The Word of Life

Philippians 2:14-16 “Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain.”

You may have heard before that the Bible is always the best commentary on itself—especially when the word or phrase is not frequent. I read that the term, “the word of life” is only used twice and might be interpreted in various ways without this qualifier: 

1 John 1:1-3 “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life—the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us—that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.”

One commentary states that in the context of Philippians 2, the emphasis is obviously on the person and work of our Lord Jesus. We who bear His name are His “sons” or "daughters" and are charged with the responsibility of being “lights” to a world that is steeped in darkness. The light that we shine is the word of life—and that is, according to the Scriptures, the person and work of Jesus Christ.

Matthew 5:14-16 “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

 

Thus, the word of life must certainly involve who Christ is (Creator, Lord, incarnate Word, King) as well as the “glorious gospel” of salvation by grace through faith. The Commentator declares that, charged with the responsibility of “holding fast the word of life,” we are to be “the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God”. Thus, we should be well-versed in the written Word of the Holy Bible, since Jesus specifically said in John 5:39: “Search the Scriptures . . . they are they which testify of me”.

John 8:12 Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”

Ultimately, of course, our “light” comes from “the Light.” Since we have been delivered “from the power of darkness” by our Lord’s substitutionary atonement, we who “were sometimes darkness” are now “light in the Lord: walk as children of light” –Ephesians

5:8. 

Blessings by the Light, to be a light for all the world in darkness to see the Word of Life.

Blessed to Fear the Lord – Part 2

Continuing Pastor Kyle's Father's Day message, he gave us five evidences of God’s blessing for us over a lifetime. (1) A joyful spirit. The state of being fatherless produces the feelings of uneasiness and unsafe. We have a heavenly Father to always look at first for true joy. This fruit of the Spirit type joy was never intended to come from another human, and cannot, because it comes through the Divine shelter of God. (2) A hard-working spirit. Enjoy the blessings of the fruit of your labor. All “want”, but only those who walk in the spirit, aligned with the Spirit, with joy produce and yield true blessings. We must taking time also to examine and assess our efforts and walk in order to turn around on dead-end side-paths, ignore unproductive distractions and temptations, train our focus on godly production and progress.

Proverbs 9:10 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”

The third evidence that Pastor Kyle gave us of God’s blessing for us over a lifetime was

(3) A desire to help those closest to you grow and flourish. Be sure that the people nearest and dearest to us get our best. Think about what you can do right now to help someone intimate in relationship with you to thrive. But, we must always remember that we all have “freewill” given to us by God, so others will choose to either accept or reject our loving and hospitable intentions. (4) A consistent track record of blessing one’s spiritual community and church. Support of the body of Christ financially and physically by your time and talents blesses the corporate church by allowing it to prosper in the service of the Lord to the entire community and advance the kingdom of Heaven. Tithes to the church and its work, plus offerings above and beyond meet the godly needs of others that we may or may not see, but is the call of ministry, ministering to the community and the lost and dying world with the light of Christ.  

Philippians 2:1-2 “Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded,

having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind.”

(5) A longing for future generations to know, love and serve Jesus as Savior and Lord. Be a vital part of future generations, that they may walk in the ways of the lord, their God. Know God and make Him known through the sharing and witnessing to the gospel of Salvation through the life, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ, sent by the Father to seek and save the lost sinner with forgiveness and redemption unto eternal life in heaven via the atoning sacrifice on the cross that paid the price in our behalf. We need to have a longing for this and not take our salvation for granted. But, also soften our hearts and live for Christ. 

Colossians 3:23-24 “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, 24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”

God is  more interested in our character and attitude, knowing that the true rewards come from Jesus Christ, than our actual work. Father God looks at the heart and blesses everyone who truly and sincerely fears the Lord.

In Christ, Brian

Blessed to Fear the Lord – Part 1

Psalm 128:1-4 “Blessed are all who fear the Lord, who walk in obedience to him. You will eat the fruit of your labor; blessings and prosperity will be yours. Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table. Yes, this will be the blessing for the man who fears the Lord.”

A couple Sunday ago, Pastor Kyle preached a Father’s Day sermon on Psalm 128 that more than wealth and prosperity is found in reverence, obedience and giving to the Lord; to lovingly walk in His holy Word, Will and Way; making the choice of faith and family together. Noah Webster, in his 1828 Webster’s dictionary defined the word “fear” as: In scripture, fear is used to express a filial or a slavish passion. In good men, the fear of God is a holy awe or reverence of God and his laws, which springs from a just view and real love of the divine character, leading the subjects of it to hate and shun every thing that can offend such a holy being, and inclining them to aim at perfect obedience. This is filial fear. The worship of God. The law and word of God. Reverence; respect; due regard. Slavish fear is the effect or consequence of guilt; it is the painful apprehension of merited punishment. The love of God casts out fear. 1John 4. The most powerful gift a father can give his family is the fear and obey the Lord, their God. The family will follow.

