Biblical Perspectives from God’s Word
Biblical Perspectives from God’s Word
Establishing Your Spiritual Foundation
Ken Birks, Pastor Teacher
I. Introductory Remarks.
This lesson is basically an introduction to this class on "Biblical Perspectives from God’s Word.” It recognizes the fact that your are in the process of building a Biblical foundation with a desire to strengthen it and to go on to maturity by building the spiritual house that God has purposed for in your lives.
1 Peter 2:1-5 Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, 2as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, 3if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious. 4Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, 5you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
• The purpose of this class will be to focus on those lessons that will aid you in going onto maturity and building the spiritual house that God has purposed in your lives.
Hebrews 6:1-4 Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, 2of the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. 3And this we will do if God permits.
• It’s important to understand that the enemy is intent on destroying the foundation that has been laid in our lives. It is as we continue to build on and reinforce the existing foundation that we protect ourselves from the enemy’s devices.
Psalms 11:2-4 For look! The wicked bend their bow, they make ready their arrow on the string, that they may shoot secretly at the upright in heart. 3If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do? 4The LORD is in His holy temple, the Lord's throne is in heaven; His eyes behold, His eyelids test the sons of men.
II. Three Areas of Focus.
In this class we will focus on three areas that constitute a strong Biblical foundation that propels us toward maturity; doctrine, character and vision, purpose & destiny.
1. Doctrine.
Even though doctrine is not necessarily the focus of this church, this church has good doctrine that is built into the foundation of all that we do as a church. As New Testament Christians we don't necessarily go around spouting off all of our wonderful doctrines, but they are truths that are built into the very core of who we are in Christ that serve to strengthen our foundation in Christ. You might say that good doctrine produces good Christians and bad doctrine produces bad Christians.
• The early disciples were very effective in the spreading of the gospel and fulfilling God's purpose for their lives and their generation because they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine.
Acts 2:42 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.
• Scripture and Doctrine are essential for making us complete and thoroughly equipped for every good work.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.
• Paul exhorted Timothy to give attention to reading, exhortation and doctrine.
1 Timothy 4:13 Till I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.
1 Timothy 4:16 Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you.
• Solid teaching helps us not to be deceived and led around by every wind of doctrine.
Ephesians 4:14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting,
2 Timothy 4:2-4 Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. 3For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; 4and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.
2. Character Development.
Another area of focus will be on character development. Character development is an essential part of our foundation and all that God is doing in our lives. Many people have suffered shipwreck in their lives as Christians because this area didn't get the attention that it needed.
1 Timothy 1:18-20 This charge I commit to you, son Timothy, according to the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may wage the good warfare, 19having faith and a good conscience, which some having rejected, concerning the faith have suffered shipwreck, 20of whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I delivered to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme.
• The fruit of the Spirit and character development are the essence of what we are to prouduce as Christians.
2 Corinthians 3:18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.
2 Peter 1:5-11 But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, 6to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, 7to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. 8For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins. 10Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; 11for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Philippians 1:9-11 And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, 10that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, 11being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.
Matthew 3:8 "Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance,
Matthew 3:10 "And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
3. Vision, Purpose & Destiny.
The third area of focus will on vision, purpose and destiny. This is an important area that is very necessary in what God is desiring to do in our lives. He has given each one of us a destiny to fulfill and unless we know how to walk in this area we will never complete the building process God has begun in each of our lives.
• We have all been saved and called according to God's purpose.
2 Timothy 1:8-9 Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God, 9who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began….
• Vision keeps us focused and motivated on all that God is doing in our lives.
Proverbs 29:18 Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint; but happy is he who keeps the law.
III. Concluding Remarks.
As you seek to build and strengthen the spiritual foundation that God is establishing your life it will keep you from succumbing to the attacks of the enemy.
Psalms 11:2-3 For look! The wicked bend their bow, They make ready their arrow on the string, That they may shoot secretly at the upright in heart. 3If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?
All of the lessons in this class will focus on the above three areas that were just discussed with the goal of building the foundation that God desires in each one of your lives.
Biblical Perspectives From God’s Word
God & His Creation
Ken Birks, Pastor/Teacher
I. Introductory Remarks.
Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
Creation Definition – The act of God, according to the Bible, brought the universe and all living beings into existence.
