August 8, 1999
John 15:1 I am the true vine, and my Father
is the husbandman. 2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit
he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth
it, that it may bring forth more fruit. 3 Now ye are clean through
the word which I have spoken unto you. 4 Abide in me, and I in
you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide
in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. 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.
6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and
is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire,
and they are burned. 7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in
you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall
ye be my disciples.
Mark 10:7 And when he was gone forth into the
way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him,
Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?
18 And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is
none good but one, that is, God.
When the Lord answered the man, he said that there is only one
good person, and that is God. By saying that, the Lord
told the man that by calling him Good Master,
he was saying that he was God.
God was before anything was created. God was good
before anything was created. The fact that God is good was not
changed when he created the innumerable hosts
of heavenly beings; it was not changed when he created the natural
world, nor was it changed when he created man.
It is impossible for any part of creation to
create itself.
Psalms 100:1 Make a joyful noise unto the LORD,
all ye lands. 2 Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his
presence with singing. 3 Know ye that the LORD he is God:
it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we
are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. 4 Enter into his
gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful
unto him, and bless his name. 5 For the LORD is good; his mercy
is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.
It is just as impossible for there to be any
good apart from God.
Psalms 19:1, The heavens declare the glory of
God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. And again,Psalms
97:6, The heavens declare his righteousness, and all
the people see his glory.
We might as well say that the heavens sheweth its own
handiwork and declare its own righteousness and glory, as to say
that man can show forth his own goodness.
When Adam was created, it was the Spirit of the
triune-God -- God the Father, God the Son, and
God the Holy Ghost -- that breathed life into
him:
Genesis 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in
our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over
the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the
cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing
that creepeth upon the earth. Genesis 2:7 And
the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed
into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living
soul. Genesis 1:27 So God created man in his
own image, in the image of God created he him;
male and female created he them.
It was that breath of God that made Adam
in the image and likeness of
God. And that breath of God is likened to the
Holy Spirit throughout Scripture. Just as sure
as it took the breath of God into Adam to make
that lifeless lump of clay live
in the image of God, it takes the new
birth, or the breath of the Holy
Spirit, to make fallen man alive again
into the image of God.
1 Corinthians 15:22 For as in Adam all die, even
so in Christ shall all be made alive. John 3:1
There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of
the Jews: 2 The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him,
Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man
can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.
3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto
thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of
God. 4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he
is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and
be born? 5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except
a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into
the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh;
and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Marvel not that
I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. 8 The wind blowethwhere
it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not
tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that
is born of the Spirit. John 20:22 And when he
had said this, he breathed on them, and saith
unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:
Once life is breathed into fallen man by the
Spirit of God in the new birth, it does not stop there.
Galatians 4:19 My little children, of whom I
travail in birth again until Christ be formed
in you,
Only God's breath into fallen man brings life, or a new creation.
And the purpose of that life brought about by
the breath of God is not so we can go to heaven,
though that is a nice benefit. The purpose of our redemption isnot
so we can avoid problems and turmoils in this
life.
The purpose of the new life created
in fallen man by the Spirit of God is to CONFORM FALLEN
MAN TO THE IMAGE OF HIS CREATOR. Just as sure as Adam
was formed in the image of his Creator, we also areto
be formed into the image of our Creator, Jesus Christ:
Romans 8:29 For whom he did foreknow, he also
did predestinate to be conformed to the image
of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
(Predestination is not for heaven, but predestinated to be conformed
to the image of the Creator, Christ.) Colossians 3:8
But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy,
filthy communication out of your mouth. 9 Lie not one to another,
seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; 10 And
have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after
the image of him that created him: 11 Where there is
neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian,
Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.
The redeemed state of man is so he can
be conformed to the image of Christ in this life. If
you are redeemed this morning, the purpose of your redemption
is to have Christ formed in you. And it is the continued
divineflow of God's breath through his Spirit that does
that. His continued breath is as necessary to
life as is light and moisture is to the life of any of God's creation.
We saw in our opening text, John 15:1-8, that it is the constant
and continued flow of the divine life
of theSpirit of God that is necessary
to man's continuance in his redeemed state. The REDEEMED STATE
means having Christ formed in us.
John 15:1 I am the true vine, and my Father is
the husbandman. 2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he
taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it,
that it may bring forth more fruit. 3 Now ye are clean through
the word which I have spoken unto you. 4 Abide in me, and I in
you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide
in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. 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.
6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and
is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire,
and they are burned. 7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in
you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall
ye be my disciples.
It is impossible to be made anew, or conformed,
into the image of the Creator without
that continued flow of Divine breath or life through the
indwelling Spirit. A religion that is not wholly
built upon the supernatural fact of the Holy Spirit is
dead. Any religion that seeks to stand to any
degree upon human powers, human reasonings and
human conclusions is as dead as was Adam before
God breathed the breath of life into him --- it does not have
a shadow of truth in it.