Deuteronomy 6:4-7 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord

 your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.”

Run towards the shelter of God in the storms of life and troubling times. For Proverbs 18:10 says that, “The name of the Lord is a fortified tower; the righteousrun to it and are safe.” Fathers must shelter their family and run to God, who will comfort them. The Lord God Almighty promises us a safe haven. Shelter naturally produces the feeling of safety and peace. The things of God cultivate a joyful life, sheltered by God’s favor and protection. Isaiah 25:4  tells us, “You have been a refuge for the poor, a refuge for the needy in their distress, a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat.”

Psalm 1:1-3 “Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers.”

Let’s continue Pastor Kyle’s excellent Father’s Day message in the next post.

In Christ, Brian

When Human "Rights" = Godly Wrongs

This week, Michael writes: Critics of the church say that it's the only army that shoots its wounded. We're here to refute that charge. Jesus Christ is the one who reconciles, not estranges. To reconcile with our brothers and sisters in the Lord, we must meet each other at the foot of the atoning cross of Jesus Christ.  For there is one God and one mediator between man and God the man Christ Jesus.  We have been given the gift of salvation by grace through faith. 

In America, we value our "inalienable rights."  Americans esteem the "pursuit of happiness and the self-made individual." The secular world's code says, "it's all about me and it’s all about “I”."  However, the holy Scriptures say that pride goes before a fall.Jesus said, “love not the things of this world”. The first of the Ten Commandments says, “Thou shalt have no other gods between your face and God's face.” The would be spiritual adultery. 

We inherited our selfish and prideful nature from the sin of our original father Adam. The sin nature asks "what's in it for me?"  To approach God’s throne of grace, we must forsake our pride. We must surrender our self-centeredness and acknowledge that "in my flesh dwelleth no good thing." For if we walk in the light as He is in the light, the blood of Christ will cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  Abiding with Christ in the Holy Spirit produces the fruit of the Spirit.

According to 2 Timothy 2:22-26, we're reminded about the divisions, factions, and contentions of this world.  When the culture says that selfishness is a virtue, there is no reconciliation. The devil's tactic is to divide and conquer. It’s working too. Political factions as well as marriages are divided by "irreconcilable differences."  Nations rise up against nations and there will be wars and rumors of wars. These are signs of the last days when the devil runs rampant and controls the pride of distracted men and women.

A disciple of the kingdom of heaven is a disciplined follower of the Lord Jesus Christ, who walks according to the spirit of life in Christ. To oppose the devil's doctrines of this world, 2 Timothy 2:22-26 says: “But foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do gender strifes. And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.” The challenge is to live according to the standards that God gave us in Christ.  This is a gentle and a loving power.  

The Lord's voluntary bond-servant must not be quarrelsome but gentle to all men and women, apt to teach and always patient. Jesus had said, “bless them that persecute you, go the second mile, and turn the other cheek. Pursue the kingdom of God and his righteousness.  Blessed are they when men shall revile you and persecute you and say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake, for great is your reward in heaven.”

The devil will appeal to our pride because it is our “weak spot”.  He will provoke our so-called “righteous indignation”, when we believe our rights" are violated.  However, human rights are often godly wrongs. The antidote to pride is the love of God.  Love covers a multitude of sins. Couples must love each other according to the love of God when the devil attempts to separate their hearts.  God calls his people to instruct with meekness those who oppose themselves. Meekness acknowledges that God is in control, not us. Repentance means to turn from our selfish pride and to acknowledge the truth of the Word of God. The knowledge of the Bible will recover them from the snare of the devil.  

The devil will tempt us to look at others with judgement and condemnation. However, our calling is to love with the love of God. The love of God is not focused on evil. It keeps no record of wrongs done. The love of God bears all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things and endureth all things.  Love never fails.

Jesus himself, humbled Himself under the mighty hand of God. Christ was on mission. He took upon himself the form of a servant and became obedient unto death upon the cross.  He for the joy that was set before him endured the cross and is set upon the right hand of the throne of God.... That we may know him and the fellowship of his suffering...  For I was crucified with Christ.  Nevertheless I live, yet not I but Christ liveth in me and the life that I now live I live by faith in the son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. Sin kills eternally, but Christ saves eternally. 