In the first chapter of Genesis we see a strong affirmation of God. God is revealed as a Person with mind and emotion and power of choice, Who existed before the beginning. The ultimate reality for us is that God is a living, vital, personal Being
• As we study creation, it’s important to understand we learn about God, by examining what God does.
• We can see into the heart, mind and character of God as we consider all He says and does
• God’s footprints always lead to Himself! God wants to use the same principles He used to transform the world to transform your life.
• What God performed in creating the Universe pales in comparison to the vision He has for our lives.
• Why? Because the present Heaven & Earth are going to pass away, but we were created to live forever.
• Our faith begins with a basic belief in God.
Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
Without God we can find no meaning in a life which has roots in the chance interplay of mindless atoms. We find meaning only when realize that our lives were given to us by another living personality. If God exists, and God is the cause of the material world, then we can look for meaning in His purposes in creating.
• Genesis 1:11 affirms that we live in a personal universe.
Genesis 1:11 Then God said, "Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth"; and it was so.
The material and moral world were designed by a Person, who made mankind distinct from the rest of Creation. Genesis sets forth a personal God as the ultimate reality. He is the root and source of all that exists.
Create – The Hebrew word 'bara' is used only of God's activity in initiating a thing or project. The Bible teaches that God initiated (created) the universe, humanity, forgiveness, and new life for sinners.
II. Other Sources of God’s Word that Speak of God As Our Creator.
Both the Old and New Testaments teach the essential integrity of all we read in Genesis. Both help in exploring the meaning of Genesis' affirmations about God and our world.
Isaiah 45:18 For thus says the LORD, Who created the heavens, Who is God, Who formed the earth and made it, Who has established it, Who did not create it in vain, Who formed it to be inhabited: "I am the LORD, and there is no other.
(Isaiah 45:16 TLB) "For Jehovah created the heavens and earth and put everything in place, and He made the world to be lived in, not to be an empty chaos."
The universe was shaped for a purpose: to be the home of humankind. However vast our expanding universe may be, God cares most about living beings, not inanimate matter.
• Psalm 104 reviews God's creative act and praises Him for forming our world as a habitation for "living things both great and small."
Psalms 104:27-30 These all wait for You, That You may give them their food in due season. 28What You give them they gather in; You open Your hand, they are filled with good. 29You hide Your face, they are troubled; You take away their breath, they die and return to their dust. 30You send forth Your Spirit, they are created; and You renew the face of the earth.
David acknowledges God as Creator, but as he meditates his thoughts are not drawn to speculations about, "How?" Instead he moves quickly beyond the "scientific" questions and begins to focus on the central issue: All that exists is the work of a Person. Everything around us has been carefully and thoughtfully designed. Creation is a mirror, placed to reflect our thoughts and our worship back to the Person whose image Creation enables us to see.
III. Creation Gives a Compelling Witness to God.
Both Old and New Testaments point out that the universe itself is a wordless message about God which anyone, whatever his language, can hear.
Psalms 19:1-4 The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork. 2Day unto day utters speech, and night unto night reveals knowledge. 3There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard. 4Their line has gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them He has set a tabernacle for the sun,
Paul made the same point in the first chapter of Romans, but also saw creation as evidence to be used against those who do not believe.
Romans 1:20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse...
Further proof of this is found in Acts when Paul comes into Athens and preaches from Mars Hill. They obviously new about the Unknown God.
Acts 17:23 "for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you:
Creation is such compelling proof of God's existence, and such a clear reflection of His character, that any explanation of beginnings which rules God out serves only to underline human perversity.
Creation like every other aspect of our faith is something that must be accepted by faith.
Ecclesiastes10:12-13 A fool’s speech brings him to ruin. Since he begins with a foolish premise, his conclusion is sheer madness.
IV. Concluding Remarks
God’s final judgment of His creation was "It was good." In the pattern of the universe which God created we discover a God who we can trust because he clearly cares. He is not changeable or capricious, for He designed the world to be stable and orderly. We discover a God who values and, in valuing, chooses always to do that which is, in every way, good.
vs. 10 ... and God saw that it was good.
vs. 12 ... and God saw that it was good.
vs. 18 ... and God saw that it was good.
vs. 21 ... and God saw that it was good.
vs. 25 ... and God saw that it was good.