Religions that are built upon anything other
than the Divine Breath of the Creator in regeneration
andcontinued life can do no more
to restore life than can an idol made of wood or clay.
Biblical Christianity is nothing more than the
continual dependence upon God through Christ
for all life, alllight or direction
in life, and virtue or goodness.
It is Satan's false religion that seeks life, direction
orgoodness from any other source
other than through Jesus Christ.
John 3:27 John answered and said, A man can receive
nothing, except it be given him from heaven.
All goodness comes from God, just as sure as all life comes from
God.
NOTE the interest in creating life in the laboratory.
It has not been done, nor will it be done. Life
in a laboratory is the same as fallen man seeking life and goodness
outside of the indwelling Spirit of God.
The highest angle has no more to offer
God on his own than what the poorest man on earth
has to offer.
1 Corinthians 4:7 For who maketh thee to differ
from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive?
now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou
hadst not received it?
If an angle were to think in the smallest
degree that he has in himself any wisdom,
goodness or in any wayexcels,
he would fall as sure as Lucifer fell from his exalted place in
heaven.
There is only one religion in heaven, and that
religion sees that all life and goodness comes from God. It sees
all living beings totally dependant upon their Creator.
[TO HERE, 8/8/99]
Start, 8/15/99
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.
Biblical Christianity is nothing more than the
continual dependence upon God through Christ
for all life, alllight or direction
in life, and virtue or goodness.
It is Satan's false religion that seeks life, direction
orgoodness from any other source
other than through Jesus Christ.
John 3:27 John answered and said, A man can receive
nothing, except it be given him from heaven.
All goodness comes from God, just as sure as all life comes from
God.
NOTE the interest in creating life in the laboratory.
It has not been done, nor will it be done. Life
in a laboratory is the same as fallen man seeking life and goodness
outside of the indwelling Spirit of God.
Adam was created in God's image and in fellowship
with God. Adam's fall brought a separation
from God; it brought a separation from life,
light and goodness. There can
be no return to life, light and goodness without
being returned into favour with God.
2 Corinthians 5:16 Wherefore henceforth know
we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after
the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more. 17 Therefore
if any man be in Christ, he isa new creature:
old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to
himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry
of reconciliation; 19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling
the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them;
and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. 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. 21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who
knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in
him.
God commands man to be reconciled
to himself.
Reconciliation basically means being
reunited with someone we are in disagreement with. In
our fallen condition, we are at odds
with God. We think we have goodness, light
and life in ourselves. We must changeour
opinion, and realize there is nothing apart from Christ.
Notice v. 18, And all things are of God,
who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ. In
other words, it is God who works the reconciliation
in fallen man.
Reconciliation cannot be accomplished by man's own efforts any
more than he can create himself. This is a reason
man refuses to give up on evolution.
Evolution means man created himself, and if he created himself,
he can find enough good in himself that he can save himself.
Reconciliation, which is saving faith,
must be a gift of God. For no man nor angle can
show any love, faithnor desire
toward God without God placing that divine living
seed within him by his Spirit.
1 Corinthians 4:7 For who maketh thee to differ
from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive?
now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou
hadst not received it?
In other words, no part of creation can offer anything to the
Creator but that which was first given to him by the Creator.
The command is be ye reconciled to God. Fallen
man is at in conflict with God. He believes he is good enough
to save himself, and make it through life on his own. The command
is be ye reconciled to God--agree with God that
we cannot save ourselves.
Be ye reconciled to God also includes daily reconciliation--agreeing
with God that he alone is all wisdom andlife
and goodness, and that he alone through his Spirit and word must
guide us.
In other words, Biblical reconciliation restores man to
willing submission to God's daily guidance of his life. Biblical
reconciliation has settled in our hearts that we will do nothing,
plan nothing, nor thinkanything that is apart from God's will
for us. To say that reconciliation is otherwise is to permit a
heart of rebellion against the Divine will.
Biblical reconciliation means that we look for ways we can please
do things pleasing in God's sight.
God's indwelling Holy Spirit is given not
only to assure us of eternal life with
God, but he is given to make us a new creature.
(2 Corinthians 5:17.) The purpose of Salvation and the indwelling
Holy Spirit is to create in us the image of the
Creator, the image of Christ.
John 16:7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth;
It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away,
the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will
send him unto you.
By his own blood, Christ payed the price for
our sins, and reconciled us to God the Father. By his own blood,
he conquered our rebellion against the will of
God.
When fail to honour the Holy Spirit as the giver of both eternal
life and new life in submission to the will of God
and daily power over sin, our religion is no better than what
the apostate Jews of Christ's day had.
Redemption is redemption from rebellion against God,
both concerning eternal salvation and daily salvation.