We may not understand the trials of life, but we know that God's in control and not me.  For His thoughts are higher than our thoughts and his ways than our ways.  Almighty God has a plan and working it out in this world. As the apostle Paul said, "thy strength is made perfect in my weakness, thy grace is sufficient for me."  Where sin abounds, grace abounds all the more.  God works all things for good ... He's a good, good Father.  Focus on that fact.

May we live our lives to the praise of the glory of His grace,

Your brother in Christ, Michael

The Indwelling Spirit of God

 

Romans 8:9 “You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to Him.”

Many times, while I go on vacation, I take a short Bible Study as a daily devotional time. This little study of Romans chapter 8 has been a real thought-provoking lesson for me. Paul is a complex thinker, and his arguments often hold together several complementary truths without necessarily mentioning each of them specifically. One example of this is the Apostle’s discussion of life in the flesh and life in the Spirit. I hope that you are being blessed as much as I am through this great little study.

Galatians 5:16 “Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.”

The lesson points out that due to Paul’s teaching on our need to walk in the Spirit so as not to gratify the desires of the flesh, we often think of living in the Spirit in purely subjective terms. We conceive of such life as pertaining only to what the Holy Spirit does in us as we follow Him in our sanctification (growing into the likeness of Christ). Yet the subjective experience of living according to the Spirit—while true and important—is not all that Paul has in mind when he talks about living in the Spirit.

In other words, there is an objective reality to life in the Spirit. The age of the Spirit is characterized by freedom from sin’s power, and peace with God via the imputation of Christ’s righteousness. It is not that the believers who lived before Christ did not have access to these things. They did, though not with the same knowledge and fullness that we do. As such, the old covenant saints were really citizens of the new age of the Spirit who lived, as it were, outside of the actual time that they walked the earth. They walked the earth before the ministry of Christ, but they really belonged to the era of the Spirit in which we live. In any case, there has been a decisive change with the coming of Christ. The kingdom of God has been inaugurated, and the old era of sin and death is passing away as the new era of the Spirit becomes ever more present through the growth of the kingdom. When Paul says we are in the Spirit, He often means that we have been brought into the new era of life and peace, that we enjoy the objective reality of justification (just as if we had never sinned) and a righteous status before the Lord.

Romans 3:22-24 “This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”

The study stated, as noted above, life in the Spirit also has a subjective dimension. Once we lived in the flesh, being controlled by all that is against God, and could not please Him. However, because we have been transferred into the new era of the Spirit, we have received the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. The Apostle assures us that if we have trusted in Christ, we have the Spirit, and our possession of the Spirit proves that we belong to Jesus (Romans 8:9 above). This Bible verse helps us to understand that there is no such thing as a Christian who does not possess the Holy Spirit. To belong to Christ Jesus is to possess His Spirit, so if you have believed and rested in Christ alone for salvation, the Holy Spirit does indwell you, and He is at work in your life. Let us remember this always, that we may be confident that the Spirit is working in and through us even when it is hard for us to see or feel it.

Blessings in the Father, Son and Holy Spirit

THE MIND SET ON THE FLESH

 

Romans 8:7-8“The mind that is set on the [sinful] flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.”

I was continuing in my short study of Romans chapter 8 and the lesson states that Paul’s focus can be summed up as “life in the Spirit,” as the chapter continually emphasizes the work of the Holy Spirit in the one who has trusted in Christ alone for salvation. Among the greatest privileges Christians experience is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, and it is by the Spirit alone that believers in Christ as Savior and Lord grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ. Unbelievers do not have the Spirit, nor know or experience this blessing. 

The lesson continues that because the Holy Spirit dwells within us, we presently enjoy the life of the heavenly world to come. They will consider this more in a few days when we study Romans 8:10–11. Today, they are in verses 7–8, which illustrate the reality of life in the Spirit by way of a contrast, explaining to us why those who live in the sinful flesh cannot enjoy “true life” either now or in the age to come. 

First, we must note that while there is a sense in which Christians can live in the flesh—according to the remnants of the fallen human nature that still plague us this side of eternity—believers do not set their minds on the flesh the way that unbelieving and therefore unregenerate people do. By no means are we downplaying the difficulty of ongoing sin in the believer’s life. Christians can even fall into grievous sin, and we must never think that there is any transgression that we are above committing. Scripture shows us that true believers can murder, commit adultery, and even deny Christ. Nevertheless, there is a change that happens upon conversion that means we are no longer in the flesh. We sin and grieve the Spirit, but the true believer in Jesus never finds lasting satisfaction in doing so. Christians may fall, but they get up again, repent, submit to and follow Jesus, walking in the Spirit. Christians are not controlled by the mindset of the flesh, for if we were, we could not persevere in faith, and perseverance in faith is granted to all who are justified in Christ. 