Psalm 8:3-4 When I consider the heavens what is man that You are mindful of him?”
Biblical Perspectives from God’s Word
Discovering the Majesty of Who God Is
Ken Birks, Pastor/Teacher
I. Introductory Remarks.
One of life’s greatest pursuits is that of discovering who God is and how that discovery affects our lives. As we begin to discover who God is in all of His glory and majesty, it enables us to come into a deeper understanding and revelation that enhances our relationship with Him as our creator.
Psalms 145:3 (NLT) Great is the LORD! He is most worthy of praise! His greatness is beyond discovery!
In order to begin to get a glimpse into God’s greatness we must begin to see Him as He views Himself. Instead of allowing our lives to be conformed to our limited of view of who we think God to be, we must humble ourselves and see Him as He has revealed Himself to us through Scripture and the revelation of His Spirit. His ways and thoughts are so much higher than our ways.[1]
Hebrews 8:11 (NLT) And they will not need to teach their neighbors, nor will they need to teach their family, saying, 'You should know the Lord.' For everyone, from the least to the greatest, will already know me.
One of God’s greatest desires towards us as His people is for us to know Him as He reveals Himself throughout the Scriptures, culminating in the ultimate revelation of Himself in His son Jesus Christ.
In this lesson our purpose will be to pursue the call to know God and discover who He is and what His special divine characteristics are that make Him the majestic and the glorious God that He is.
We will see God as being both personal and transcendent, meaning that He exists above the material universe and has qualities in His being that we can only approach in our imagination. As created beings we are made in His image, which enables us to personally experience His divine attributes. The difference is that our experiences in His attributes are always incomplete and inconsistent because of our imperfections. But they do give us a glimpse into God and His nature as we look to Him.[2]
II. The Transcendent Attributes of God.
As we continue in this lesson and the lessons to follow, it will be helpful to have a more complete understanding of Who God is and what His attributes are. The revelation of His attributes come through three major sources:
• Creation – Romans 1:19-20
• Scriptures – 2 Timothy 3:16
• Jesus Christ – John 1:18
We must keep in mind that these are the attributes that are least understood through our intellect, and best known through faith.
1. God is Self-Existent – His life is in Himself.
The Hebrews called Him Jehovah – One who exists of Himself and who gives being and existence to others. God has no origin, no beginning and no end. He is uncreated and self existent, owing His life and being to on one or no thing.
Psalms 90:2[3] Before the mountains were brought forth, Or ever You had formed the earth and the world, Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.
Psalms 36:9 For with You is the fountain of life; In Your light we see light.
2. God is Spirit – As Spirit He is invisible to the human eye.
Exodus 33:20 But He said, "You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live."
John 4:24 "God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."
God is spirit, not physical or material. He exists on a different plane from us and is not subject to the limitations of a physical body. God is deeply personal and can be worshiped only at the most intensely personal level, from our spirit to God as spirit. Worship is not offered to a physical object or in a mechanical way. True worship of God must be in a personal relationship.
1 Timothy 1:17 Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.
3. God is One, Yet Three – The Father, Son & Holy Spirit.
Deuteronomy 6:4 "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one!
• One - Hebrew 'echad' – The word One is a compound word meaning united, altogether, together, e.g. one body, many members.
Romans 1:20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse….
The Godhead has one will and each works together incomplete oneness, harmony and unity. Though aspects of God’s work are often attributed more to one than then other, in every case the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are working in agreement whether in creation, redemption or regeneration. [4]
4. God is Eternal – He is unlimited by time – "From everlasting to everlasting." Neither beginning nor ending.
God in His infinite wisdom has chose to reveal Himself to mankind as an eternal God, a being without beginning or end, an uncreated infinite Creator. Eternity is a part of God’s character and Who He is rather than a state of being. The Biblical concept of "eternal life" is more than immortality, and it involves not only the soul but also the body. From creation man was made for never-ending life, not for death.
Psalms 90:2 Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever You had formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.