No plant nor tree can grow and bear fruit
without the same power that gave it life from
its seed. In the samemanner, if there will be
any life, light and goodness in any person, it can only come from
the continued life-giving power of the Spirit, the same Spirit
that gave new life in the first place.
We can open and read the word of God at any place,
yet without the life-giving power of the indwelling
Spirit of God, it will leave us as poor, empty
and unchanged as it found us. The word of God
can delight us, but ifthat delight
is not grounded in the inspiration of God's indwelling
Spirit, it is nothing but Adam's fallen nature.
This truth presented in both Testaments at all times, in the Law,
the Prophets, the Gospels.
Christ himself said, I can of mine own self do nothing. (John
5:3). If our master said this, how much more true is
that of us? Is a servant greater than his master?
The Apostle John said, God is love; and he that dwelleth in love
dwelleth in God, and God in him. (1 Jn. 4:16.)
Can a mirror reflect light that it did not first
receive? Can the creation offer proper affections
to God unless he first received them? Can we love God except he
first loved us, and placed his love in us?
Thus, those who dwell in any love except the love
brought forth by the indwelling Spirit are not dwelling in the
Christian God of the Bible.
The life of man can never be in him, but must be a growth of life
in and from God.
Galatians 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless
I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which
I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God,
who loved me, and gave himself for me. Everything in life that
has not the source of God's Spirit is earthly,
sensual or devilish. Whether the angles in heaven or the lowliest
of creeping things, there is nothing
wise, holy, good or just except as it conforms to the will of
God. That is, subject to God's design and function.
The nature of sin is declining from the will
of God. So our greatest desire must be that God's will may be
done in us as it is done in heaven:
Matthew 6:9 After this manner therefore pray
ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 10 Thy
kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
It must be our settled purpose and intention of our hearts
that we will do nothing, plan nothing nor think anything but so
far as we have reason to believe it is the will of God.
It is a great rebellion against God to think that our
will may every rightly differ from God's will.We must
be convinced in our hearts that we have no other purpose
in the world than to be what God requires us to be, to do what
God requires us to do.We have no other purpose in this world than
to find the place that God would have us to be.We have no other
purpose in this world than to see what God would have us to see,We
have no other purpose in this world than to desire what God would
have us to desire.
We have no other business in the world than to
serve the Lord with gladness -- that is, to do
what we believe is pleasing in his sight.
Acts 17:28 For in him we live, and move, and
have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For
we are also his offspring.
To even think we can do any of these things on our own, is to
think we created ourselves.
[TO HERE, August 15, 1999]
August 22, 1999
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.
First, we have the new creation
in Christ.
Adam was created in the image of his Creator from the dust of
the ground. It was that breath of God that madeAdam
in the image and likeness of
God. And that breath of God is likened to the
Holy Spirit throughout Scripture. Just as sure
as it took the breath of God into Adam to make
that lifeless lump of clay live
in the imageof God, it takes the new
birth, or the breath of the Holy
Spirit, to make fallen man alive again
into the image of God.
Second, we see the new purpose
in Christ.
The purpose of salvation is not
to miss hell, though that is certainly a good benefit.
The word of God speaks clearly many times: God's divine purpose
of salvation is to form us into the image of
our Creator. Just as sure as Adam was formed in the image of his
Creator, we also are to be formed into the image
of our Creator, Jesus Christ. This was a purpose for the Lord
Jesus sending the Holy Spirit to us when he went back to be with
the Father.
We are commanded to be reconciled to God ---
that is, be converted through faith in Christ. Conversionrestores
man to willing submission to God's daily guidance
of his life. It must be our settled purpose and the intention
of our hearts that we will do nothing, plan
nothing nor think anything but so far as we believe
it is thewill of God. And that determination
will be seen by the time we spend in God's word, and the following
actions.
First, new creation in Christ.Second, new purpose in Christ.
Third, new rest in Christ.
We cannot say we believe in the Lord unless we believe that he
alone is infinite love, goodness,
life, wisdom anddirection
for our lives. And that means that we must have the inner
confidence that God's will for our lives isdesigned
in his infinite LOVE, LIFE, WISDOM and GOODNESS.
1 Thessalonians 5:18 In every thing give thanks:
for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
Therefore, we must be as thankful and
pleased with everything that happens in our lives as
though weourselves chose it. What more can we
ask out of life than for our own lives to be guided
by God's infinite LOVE, WISDOM and GOODNESS?
When we allow ourselves to have anxieties, fears
and complaints, we do one of two things:
DENY God's wisdom and love and goodnessOr we
confess that we are out of his
will.
Jude 15 To execute judgment upon all, and to
convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly
deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard
speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him. 16 These
are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts;
and their mouth speaketh great swelling words, having men's persons
in admiration because of advantage. 17 But, beloved, remember
ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord
Jesus Christ; 18 How that they told you there should be mockers
in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly
lusts. 19 These be they who separate themselves, sensual,
having not the Spirit. 20 But ye, beloved, building up yourselves
on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, 21
Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy
of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.