The unconverted—those who set their minds on the flesh—cannot experience true life

either now or in the age to come. Fleshly minds do not submit to the law of God (Rom. 8:7 above). In fact, they do all they can to suppress it and its conviction. Moreover, the mind set on the flesh is hostile to God. It cannot please the Lord in any sense. It wants nothing to do with God and—in the supreme display of irrationality—causes a person to hate God so much that he would rather suffer in hell than please the Lord in heaven. As long as people are in the flesh, they cannot please God in any way (Rom. 8:8 above). This means that they [while rejecting God] cannot even make the choice to trust Christ, a choice that is indeed pleasing to the Lord, for to trust in Jesus alone for salvation is to give up our rejection of God and His standards. Because of our fallenness to the sin nature, God must give us faith in Jesus if we are to believe. Our faith is a gift of God.

Ephesians 2:8-9 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.”

In his commentary Romans, John Murray says that to be hostile to God “is nothing other than total depravity and ‘cannot please God’ is nothing less than total inability.” On our own in the sinful desires of the flesh, we are so hostile to God that we would have nothing to do with Him. If He were merely to knock at the doors of our hearts, it would not be enough. To save us, He must crash through the door, for we would never invite Him in otherwise. Only then will our eyes be open and we open the door to Christ as Savior and Lord. My old mentor Bill Giles always said, "You cannot know what you are saved to, until you first know what you have been saved from." The sinful desires of the flesh which leads to spiritual death introduced by original sin and continues until glory is what we are saved from by God through His holy plan of Salvation through the blessed Redeemer Jesus Christ. Amen.

Focus on the Father

Revelation 4:1-11 After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and ruby. A rainbow that shone like an emerald encircled the throne. Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads. From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. In front of the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God. Also, in front of the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal. In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back. The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle. Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under its wings. Day and night they never stop saying: “‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,’ who was, and is, and is to come.” Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say: “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.”

This morning, I attended the Sunday Worship service at Little Church in the Pines at Bass Lake with my father. Pastor Herk spoke of how on the morning of Tuesday, September 11, 2001, a series of four coordinated terrorist attacks by 19 Islamic terrorists against the United States, which took the lives of over 3000 Americans (including over 300 police and firefighters). The nation was shocked and needed someone who understood our enemy and had a plan to over them. Pastor Herk explained that this is the same message of Revelation 4 (above). Note that in showing what must take place, instead of the horrors of this fallen world, the Apostle John is taken to God’s throne room to see the glory. This is an inspiring example of how to praise God.

1 John 4:3-4 “Every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world. You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.”

But, why visit the throne room of heaven instead of the battle between good and evil. Because, that is where we need to begin. Do not focus on the distractions of the fearful and scary things in life, which tends to be an easy thing to do. Those things produce fear and can cause us to live afraid. Note that when issues like “666” and the “Mark of the Beast”, it is the Lord telling us in order to be aware; not for our fear or paranoia. Doom and gloom is not the goal. We need to focus our attention on the awesome heavenly kingdom that is worshipping and praising God, who is worthy. Why? Because there is power and assurance in the Almighty Sovereign Creator and Lord.

John 16:33“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

We are going to have problems and tragedies this side of heaven, but we need to take heart that the Lord has overcome this fallen world and there is peace in that truth. Revelation chapter Four explains how to overcome: Do what they are doing. Our attention is to be centered on the kingdom of Heaven, where our citizenship abides, where our Almighty Father reigns on His sovereign throne. Not on the tragedies and failures, but on the ever-present, all-knowing God of heaven and earth, who has the power, majesty and desire to always lift us up. God is worthy and God is with us.

Pastor Herk encourages us all to set your heart, mind and soul on the Lord, who has overcome the world. Focus on the Father. Do not rob yourself by not worshipping your holy Father in heaven. Our major source of power is worshipping and praising God’s power. In times of trouble, focus on the worship and the glory of the Lord, your God. “God is with us” equates to our peace. Fears subside and calm (even in the storm) settles in. grow in worship. God is with us. Are you with God?

In Christ, Brian  

Set Your Mind on the Spirit

 

Romans 8:5-6“Those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace”.