The dimension of power, sovereignty, creativity, infinite knowledge and wisdom we see in God witness to His power of eternal, divine life.
Isaiah 57:15 For thus says the High and Lofty One Who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: "I dwell in the high and holy place, with him who has a contrite and humble spirit, To revive the spirit of the humble, And to revive the heart of the contrite ones.
A heart of humility linked with the God of eternity brings spiritual renewal and proper ordering of our lives during our allotted time on this earth. It gives us a true perspective as we walk out His principles in this life. We see this in the Patriarchs of the Old Testament.
Hebrews 11:13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
1 Peter 2:11-12 Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, 12having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation.
5. God is Immutable – Unchangeable in nature, or purpose. His Word and plan may not be changed.
Malachi 3:6 "For I am the LORD, I do not change; Therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob.
God does not change. He is not like us who grow stronger or weaker, or older or younger. He remains constant never losing or gaining power. His character, truth and plans never change.
Psalms 33:11 The counsel of the LORD stands forever, The plans of His heart to all generations.
Psalms 89:34 My covenant I will not break, nor alter the word that has gone out of My lips.
His ways are established by His perfect character and His purposes do not change. What God does in time He has settled in eternity past based upon the counsel of His own wisdom and will.
6. God is Omnipotent – All powerful. Nothing in the truest sense is impossible.
God possess what no person or creation can possess, only He alone: incomprehensible and inexhaustible power, a potency and might that is absolute.
Revelation 19:6 And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, "Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns!
The above declaration of the unlimited power of God is being joyfully proclaimed by those who are standing before Him in eternity with a clear view of His magnitude, majesty and glory.
Genesis 18:14 "Is anything too hard for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son."
Jeremiah 32:17 'Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You.
Knowing and understanding that God is all powerful and is unlimited in power should give us faith to believe for the miraculous in each one of our lives. There is nothing too difficult for God to perform on our behalf. We simply need to believe in His omnipotence towards us.
Ephesians 1:17-21 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, 18the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, 19and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power 20which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.
7. God is Omnipresent – Unlimited by space. He is everywhere.
Genesis 28:15 "Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you."
To be omnipresent is to be universally present. God is present, next to everyone, close to everything. Our five senses limit our experience of reality to the material world, but when we are born again by God’s Spirit His omnipresence becomes available to us in manifestations of His personal presence.
Psalms 139:7-10 Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? 8If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. 9If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, 10even there Your hand shall lead me, And Your right hand shall hold me.
The Bible usually describes the Spirit of God as coming to an individual at a specific time to give a specific gift and to carry out a specific task. This does not limit the Spirit to certain times and certain people. The Spirit may be found everywhere. The Spirit of God brings the presence of God to every part of creation, even in Sheol (NIV footnote), the abode of the dead.
The Spirit is not a creation of God, but rather is the divine Presence within which human beings always live. You can never escape God's presence. When you need Him, He is already with you. The Spirit is God's presence in His world aware of all that occurs in the world.[5]
Galatians 4:6 And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, "Abba, Father!"
8. God is Omniscient – He Knows all Things.
Hebrews 4:13 And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.
God knows past, present and future. e.g. through foreknowledge God saw that man would fall and as a result predestinated man's reconciliation through Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God. The crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ were predestinated events that could not be changed, but were set in motion by God's foreknowledge or omniscience.
1 Peter 1:18-20 knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, 19but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. 20He indeed was foreordained[6] before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you.
III. The Personal Attributes of God
Genesis 1:26 Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness….”
The Bible reveals a personal God reaching out to His creation, demonstrating all of the characteristics of personhood that we experience as human beings, except without sin.
• God revealed Himself in Jesus Christ, the only Begotten Son.
John 1:18 No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.
Prior to the coming of Christ, God revealed Himself through isolated manifestations of His glory and presence, through His law and prophets, and in His dealings with His people. Now in the fullness of time He has sent forth His Son in the person of Jesus Christ.
Hebrews 1:3 …who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high….
Jesus, in His character, His heart, and the other qualities of His personhood perfectly declared the person of the Father to us.
1. God is Love – Showing unfathomable affection for all created beings.
1 John 4:8 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
God’s love desires our everlasting welfare and all of His acts are done to secure it. His Love is consistent, unfailing and pure because “God is love” in the core of His nature.