Jude tells us that the Lord shall come:
1) to execute judgment upon all. Though Jude is speaking primarily
of the wicked, it includes ALL men, small and
great:
Revelation 20:11 And I saw a great white throne,
and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven
fled away; and there was found no place for them. 12 And I saw
the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were
opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life:
and the dead were judged out of those things which were written
in the books, according to their works. 13 And the sea gave up
the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the
dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according
to their works. 14 And death and hell were cast into the lake
of fire. This is the second death. 15 And whosoever was not found
written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
Most people live as though there were no judgment to come. Every
person will be judged by Christ himself according to that individual's
actions in following the leading of the Spirit according to the
word of God.
What was your goal this last week? Was it to
allow the Spirit of God to lead you in everything
you did?
Well, yes it was!Let me ask you again: How much
time did you spend in God's word seeking the Spirit's direction?
2) to convince all
Clearly, the Lord will condemn no one without just cause. There
will be no excuse nor apology in that day. He is the only RIGHTEOUS
JUDGE, and he will pass righteous judgment.
He will convince all the ungodly of both their
actions and speech that are against Christ. We many times speak
harshly against others, but actually it is Christ we are speaking
against.
Note v. 15, the word UNGODLY is used four times.
Who are the ungodly ones spoken so harshly against, v. 16? They
are the murmurers and complainers; the ones who
walk after their own lusts. In other words, things do not go the
way that is pleasing to their own personal desires,
so they murmur and complain against the Lord.
Notice v. 19: murmuring and complaining
is a sign of not having the Spirit of God.
ILLUSTRATION:
Lori was thought to have symptoms of MS some time ago. Since then,
the worse of the fears have proved to be true. Paul was telling
us yesterday morning of the side effects of the treatments to
keep MS from developing so fast. And they are not at all pleasant.
However, Lori is not murmuring nor complaining about her situation.
THE SAME COULD BE SAID ABOUT LINDA AND HER EYES.
MURMURING AND COMPLAINING
Never let the devil put a questionmark behind something God has
allowed.
1) it starts in the heart. The outward appearance may be all smiles
and a good spirit, but the heart says, "Why me, Lord?"
2) the answer against murmuring and complaining is found in v.
21, Keep yourselves in the love of God. That is,remember
that God is infinite love and that he guides his wiling
children in that love.
August 22, 1999 To here
FIRST, we are a new person in Christ. God
loved us enough that he sent his only Son to die for
us.
SECOND, God's divine purpose of salvation is to form us
into the image of our Creator. Our conversion,
orreconciliation, means our attitude
toward God was CONVERTED. Faith in Christ, conversion, restores
man towilling submission to God's daily guidance
of his life. We must purpose in our hearts that we will do
nothing,plan nothing nor think
anything but so far as we believe it is the will
of God.
As we, to the best of our knowledge and by God's grace, then go
about our lives as we believe the Spirit of God would have us
do, then we have new rest in Christ. We are confident
that his divine love for those who are his will
only allow the things that are pleasing to him to come their way.
We must be confident that his loving divine providence is directing
our every step.
Let me remind you: The Spirit of God leads us through
the word of God. He speaks to our hearts and impresses us in the
way we should walk as we learn of Christ, the
Word of God.
So, when we murmur, complain and worry, we are denying
the Lord's love for his own, or we are confessingwe
are out to the will of the Lord.
Philippians 4:11 Not that I speak in respect
of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith
to be content. (See also Ps. 37:7-11, Heb. 10:35-39.)
Hebrews 10:36 tells us that impatience means we lack confidence
that we are in the will of the Lord.
The normal attitude of the Christian is to be continually thankful
to the Lord in every situation, confident that
our infinite God works all things work together for the good of
those who are sincerely trying to do his will as best they understand
it.
It is not real trust in our loving Heavenly Father when we are
only able to thank God in happiness and prosperity and not in
calamities and sufferings. Thanking God only in the good times
is like saying that we do not believe God created everything because
we did not see him do it. Faith means we believe what God says
regardless of what our natural senses tell us.
Nothing happens by chance to the trusting, obedient Child of God,
no more than the world created itself by chance. Therefore, we
can,
1 Thessalonians 5:16 Rejoice evermore. We
are to 17 Pray without ceasing. And 18
In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ
Jesus concerning you. Otherwise, we will 19 Quench
... the Spirit. (That is, do not put out the fire of the Spirit
who gives the inner enthusiasm and ability to please God.)
We can rejoice and give thanks to God
not because we can analyze everything that comes into our lives.
We can rejoice because in child-like faith we are confident
we are doing his will the best we know and that the infinite
God, in his love, wisdom and goodness is directing our lives.