A study of the book of Romans chapter 8, is a study of the gospel truth in the Fall of Man by sin and God’s Plan of Salvation. As I continued reading through a short study of this enlightening and glorious chapter of the Holy Bible, they explained how humanity’s fundamental problem is its estrangement from God, which results in eternal death if it is not rectified. Romans 6:23 states, “For the wages of sin is death.” The study points out that condemnation is the only end for those who do not have their sins covered, but for those who have been justified in Christ, there is no condemnation. This state of being free from the Lord’s condemnation is permanent and perpetual—there is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus, for in Him we are set free from the law of sin and death.

1 John 5:12 “He who has the Son [by accepting Him as Lord and Savior] has the life [that is eternal]; he who does not have the Son of God [by personal faith] does not have the life.”

God secured this release by succeeding where His law failed. His law, while good in itself, cannot solve the problem of sin because it cannot give sinners what they need to be righteous before Him or free them from sin and death. Another way had to be found, one that is not dependent on our law-keeping and that does not arbitrarily set aside God’s standards. When the Lord condemned sin in the sinless flesh of His Son, He did what His law in the possession of sinful flesh could not do. Jesus satisfied the guilty conviction and sentence of the law in our behalf, so we need fear it no longer. He bore our penalty, and our holy and just Lord would never commit the great injustice of making those in Christ serve a sentence He had completed for us.

 

But the lesson points out that God did not only condemn sin in order that justice could be done in our salvation. He also provided, in Christ’s sacrificial atonement, a way for us to fulfill the law as we walk in the Spirit. The sense here is likely twofold. First, the law is fulfilled in us via imputation. The condemnation and elimination of our sin cleaned the slate, so to speak, for Christ’s righteousness to be imputed to us. Legally speaking, God sees us as law-keepers—He sees that His law has been fulfilled in us—because when He looks at us, He sees sinless Christ. Jesus provides in our justification the perfection that God requires to live in His presence, and this perfection can be credited to us only if we first admit that we cannot achieve it.

Romans 8:3-4 “For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”

The teaching declares that our walking in the Spirit is evidence that we have been justified, so we must also see Romans 8:4 as referring to an experiential fulfillment of the law in Christians. That is developed more in verses 5–6, where we see that setting our minds on the Spirit brings life and peace. In bearing the curse of God’s law, Christ provided for the Spirit of God to be poured out and to dwell in us. Since we have been counted righteous before the Lord in Christ, the Holy Spirit can live within us and empower us to set our minds continually on the Spirit, walk in the Spirit, and we enjoy His life and peace even now.

This lesson concludes that even though the Spirit of God provides us with real power to obey God now, that power does not perfect us in this life. Wherever the real fear of God is vigorous, it takes away from the flesh its sovereignty, though it does not abolish all its corruptions. We should have a realistic expectation of how far we will progress in the Spirit, but not a defeatist attitude. By faith and through the Spirit, we will grow in conformity to Christ. To set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.

Praise be to God

God Does What the Law Cannot

Romans 8:3“God has done what the law . . . could not do. By sending own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh.” 

Continuing in this short study in the eighth chapter of Romans, they state that even as Paul continues to unfold the marvelous benefits of the gospel, he never forgets what he has already said, and he seeks to make sure that we do not forget it either. In order to appreciate the consequences of the gospel appropriately, we must remember what God has done for us in Christ Jesus alone. The minute we forget that and try to serve God and enjoy the benefits of the gospel without a proper grounding in the gospel, our Christian lives will experience a downward spiral.

Ezekiel 18:4 “Behold, all souls are mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is mine: the soul who sins shall die.”

In the last post about Romans 8:1, the Apostle Paul reminds us that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ, and Romans 8:3 explains why we are not under condemnation. We are never to think that in forgiving us, the Lord simply waves away the just demands of His law and ignores the sentence that His law pronounces upon fallen people. That unrealistic way of thinking is called “easy believism”, not justice. God will never fail to condemn our sin—the only question is where this condemnation will take place. The reason we do not suffer God’s condemnation is not because He sets the condemnation aside; rather, it is because the condemnation does not take place in us, but in Jesus Christ. As the Apostle tells us, our Father “condemned sin in the flesh” of His Son. He did not set aside His law—He upheld it in Christ for our sake. In God’s Son, there is no condemnation for His people. There is condemnation for their sin, but it is condemned in Christ on the cross and removed. 