Both heavenly and human beings were created with a free will in order that we could enjoy and fellowship the love of God forever. When sin entered the world, God already had a means for reconciliation in place in His heart.
1 Peter 1:20 He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you
John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
This well-known verse speaks of the divine love which moved God to provide salvation for the world through His Son.
Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
God’s love continually shows itself in infinite and unwavering good will towards us. His love continually wills the good of all and never wills harm or evil to anyone.
2. God is Holy – Absolute Purity – Can not sin nor tolerate sin.
God is absolutely holy with a perfection of purity in His uncreated being that can fill us with awe and worship but cannot be fully grasped by anything created. He is holy with an infinite fullness of purity that is in-comprehensible.
Isaiah 6:3 And one cried to another and said: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!"
Revelation 15:4 Who shall not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy. For all nations shall come and worship before You, for Your judgments have been manifested."
If it weren’t for the beauty of God’s grace that was accomplished through Jesus Christ, we would not be able to approach God in His Holiness. But in His mercy He has made a way for us to approach Him.
Hebrews 4:13-16 And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account. 14Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
The blood of Christ presents us before the Father as righteous and sanctified, able to stand in His presence with an imputed holiness we could never accomplish on our own.
2 Corinthians 5:21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
2. God is Wisdom: God realizes the best designs by the best possible means. He cannot make a mistake. His is all wise.
A.W. Tozer defines wisdom as “the ability to devise perfect ends and to achieve those ends by the most perfect means.[7]
Psalms 104:24 O LORD, how manifold are Your works! In wisdom You have made them all. The earth is full of Your possessions;
All of God’s acts are done in wisdom because of the integration of these attributes of His being. He is not tainted by sin or selfishness; His acts are motivated by the awareness of ultimate good; He sees and knows all that can be seen and known. Because His understanding is infinite, His wisdom is boundless.
Isaiah 28:29 This also comes from the LORD of hosts, Who is wonderful in counsel and excellent in guidance.
4. God is a Just God or a God of Love – He Demands Righteousness of His creatures and deals righteously with them.
Isaiah 45:21 (NLT) Consult together, argue your case, and state your proofs that idol worship pays. Who made these things known long ago? What idol ever told you they would happen? Was it not I, the LORD? For there is no other God but me – a just God and a Savior – no, not one!
Justice is moral equity, the sense of what is right and ultimately good for all of created life. Judgment is the application of equity and fairness to moral situations. God acts justly from that which is inherent to His nature not according to any external law or reasoning. Because He is all knowing, His sense of justice never lacks necessary information. Because He is infinitely wise, His judgments are perfectly integrated with His purposes.
The perfect justice of God was revealed in Jesus Christ when He magnificently displayed His dealings with the sin of mankind. God’s love and goodness culminated in Christ taking the full brunt of divine justice in His perfect humanity.
Psalms 33:5 He loves righteousness and justice; The earth is full of the goodness of the LORD.
Psalms 89:14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; Mercy and truth go before Your face.
Revelation 16:7 And I heard another from the altar saying, "Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are Your judgments."
We must be careful about expecting God to move in reference to our limited sense of justice. He will always act justly but His reasons come from within Himself, and with the best and highest purposes in mind.
5. God is full of Goodness – Which includes Love, Benevolence, Mercy and Grace.
The goodness of God is that which enables Him to be kind, benevolent, and full of good will toward all men. In this core of His being god is tenderhearted, sympathetic and inclined to give blessings. He takes great pleasure in the happiness and well being of His people.
• It is the goodness of God that leads us to repentance.
God’s goodness is seen most clearly in His forbearance, His willingness to express extreme levels of patience, kindness and longsuffering in order to bring humanity to repentance and restoration.
Romans 2:4 Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?
Genesis 19:16 And while he lingered, the men took hold of his hand, his wife's hand, and the hands of his two daughters, the LORD being merciful to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the city.
Joel 2:13 So rend your heart, and not your garments; Return to the LORD your God, For He is gracious and merciful, Slow to anger, and of great kindness; And He relents from doing harm.
Ephesians 2:4-7 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
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.