If we really believe that God is love, then we cannot be too much
resigned to his divine will in our lives. We cannot rest too much
in the fact that he is directing our paths.
Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all thine
heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 6 In all thy
ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. 7 Be not
wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.
One of the worse evils we can do is to doubt
God's loving goodness toward those who to the best of
their knowledge are trusting in the Lord with all their
hearts.
We have trusted Christ to redeem us from our
rebellion against God in salvation. How foolish
of us to refuse to trust Christ in our daily walk to redeem us
from our rebellion against God. We lean to our own understanding
instead of trusting him and thanking him for daily conforming
us to the divine image of Christ our Creator.
It must be our settled purpose and intention of our hearts
that we will do nothing, plan nothing nor think anything but so
far as we have reason to believe it is the will of God.
Rejecting God's will for our own will is the worse of rebellions.
Gospel salvation restores man to willing
submission to all of God's designs for his life, which
is what Adam failed to do.
Worry and anxiety for the obedient child of God
is rebellion against God. We say then that a person can bereconciled
to God and at the same time hide in his heart rebellion
against God.
August 29, 1999
John 14:12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He
that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and
greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.
13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that
the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If ye shall ask any
thing in my name, I will do it.
Before his crucifixion, the Lord had promised his disciples that
in a little while, the world would see him no
more. (Jn. 14:19.) Christ was going back to the
Father
In John 16:7, they were told why he had to go
back:
Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that
I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto
you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.
The Holy Spirit could not come back until after Christ returned
to the Father. Then in John 14:20, we read, At
that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and
I in you.
We see that the Holy Spirit was to come to dwell
in God's people.
At times, we may think to ourselves how great it would have been
to live during the time of Christ. But here we see that Christ
told the apostles that there was a better and
higher way coming than his personal presence
with them. And we live in this time.
Acts 1: 5 For John truly baptized with water;
but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.
Christ told his disciples of the necessity of the outward teaching
of the word of God. He also told them of the necessity of being
guided by the inward working of the Spirit. He told them
of the necessity of being changedby the inward
workings of the Holy Spirit. In fact, Christ told his disciples
to wait at Jerusalem until they wouldreceive
the indwelling Holy Spirit, for they could do nothing
without that Spirit:
Acts 1:8, But ye shall receive power, after that
the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto
me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto
the uttermost part of the earth.
The disciples were told several times that the Lord Jesus had
to return to the Father so Christ could send back the
Spirit. They were told that only after receiving
the Spirit would they be proper witnesses in
the world. Only after receiving the Spirit could they live the
life required of them by God the Father.
One of the most resisted statements by the natural
man of all that Christ is the verse we have used several times:
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. (Jn.
15:5.)
We live in a day of self-esteem --- if you think
enough of yourself, you can do anything. Every enemy
of Christ has united in one
voice, saying, "YOU DON'T REALLY NEED THE LORD TO DO ANYTHING,
EXCEPT MAYBE TAKE YOU TO HEAVEN. EVERYTHING ELSE YOU CAN MAKE
IT ON YOUR OWN."
The religion of self also depends on human ability.
This religion of self is followed under the name
of Christianity. Because it goes under the name of Christianity,
it is more evil than was the Pharisees' religion
of Christ's day. The Pharisees did not claim
to be followers of Christ, as they depended upon their own knowledge
and abilitites.
Paul warned us:
2 Thessalonians 2:7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work:
only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the
way.
Within a very short time after Christ, Satan was already working
his mystery of iniquity. Satan was undermining
the truth spoken by Christ to his people:
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.
Those who look to any other source than the indwelling
Spirit for goodness, life, knowledge and direction in
this life are no better than the Pharisees of
Christ's day.
HOW DO WE DEPEND ON THE SOURCE OF THE INDWELLING SPIRIT TO DIRECT
US?
First, we must be familiar with God's
word. We MUST study to show ourselves
approved unto God.
We can profess with our last breath
that we want to follow the ways of the Lord and be led by his
Spirit, but if we are not seeking his ways through his word, our
profession is nothing but a lie, AND WE ARE DEPENDING
UPON OUR OWN HUMAN WISDOM AND UNDERSTANDING.
Second, we must humble ourselves
--- we must admit to ourselves and to God that we do not have
the proper knowledge and wisdom and strenght to see us through
this life.
Third, we msut have frequent prayer.
In this prayer, we must actively seek the Spirit's
guidance in our lives.
In our spirit and by an act of our own will,
we must resist any wisdom, knowledge and direction
that does not come by the way of the work of Christ and his Holy
Spirit.
WE MUST CHOSE which way we desire to go, and who we want to lead
us SELF or GOD'S SPIRIT. And that choice must be made known by
us to the Lord and to the enemy of our souls.
These three simple things will allow the Spirit of God to direct
our paths and transform our lives.