2 Corinthians 5:21 “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

In God’s plan of Salvation, it was because our Savior Jesus Christ came in the likeness of sinful flesh that this could be accomplished. Here the Apostle Paul is using the term “flesh” as a synonym for human nature as it was originally created and not as an identifier of those aspects of people that are opposed to God. To be the true mediator between God and human beings, the Son of God had to take on a human nature and live as a human being. His human nature is entirely in common with ours except for one thing—it never suffered the effects of the fall by sin. Christ is a true man, but He is said to have the likeness of sinful flesh because His flesh—His humanity—has never been tainted by sin. The early church father John Chrysostom writes, “Christ did not have sinful flesh but flesh which, though it was like ours by nature, was sinless. From this it is plain that flesh is not sinful by nature; when God created mankind and “it was good. It was not by taking on a different kind of flesh nor by changing ours into something different that Christ caused it to gain the victory over sin and death.” 

Blessed in Christ

No Condemnation in Christ

Romans 8:1–2“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.” 

In a short study of Romans 8:1-2 that I was reading, they stated that Romans 8:1 marks another significant turning point in Paul’s magisterial epistle to the church at Rome, and this verse gives one of the most marvelous and succinct statements of the gospel in Scripture: “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” There is no better news than this. Our greatest need is to come out from under the wrath and condemnation of our Creator, and this need is satisfied in Christ. 

John 3:35-36 “The Father (God) loves the Son (Christ), and has given all things into His hand. He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”

The study points out that this satisfaction is eternal—we will never be under the wrath of God again if we have truly trusted in Jesus alone. Its description of the permanent peace—the shalom—that Christ brings between the Lord and His people. The assurance of is not limited to the point of conversion, but, building on what happens when we move from being outside of Christ to being in Christ, it has a particular focus on justification as the entry point into the kingdom. However, Romans 8:1, while not limited to our life in Christ, builds on Paul’s description of the believer’s ongoing struggle against sin. Thus, 8:1 focuses on how the reality of our once-for- all justification continues to apply to and have bearing on our lives as Christians. God’s good law reveals our sin and drives us to Christ and to the decisive point of conversion. 

However, this use of the law—commonly known as the second use of the law—does not cease at conversion. Instead, God’s law continues to expose our sin, the weakness of our sinful flesh, and our desperate need for a Savior. It is at these points that we need to hear Romans 8:1 and be reminded that although we continue to fall short and cannot muster the perfect obedience needed to escape the wrath of God, the Lord condemns us no longer if we are in Christ. When we stumble in our sanctification by sinning, Romans 8:1 reminds us that our righteous standing on Judgment Day is secure, for it does not rest in ourselves but in the perfect righteousness of Christ imputed to us in our justification.

Because we have been declared righteous in Christ, the Spirit of God also sets us free from “the law of sin and death” (Romans 8:2). Before we knew Christ, we could only sow to the flesh and reap eternal destruction. Now that we are in Christ, we sow to the Spirit and reap eternal life (Galatians 6:8–9). By our sanctification and through the Holy Spirit, God prepares us for the eternal life that is guaranteed by our justification and grants us a taste of that eternal life in the here and now. This is the gospel truth.

As we strive to obey God and walk in the Spirit, we will find ourselves falling short. It is at those points that we must remember that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Our sins and failures do not move the Lord to give up on us or to cast us out of the kingdom, for we are secure in Christ. Secure in Christ, we live a life of faith and repentance, continually serving the Lord and putting sin to death. 

Blessed in Christ

Targeting Pride

Proverbs 16:18"Pride goes before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall." 

This week, Michael writes: The secular world's code is rooted in pride. Egotism says that individual self-interest is the right motive for every action. What are the characteristics of a prideful heart? One indication is that when there's an opportunity to help others, a prideful person will ask themselves, "What's in it for me?"  Egotism says, "It's all about me." Pride will not allow confession of sin. If the “gospel message” starts with acknowledging that I'm a sinner in need of a savior, a narcissist thinks, "that doesn't apply to me." A selfish person has a stubborn insistence on having things their own way. Pride produces a heart motivated by fear that our Rights will be violated. Oswald Chambers said, "Any fool can claim his Rights and any demon will make sure they get them."  

Pride rationalizes behavior without sorrow for committing wrong. It is just the ways and means to achieving the goal fir the egocentric individual. Pride and fear produces a mentality that says, "I must be in control."  When you are task/control oriented, you lose your ability to live to serve others from a heart of love. How do you prioritize loving and serving? If you say that you love your Lord Jesus Christ and don't love your wife or your brother in Christ, how can you say that you love Christ?  

2 Timothy 2:22says, "Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity (the love of God), peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.”