6. God is Faithful – Absolutely trustworthy. His Word will Never Fail.
God is faithful in the core of His being. Since He is immutable (unchangeable), His faithfulness can never change.
Hebrews 13:5 Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you."
The Divine Constancy or the faithfulness of God was proven over and over with His people.
Nehemiah 9:19 Yet in Your manifold mercies You did not forsake them in the wilderness. The pillar of the cloud did not depart from them by day, To lead them on the road; Nor the pillar of fire by night, To show them light, And the way they should go.
Psalms 94:14 For the LORD will not cast off His people, Nor will He forsake His inheritance.
Isaiah 49:15 "Can a woman forget her nursing child, and not have compassion on the son of her womb? Surely they may forget, yet I will not forget you.
God's covenant with Israel is again renewed in the most poignant terms. Could ever a mother forget her nursing child? Even if that unlikely event transpired, God would be found more faithful, never forgetting Israel.
Hebrews 6:18 that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us.
Psalms 105:8 He remembers His covenant forever, the word which He commanded, for a thousand generations,
7. God is Merciful.
Whether in the Garden of Eden or the Garden of Gethsemane, God is seen as both merciful and just. All of His dealings with mankind are in mercy and love. He deals in justice when His mercy has been rejected.
Mercy is an attribute of God that is a deep and inexhaustible energy within His nature which rises out of His love and disposes Him to show compassion, kindness and forgiveness. A perfect example of this is the story of Jesus and the woman caught in adultery.
John 8:10-11 When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, "Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?" She said no one, Lord.” And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.
God’s immeasurable love is always seeking for places where justice and mercy can kiss and sinner can go free.
8. God is full of Grace.
John 1:16 And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace.
The Christian's experience of grace begins with the reception of the riches of His grace ("fullness") and is progressive and limitless. Its source is Christ's abundant Person (cf. Phil. 4:19). Indeed there was grace in the Law which came through Moses, but the grace of God which appeared at the incarnation overwhelms all previous manifestations.
God’s mercy and grace arise from His goodness and love. Grace and mercy are related but not identical. The mercy of God is His goodness confronting human sin, guilt and misery. His grace is His goodness directed at our inability and our debt. Grace is the good pleasure of God that enables Him to give favor to the undeserving.
Romans 5:17 For if by the one man's offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.
We are called into full partnership with God as His children and members of the Body and Bride of Christ. It is His grace that enables us to receive revelation, stand in truth and be enabled by the Holy Spirit to be transformed into the image of Christ
VI. Concluding Remarks.
As you can see, a true revelation of God in His transcendent and personal attributes will liberate the human soul. We ultimately become what we believe God to Be. The right concept of God is very critical to our spiritual maturity.
Once we know God in some Degree of accuracy, He becomes an anchor to our soul. We are truly liberated when we break through the discouragements and confusion of our circumstances and embrace the unchanging, loving, all wise, omnipotent King of glory.
Biblical Perspectives From God’s Word
The Fall of Adam – Our Need for Salvation
Ken Birks, Pastor/Teacher
I. Introductory Remarks.
In a previous lesson the goal was to outline in our thinking that God has created a beautiful world in which He desires us to worship Him as the creator of all things. In this lesson we will be looking at man who God has created in His image and how man fell in disobedience to God. We shall also see the wonderful provision and restoration God has made available to us through the various covenants He has established with mankind since the days of Adam.
• Created in God's Image.
Genesis 1:26-27 Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." 27So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
• Two Messages are emphasized in this passage:
1. Man was created to have dominion. God shared His authority with man and, in the sharing, God gave man the privilege of responsibility. In His plan we have been shaped to have dominion over all.
2. We are created in God's image. God had the ability to give man the gift of dominion because man was shaped in the image of God. God’s image is eternal.
As a reflection of the Creator, each person is precious to God. As a bearer of God's image, each person is worth even the price of redemption. We bear the image of God and we are important to Him.
• Sin has robbed us of the full experience of dominion.
Even though sin has robbed us of the full experience of dominion, we have been freed through God's redemptive powers to taste again, in our personal experience, the meaning of dominion.