To here, 8/29/99.
January 9, 2000
John 15:4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch
cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more
can ye, except ye abide in me. 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.
A religion that does not transform the life from
the inside out is not the Christian religion.
A religion that must do the things that are pleasing to God simply
because one feels under a social pressure
to do so is not Christianity. It is the indwelling
Spirit that changes a person's desires, and then presses him to
change into the image of Christ from the inside.
And according to Paul's warning, Satan is busy substituting
his religion of self for Christ. What do I mean?
A person can have the entire Scriptures memorized;
he can have unbounded zeal for the Lord, and
evenpreach great sermons. The problem is that
he is doing it according to human strength, wisdom
and goodness, and not according to God's Spirit.
Christ said, without me ye can do nothing:
Without me ye can do nothing means total reliance upon
the Holy Spirit for every thought, word and deed through us as
members of his body.Without me ye can do nothing
means the word of God living through us.Without me ye
can do nothing means the word of God establishing the
standards for our lives, and us living by those standards.
Paul said it like this:
Galatians 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless
I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which
I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God,
who loved me, and gave himself for me.
I am crucified with Christ means that the we
die our personal wants and desires. Those wants
and desires are replaced with the wants and desires that God has
for us.
God's divine purpose of salvation is to form us into
the image of our Creator.Faith in Christ, or conversion
and reconciliation, means our attitude
toward God is CONVERTED.Conversion means that we have trusted
Christ to redeem us from our rebellion
against God in salvation.Conversion means that we now
trust Christ in our daily walk to redeem us from our rebellion
against God.Conversion restores man to willing submission
to God's daily guidance of his life.Conversion means that we no
longer lean to our own understanding.Conversion means that we
trust him and thank him for daily conforming us to the divine
image of Christ our Creator.Conversion means that we can honestly
say, "Nevertheless, not my will, but thy will be
done on earth and in my heart as it is done in heaven."
Conversion means that the primary purpose and intention
of our hearts is to do nothing, plan nothing nor think anything
but so far as we have reason to believe it is the will of God.
We have no other purpose in life but to do what God would have
us to do, and to be what God wants us to be.
Rejecting God's will for our own will is rebellion
of the worse kind. Gospel salvation restores
man to willing submission to all of God's designs
for his life, which is what Adam failed to do
LET ME THROW THIS IN HERE: Worry and anxiety
for the obedient child of God is rebellion against God. Worry
and anxiety says that a person can be reconciled to
God and at the same time hide in his heart rebellion against God.
Paul goes on to say, Nevertheless I live by the faith
of the son of God. This means that we have laid aside
our own desires and wants, we now intend to do only what he wants
us to do.
When we conquer our rebellion against God, and
live the best we can according to the indwelling Word of God,
we can say with Paul, I can do all things through Christ which
strengtheneth me. (Philip. 4:13.) When we try to claim that promise
apart from dieing to our own personal wants and
desires, we are in sin.
Paul also tells us that the old creature cannot
be a proper witness of Christ. We must be a NEW CREATURE IN CHRIST
before he can bear proper witness of Christ.
2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in
Christ, he is a new creature: old things are
passed away; behold, all things are become new. Ephesians
2:10 For we are his workmanship, created
in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained
that we should walk in them.
These passages tell us that the same power that
created man is needed to redeem man.These passages
tell us that the same power that created man is needed by man
to live his life pleasing to God.These passages
tell us that the new creation work continues
on as we go day by day; it is a continuing processthat
is carried on by the Spirit of God in us. Christians are God's
new nation; Christians are God's new
humanity; Christians are God's new creation,
which replaces the old, fallen creation.
We are to grow as Christians.
2 Peter 3:18 But grow in grace, and in the knowledge
of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now
and for ever. Amen.
1) 1 Corinthians 10:31 Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or
whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.
The desire of our heart must be to live unto God
in all we think, say and do. We must bring our whole life
into subjection to his revealed will. If Christianity
has not changed a person in his ordinary course and conduct of
life, that person does not have Christ in him, his hope of glory.
Final figures for 1995 show that organized religion in America
is at a ten-year high mark, as measured by a Gallup measurement
of eight key religious beliefs and practices. Despite this finding,
many other studies indicate that morality is losing ground. Teen
pregnancy, drug abuse, and juvenile crime rates are among the
highest in the industrialized world. Gallup surveys show that
Americans are more concerned about morality and ethics in the
nation than at any other time in six decades of polling. Emerging
Trends (6/96) suggests two possible explanations of this paradox:
attachment to religion is wide but shallow, or the impact of religion
has kept morality from becoming far worse than it might be. (What
in the World. Bob Jones University, V. 26, N. 3. Modern Christianity
has been described as 20 miles wide and ½ inch deep. Ed.)
An atheist or a Sodomite can sing and pray like a Christian.