 

Youthful lusts say, "It's all about me. I want what I want and I want it now." The devil will divide and conquer. The devil uses factions and differences to turn God's people against themselves. Instead of youthful lusts follow after righteousness. The solution for overcoming pride is in the next three verses:

2 Timothy 2:22-26“But foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do gender strifes. And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; and that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.”

According to verse 23, we are to refuse foolish and ignorant speculations. In an argument someone is upset, but neither party ever has all the facts. Pride blinds us from seeing the other side of the issue. The devil is the accuser and the deceiver. In the midst of a dispute, the devil will have his way with us if we consider "foolish and unlearned questions." If you believe the other person's accusations, you'll be acutely sensitive and offended. However, the holy Scripture says to refuse ignorant and foolish speculations. Jesus would not give himself to his accusers because He "knew what was in the heart of man."  

Sometimes our prayer should be, "God, please send someone into my life to rebuke me."  According to Hebrews 12:5-6, “My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him:  For whom the Lord loves he chastens, and scourges every son whom he receives.”  Like a loving Father, God will correct us when we stray. To correct is to restore to an upright position. Our Heavenly Father knows that we are but dust. After, He is our Maker. He knows that we will not always live up to the vows that we have taken because of sin. God says, "My strength is made perfect in thy weakness, my grace is sufficient for thee." The love of God is patient when wronged. Our heavenly Father is a God of love, grace and mercy. The way to heaven is paved with grace. If you don't know the grace of God, then you can't give grace to others. Some people make others happy when they come to see them.  Some people make others happy when they leave. What kind of person are you? 

Proverbs 3:3-4 says, “Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart:  So shalt thou find favor and good understanding in the sight of God and man.”

Reconciliation means that I must confess my sin in the process. This will build and reconcile the relationship. 1 John 1:9 says, "if we confess our sin, he is faithful and just forgive us our sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness." The context of this verse says, "If we walk in the light as he is in the light, we will have fellowship one with another and the blood of Jesus Christ will cleanse us from all sin." Those in our sphere of influence will escape the snare of the devil when we instruct in meekness those who oppose themselves. It's not the wrath of God that calls them to repentance but rather the loving kindness, grace, and mercy of our loving Heavenly Father. Target selfish pride for eradication.

May we ever live to the praise of the glory of his grace,

Your brother in Christ, Michael

God Will Make a Way – Part Two

2 Peter 3:9 “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”

Continuing Pastor Kyle’s message: The third thing to know about how God paves the path to our miracle is that God may occasionally ask us to interact and work with people we do not like, using methods we may not understand along the way.  We need to be open and usher in the environment where the Spirit can supernatural move, working towards a common goal with a common enemy. 1 Corinthians 12 says: “Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit.” The fourth thing to know is that victory may come through a path we did not see coming. No human being can take credit for our miracle-producing God’s handiwork. Are you waiting on a miracle?

Pastor presented three things to remember as we wait on our miracle. First, waiting on the Lord is an active process. Exodus 14:14 tells us, “The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” Patience is a virtue and obediently waiting involves a lot of effort. Deuteronomy 29:9 says, “Carefully follow the terms of this covenant, so that you may prosper in everything you do.” Know and stand upon the promises of God for your life.

Proverbs 3:3 instructs us to: “Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart.”

The second thing to remember is that worshipping in the midst of the battle gives us strength to get through it. The full armor of God, listed in Ephesians 6:10-18, provided defensive protection from the frontal attack when facing the enemy (the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms) because the Lord has our back. We are “able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm.” 2 Kings 17:39 explains, “Worship the Lord your God; it is he who will deliver you from the hand of all your enemies.” We never stand alone.

Joshua 24:14 “Now fear the Lord and serve Him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped … and serve the Lord.”

The third thing to remember is that when the future is unclear, we should must stay close to the instructions that we already have. Not if, but when, times of confusion come, stay connected to the Lord. Proverbs 4:27 proclaims, “Do not turn to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.” How you do that is by keeping your eyes upon Jesus at the foot of the cross, obedient to His holy Word, Will and Way, and walking with the Spirit daily. Trust God to do things His perfect way. He is a way-making God. Let Almighty Father God do what God does, but keep doing what the child of God is supposed to do. The Lord will not put your pants on you; we must know and do our part, once God makes a way.

1 Corinthians 15:55-57 “O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?” The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

In Christ, Brian

God Makes a Way - Part One

Luke 1:37 “For with God nothing will be impossible.”