II. The Creation of Man & Free Will.
Genesis 2:7-9 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 being. 8The LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed.9And out of the ground the LORD God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
Genesis 2:15-17 Then the LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it. 16And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, "Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat 17"but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die."
1. God's Own Personality Was Mirrored In Adam.
• Adam shared a capacity to appreciate, so the plantings of Eden include all trees "that were pleasing to the eye." (vs. 9)
• God knew that man would be dissatisfied without work, so in the Garden God let Adam "work it and take care of it. (vs.15)
• God knew man's need for opportunity to use his intellectual capacities so God brought all the animals to the man "to see what he would name them and whatever the man called each living creature that was its name." (vs.19)
• God knew man's need for freedom to choose, so He placed a forbidden tree in the Garden and commanded man not to eat the fruit from it.
• God knew man's need for intimacy with others of his kind, so God gave Adam and Eve to each other.
• And finally God knew man's need for fellowship with Him. So God gave Adam and Eve His own presence as evenings fell. (Genesis 3:8)
Each of these actions show how deeply concerned God was that man's needs are to be met, and how special man was to Him. In the design of Eden, God continued to reveal the fact that His own nature is one of love.
2. What God's Relationship to Adam Teaches Us.
• We can take comfort in the fact that God whose care we see exhibited here still cares for you and me today.
Psalms 8:4 What is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him?
• God still designs experiences as loving gifts to those whom He holds dear.
Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
• We can take heart in the fact, that if God be for us, who can be against us.
Romans 8:31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
III. Adam's Fall.
In the same way that God's creation stands as a source of God in us, we must also face the evil that came as a result of the fall.
1. The Source of Evil.
• Satan – Scripture portrays a host of living, intelligent beings with individuality and personality called angels. Some of these rebelled against God, from which is the origin of evil.
Isaiah 14:13-14 For you have said in your heart: 'I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north; 14I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.'
• This rebellion against God's established order brought divine judgment.
With this judgment, Lucifer, with a great number of angelic beings were judged. Lucifer's name was changed to Satan, and from his arrogance was born an unending hatred of God.
Luke 10:18 And He said to them, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.
It was this being, this great adversary of God and His people, who came in the dawning of the world in the guise of a serpent to tempt Eve.
2. The Temptation and Satan's Strategies – Genesis 3:1-6.
• Isolation – vs. 1 - "he said to the woman..."
He first isolated Eve from Adam. He gave them no opportunity to strengthen each others' resolve to choose the good.
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 Two are better than one, Because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, For he has no one to help him up. Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm; But how can one be warm alone? Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.
• He questioned God's Word & motive – vss. 1&3 - "Has God indeed said..."
He then cast doubt on God's word and motives. Did God have a selfish motive for restriction? God has warned of death. Satan cried, "You will not surely die."
With the questioning of God's word and motive, two opposing views now stood in contrast to one another. A choice had to be made.
• He also focused Eve's attention on desirable ends – vs. 6 ... a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate.
This is very similar to what we call "situation ethics." Never mind the fact that the means to an end involves disobedience to God. Act only on examination of the supposed results.
• Satan also proposed a mixed good as the end: vs. 5 (TLB) "you will become like Him, for your eyes will be opened – you will be able to distinguish good from evil!"
How could becoming more like God be wrong? What he is really doing is appealing to her sense of pride.
• The appeal of the senses – vs. 6 ... that it was pleasant to the eyes.
How could anything that looked and smelled so pleasant be bad?
3. The Choice and the Sin.
Genesis 3:6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.
Led along by the tempter, Eve made her choice. She rejected trust in God and confidence in His wisdom and, as Satan himself had before her, Eve determined to follow her own will and reject God's. Then she offered the fruit to Adam, and he too ate.
3. The Consequences of Sin.
• Death – When God set that single tree to stand as a testimony to man's freedom, He warned, "When you eat of it you will surely die" - Genesis 2:17.
Death in Scripture involves not only a return of the body to dust, but also a terrible distortion of the divine order. Death involves a warping of the human personality, a twisting of relationships, and alienation from God and God's ways. Ephesians describes man's state apart from Christ as "dead in your transgressions and sins.
• Adam's death and sin were spread throughout the world.