2) Luke 9:23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after
me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow
me.
We must moment by moment resist the temptation
to be like the world; we are to differ in every desire
and way of life from the spirit of the world.
Note John 17:18 & 15. Christ sends US into
the world, and he prays for us that we will not become
like the world. Our music is different
(Opposite of the news Aug 28, was the Time-Life Country
Classics. I had to resist the temptation to order them);
our goals are different; our
actions and words are different. We are to live
in subjection to God through his Spirit and his word.
A report on Charisma News Service (6/30/99) opened, "Can't
make it to church on Sunday morning? Try worshipping God at the
nearest nightclub. That's what lots of young people are doing
in North Carolina." Christian nightclubs, which allow young
people to socialize without the presence of alcohol and smoke,
are a novelty but growing in popularity. The clubs usually feature
Christian rock music, and some allow dancing. One patron of Cathy's
Christian Cabaret said, "The good thing about this club is
you can come here and hear all kinds of Christian music--heavy
rock, contemporary, and alternative--and you get to praise and
worship" (Foundation, 7-8/99). (What in the World. Bob Jones
University, v. 26, N. 4.)
We must joyfully bear injuries and insults for Christ. We are
to forgive and bless our enemies, and love all men as God loves
them.
3) Galatians 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live;
yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live
in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved
me, and gave himself for me.
God's people are called upon to live a supernatural life. It is
a life that must be lived in the power of God's Spirit.
HOW DO WE DEPEND ON THE SOURCE OF THE INDWELLING SPIRIT TO DIRECT
US?
First, we must be familiar with God's
word. We MUST study to show ourselves
approved unto God.
We can profess with our last breath
that we want to follow the ways of the Lord and be led by his
Spirit, but if we are not seeking his ways through his word, our
profession is nothing but a lie, AND WE ARE DEPENDING
UPON OUR OWN HUMAN WISDOM AND UNDERSTANDING.
Second, we must humble ourselves
--- we must admit to ourselves and to God that we do not have
the proper knowledge and wisdom and strength to see us through
this life.
Third, we must have frequent prayer.
In this prayer, we must actively seek the Spirit's
guidance in our lives.
In our spirit and by an act of our own will,
we must resist any wisdom, knowledge and direction
that does not come by the way of the work of Christ and his Holy
Spirit.
WE MUST CHOSE which way we desire to go, and who we want to lead
us SELF or GOD'S SPIRIT. And that choice must be made known by
us to the Lord and to the enemy of our souls.
These three simple things will allow the Spirit of God to direct
our paths and transform our lives.
END
1/16/2000
2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a
new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are
become new.
Ephesians 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus
unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should
walk in them.
The doctrine of the necessity of the new creature
means that no one can know the truth of Salvation by just amere
rational consent to what is historically said about Christ.
Only the inward experience of his Cross, his death, burial and
resurrection can give salvation to the whole nature of man, as
promised by Christ. Any one who hopes in salvation because they
with their intellect acknowledged who Christ
is and what he did has no more hope for salvation than if they
served an idol.
The problem with the religious leaders of Christ's day was that
they were sure of eternal life based upon their knowledge of the
Scriptures, and not based upon Christ. When Christ told them there
was no way to the Heavenly Father except through him, they put
him to death.
Though one might be able to quote the Bible in
its entirety, and though someone might have a zeal
for the Lord that impresses the devil himself, if his knowledge
and zeal is not based in that personal, spiritual
experience with the Lord, he has no more than what the Jews of
Christ's day had. It is Christ in us that gives
the spiritual power to do what he commands. It is Christ in us
that makes us a new creature. Salvation is the
life of Christ inhis people; salvation
is not simply knowledge about him nor zeal
for him.
Examples:
I COULD NOT tell you of the number of people
I have met who have an excellent knowledge of
the Scripture and have a good zeal for God, but
after talking with them, one can tell that they have never
understood the work of Christ in their place AND the
absolute necessity of trusting him to pay their
sin debts in their place. They have no more than what the religions
leaders had in Christ's day.
Then we have what can be called the religion of self.
I have also met people whom are no doubt Christians,
yet upon being around them long, I can tell they are not depending
upon the Spirit of God to direct them into all truth according
to God's word. Rather, they are depending upon what they have
read, or heard or have been taught by others. Obviously, there
is nothing wrong with obtaining the best education possible, but
when one starts depending upon that education rather than upon
the Lord, they have established another god.
The life of Christ in and through his people is not only being
borne again of the Spirit of God and Christ in us, but it includes
constant meditation upon and simple acceptance of all that the
Bible says to us. The Bible must be reverenced as doing all that
words can do to bring us to God -- that is, to point the way to
God and how to please him. But life is not in those printed words.
Life is in the Holy Spirit's work in our heart:
1 Corinthians 4:20 For the kingdom of God is not in word, but
in power.
