation with Christ.

The result of “EPIGNOSIS” is “that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.” “The fulness of God” becomes the edification of the soul. The word “edification” and “edifying” is “OIKODOME,” which means the act of building up, or the act of erecting a spiritual structure in the soul, which Teddy Roosevelt wrote about.

With this edification in the soul, the believer who continues to function under growing in Grace moves into maturity. For the believer this is the normal status quo, when he can have the capacity to receive and utilize the superabundant blessings which God the Father has provided as a part of the Doctrine of Divine Decrees.

To be Edified, or Edification of the Soul

This is an immaterial structure in the soul of a mature believer. The foundation is the Word of God stored in the human spirit.

It is composed of five floors:

1. Grace orientation – which is a relaxed mental attitude.
   
2. Mastery over the details of life – which are details serving you.
   
3. Capacity to love God.
   
4. Capacity for Right-Man and Right-Woman or friends.
   
5. Inner happiness.

This edification of the soul is the backbone of the soul and the bridge to Grace maturity.

“Believed”

The word “believed” is translated:

1. “Brought up” in Lam.4:5.
   
2. “Sure” in Psa 93:5.
   
3. “Verified” in Gen 49:20.
   
4. “Established” in 2 Chr 1:9.
   
5. “Faithful” in Num 12:7.
   
6. “Standfast” in Psa 89:28.
   
7. “Assurance” in Deut 28:60.
   
8. “Steadfast” in Psa 78:8.
   
9. “Trust” in Job 4:18.

Reading these words into the meaning and association of faith, we may say of this man of faith:

He is “brought up” by the Lord’s ministry.
He is “sure” of the Lord’s love.
He is “verified” in the Lord’s Truth.
He is “established” in the Lord’s Grace.
He is “faithful” in the Lord’s service.
He “stands fast” in temptation for the Lord’s glory.
He is “assured” by the Lord’s promise.
He is “steadfast” in the Lord’s way.
He “trusts” in the Lord himself.

The Law of Radiant Faith

Faith is the Grace that receives from the Lord what He has to offer and rest in the will of His Word. The verb “to believe” denotes the steady resting of the soul upon an object outside of itself. Therefore, for one person to rely, to trust, to depend upon another.

Faith depends upon the living God. It has no reliance upon itself.

The same word rendered “believed” in Gen 15:6 is rendered “nursed” in Isa 60:4 where it says, “Thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side.” Referring to the Eastern custom of the mother carrying her child astride upon the hip and with her arms around the body.

What better picture could we have of the act and attitude of faith than the child resting on the mother’s hip and being supported by her?

”Abram believed in Lord and the Lord counted it unto him for righteousness.” The Lord understood all the responsibilities of his salvation and need.

Sunday, April 8, 2001

The Truth Teaching the Truth

For an accurate and true understanding of what the Word of God has to say, there is no better way than noticing what the Lord Jesus Christ has to say. It is “the Truth” teaching “the Truth.”

The word to “abide” is the Greek word “MENO,” which means to be in one place all the time. It is used to describe where a person dwells.

The word “MENO” is used by the Lord Jesus Christ in John 15, 12 times. It is translated “abide,” “continue,” and “remain.”

Notice how Jesus Christ uses this word and you will see the meaning and the application of it as the Lord of glory used it.

1. Command to abide.
   ”Abide in Me,” John 15:4. This is a call to obedience and not an option in choice.
   
2. Christ’s abiding in us depends on our abiding in Him.
   “Abide in Me and I in you,” John 15:4. The order of our obedience secures the omnipotence of His presence.
   
3. Necessity of abiding.
   The branch is usele