Just the other Sunday, Pastor Kyle preached about the provision of God in our Christian walk. You may have heard the old saying: When doors get shut in our life, God opens windows. But even more spectacular, opens doors that cannot be opened by His almighty hand. Life in this fallen world will surely have years in the proverbial desert with seemingly insurmountable obstacles where we ask: “what’s going on?” and “How long Lord?” We can rest assured that God will pave a way through the desert for us. Remember that problems and trials test and mature us.

Romans 8:31-32 “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?”

Pastor Kyle listed four things for us to know about how God paves the path to our miracle. First, only a genuine relationship (not empty human religion) with God can get us to our miracle or through our obstacle. Be careful what you allow to enter your mind and heart. The great deceiver and enemy of the kingdom of heaven, the devil, come to steal, kill and destroy by distracting our senses off the Lord Jesus and sidetrack our time and walk with the Holy Spirit by way of lies that lead to sins of self-centered adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, addictions, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies,  envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, disobedience, covetousness, greed, envy, and the like.

Deuteronomy 20:4 “For the Lord your God is He who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.”

Be aware that there is spiritual war in this world. So, cultivate a genuine relationship with the One true God of the Bible and reject all other gods. Not just filling time with pious activities, but with an obedient life in true relationship. The reason that we fail, sometimes, is because we are not following Father God and we shouldn’t expect much when God is not with us. Secondly, sometimes it will feel like we’re not getting anywhere. Just going through the motions, even religious motions, without a faithful and authentic relationship with our Lord God is just spinning our wheels or going in circles.

Let’s continue Pastor Kyle’s message o the next post.

In Christ, Brian

Happy Father's Day 2018

Happy Father’s Day

Some talented members of our church in Anaheim California wrote lyrics and music, recorded the song, filmed and edited the (attached/below) video for this Sunday Service. Click the arrow below and enjoy. Happy and blessed Father's Day!

How Does your Garden Grow?

Galatians 5:22-25 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,  goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.”

Each month I receive a newsletter from the “Thru the Bible” ministry with a inspiring Christian message from the Founder Dr. J. Vernon McGee. This month they ask the very important question: How long have you known and walked with Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior? Have you heard the old saying: “It’s not the years your life that mater; it’s the life in your years that truly matter. Existential secular humanists  might take this old adage means live the finest, radical, exciting and self-gratifying life possible for as long as you can; never grow up and never grow old. But, Almighty God makes it clear in His holy Word that it’s not the years that matter, but the growth in “godliness that is the fruit of those years. God’s redemption mission is about holiness in life bringing glory and honor to God, not the egocentric hedonism of idolatry. Who do you love? Who is your Lord?

The article challenges us to ask ourselves: “Because I know and love the lord, what difference has it made in my character, my life – even my personality?” Like the Bible verse above states, the change comes when we allow the Holy Spirit to take control, increasingly changing us to be more like Jesus Christ from the inside out. This transformation is the fruit of walking with God, obedient to His sacred Word, Will and Way.  

Dr. McGee points out that if you were not raised in the country, you may not know that in every fruit orchard, there is always something else that tries to overcome the fruit. In nature, slugs and bugs and weeds all attempt to crowd out the fruit. And in the life of the born again Believer, there are always things that will attempt to crowd out the fruit of the Spirit. In other words, it’s quite possible that the weeds grow and the fruit will not be produced. The Apostle Paul spoke of that very thing in Galatians 5:17 – “For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.”

The sinful flesh wants to have its way and is actually in competition against the Holy Spirit. So, there is a danger of producing something besides good fruit. The word “sin” is and archery term meaning to “miss the mark” of the high calling of God. But, you have to remember that when you arrow misses the target, it hits something else. And that which the sinful desires of the flesh produces is not something that God can use; it’s not fruit at all.

Galatians 5:19-21 “Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery (substance abuse), hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

McGee states that you can be a child of God and be producing works of the flesh in your life, and if you are, you are not living by the Spirit of God. And I can tell you, if the works of the flesh are appearing in your life, you are a discontented and troublemaking child of God. The Apostle Paul was speaking to believing disciples when he said in Galatians 6:7-9 “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.” My friend, as a believing follower of Jesus Christ, if you are sowing to the flesh, you “will of the flesh reap corruption”.  There is no way around it.

Ephesians 5:8-10 “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord.”

Now, the child of God can produce the fruit of the Spirit. But, you cannot produce this lovely fruit on your own. We are totally incapable; it can only be produced by the Holy Spirit. You can know whether you are living by the sinful flesh or living in the power and fullness of the Holy Spirit by seeing if He is producing these fruits in your life.

Blessings