There are many who foolishly attribute power to the words of Scripture
when the Scripture plainly tells us that life is a work of the
Spirit of God. They profess a sound doctrinal understanding of
the words of Scripture, yet they reject the very work of the Spirit
in their hearts demanded by the very Scriptures they defend.
An intellectual learning of Scriptural words can do no more toward
eternal life and conquering the fallen nature than can good knowledge
of math or literature:
1 Corinthians 2:11 For what man knoweth the things of a man, save
the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth
no man, but the Spirit of God.
Knowledge of the word of God is necessary, but that knowledge
will not change one's life -- that change can only come by inspiration
of the Holy Spirit.
We live in a day when a person (man or woman) is considered qualified
to spiritual leadership because he or she has finished a course
of prescribed religious education. Yet the Lord would not let
his Apostles start their ministry until they received his power
from on high:
Luke 24:49 And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you:
but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with
power from on high.
The churches' emphasis on knowledge has resulted in worshiping
learning rather than worshiping the Lord through his Spirit. It
has blinded men to the living reality of the gospel, and has reduced
the gospel to mere intellectual consent of some historic facts.
Illustration:
I have mentioned several times that the thing that got my attention
was the meeting we held in Steel, MO. The many people who based
their salvation upon the intellectual consent of the historical
fact of Christ.
One may be able to quote all of Paul by heart, but without the
work of the indwelling Spirit, they are as dead as the lost drunk
in his SUV.
2 Corinthians 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.
Judas Iscariot knew Jesus Christ; he knew all the words he said
from the beginning of his ministry to his crucifixion. He knew
what it was like to be present at the Lord's table and eat with
Christ himself. Yet all his knowledge about Christ was as useless
to him as was Pilate's or Barabbas'
Matthew 16:16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the
Christ, the Son of the living God. 17 And Jesus answered and said
unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood
hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
Here we see that Simon Peter confessed the same thing as Judas
knew, but Simon Peter made the confession under Divine inspiration.
Paul put it this way:
1 Corinthians 15:50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood
cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit
incorruption.
Flesh and blood can say, " Hail, master" and kiss him
(Judas, Mat. 26:49), but no one can savingly call Jesus Lord apart
from the Holy Spirit. Let me offer proof of the poor power of
mere words to save.
Church buildings are filled with people singing of their love
for Jesus, calling him Lord with their lips and standing up and
publically testifying of their love for him. Yet throughout the
week they deny him with their thoughts, words and actions.
I have found among preachers many times that
men are more concerned that others have the right doctrinal understanding
of the secret things of the Lord than concern with the reality
of daily Christian living. Calling Jesus Lord is more than mere
words -- it is a daily reality of the gospel message at work in
our lives. We call Jesus Lord as we do the things that he says:
Luke 6:45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth
forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure
of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance
of the heart his mouth speaketh. 46 And why call ye me, Lord,
Lord, and do not the things which I say?
We are living in an age where empty, powerless knowledge of Scriptural
words has replaced the power of the Holy Spirit. No matter by
what name we call that powerless knowledge of the Scripture, it
is no more a part of the gospel nor will it influence man toward
heaven and godliness than will a similar learned knowledge of
secular history.
In fact, one can be so proud of his doctrinal soundness and zeal
of his knowledge of Scripture, that the Holy Spirit cannot convict
him of his unscriptural life.
I have met more than one person so zealous of particular
Scriptural doctrines or their knowledge of Scripture that it was
impossible to even mention to them their unscriptural life.
People feel they have an assurance of heaven because they have
the right words and maybe a zeal for sound doctrine. It would
seem to me that this faith or trust in zeal and Bible knowledge
has led the church into the same mess Adam got into when he ate
of the tree of knowledge. People are exalted because they have
sound doctrine, not because they have the sound life with the
fruits of the Spirit evident in their daily living.
And thus Satan has many of his servants elevated into places of
Christian leadership. These people profess to be followers of
Paul, but to them the gospel is no more than a play on words,
and they are always looking for new ways to present those words.
They see no need of a daily walk with God, and daily humbling
themselves before God for his daily power. The kingdom of God
has become to them a matter of sound doctrine rather than practical
righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
John 5:39 Search the scriptures; for in them
ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify
of me. 40 And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.
Certainly, it is commendable to have a sound knowledge of Scripture,
but that knowledge will not give life to anyone today any more
than it did to the Pharisees of Christ's day. The Scriptures only
point to the source of life, the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ.
I suppose you could call me a "Sovereign Grace" preacher.
And I now people who know about and love to hear about Election,
predestination, Divine Sovereignty, Sovereign Grace and many other
"Doctrines of Grace." And I love to hear them also.
But I wonder how many of those same people are depending upon
their love for those doctrines and their sound knowledge of Scripture
to see them to heaven, and they have never experienced being born
again from above?