Romans 5:12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned;
Q. Were we created to be eternal beings?
Adam had been created in God's image. Then came the choice and, with it death. The history of human kind is a dark record of the rule of death, and stands as a grim testimony to the truth of God.
• Death was demonstrated in the following ways:
The shame that spread as Adam and Eve recognized their nakedness – Genesis. 3:7.
Their plight from God – vss. 8-9.
Adam's refusal to accept responsibility for his choice – vs 12.
Judgment on earth for man's sake – vss 17-19.
In the anger of Cain, whose bitterness led him to murder his brother – Genesis 4:8.
In the civilization that sprang up as the family of man multiplied.
• Paradise was lost.
Genesis 3:23-24 therefore the LORD God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken. 24So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.
IV. The Recovery of Hope.
Even though Genesis 3-4 share the tragedy of fallen man, God does not leave us without hope. We find hope in God's action. He atones or covers our sins.
1. God clothes Adam and Eve with animal skins.
Genesis 3:21 Also for Adam and his wife the LORD God made tunics of skin, and clothed them.
This is the first implication that for redemption, blood must be shed. This first blood spoke of sacrifice, and sacrifice speaks of Christ. Because the life of the flesh is in the blood, blood is therefore the atoning agent for man's sin.
Leviticus 17:11 'For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.'
Hebrews 9:22 And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission.
Just as God atoned for Adam and Eve’s sin with garments of clothing from a sacrificial animal, He clothes us with the garments of salvation, a robe of righteousness from the sacrificial offering of His Son.
Isaiah 61:10 I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, MY soul shall be joyful in my God; for He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness as a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
2. Hope was found in the fact that God sought out the sinning pair.
God came into the Garden seeking Adam, just as Jesus came into the world to seek and to save those who were lost. God always initiates the action. Eg. 1 John 4:19 says, “We love Him, because He first loved us.
3. Hope was found in the promise of God that an Offspring of the woman would destroy the serpent.
Genesis 3:15 And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel."
V. Concluding Remarks.
In tracing the story of sin through Scripture we find the ultimate solution. The Bible says, "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" – Romans 3:23.
The Blood of Jesus Christ will cleanse us from all sin. Just as God used the blood of the animal to make atonement for Adam & Eve's sin, He has chosen to use the blood of His only begotten Son to make atonement for our sins.
The day is coming when creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.
Romans 8:19-21 For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. 20For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; 21because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
This is our destiny, and this is our hope. One day the fullness of the image of God will be fully restored.
Biblical Perspectives From God’s Word
This Great Salvation
Ken Birks, Pastor/Teacher
I. Introductory Remarks
The Bible refers to our common salvation experience as a great salvation, a salvation that Old Testament prophets and righteous men and even angels have desired to look into, but could not experience.
Hebrews 2:3 how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him,
Matthew 13:16-17 "But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear; 17"for assuredly, I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.
1 Peter 1:10-12 Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you, 11searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. 12To them it was revealed that, not to themselves, but to us they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven; things which angels desire to look into.
In this lesson, our goal will be to look into this great salvation that has been freely given to us by the Father and to see why it is so great. What are components of salvation that make it so great? How do we receive all that God intended for us to experience through this Great Salvation?
Every one of us begins our life with a natural birth. Jesus referred to this birth as being "born of water" in John 3:1-9. Through Adam, sin entered into this world and because of this sin, all of mankind is separated from God and therefore has a need for a Savior.[8] Jesus is the Savior and the only way to man's salvation. There is no other way no matter how hard one may try. [9]
II. The Components of This Great Salvation.
1. Salvation is For Everyone.
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.
John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
It is because He died for all that we can claim for ourselves and confidently extend to others the right and title to sonship and salvation through Christ, and live in a state of blessed assurance. The following scriptures make it very clear that Christ died for every person.
2 Corinthians 5:14 For the love of Christ constrains us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died;
Hebrews 2:9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone.
Romans 5:18 Therefore, as through one man's offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man's righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life.
Since all humanity came under judgment in Adam, all humanity must come into at least the possibility of eternal life in Jesus Christ.
Romans 11:32 For God has committed them all to disobedience, that He might have mercy on all.
The truth of God's universal grace needs to be proclaimed fervently, a grace that springs from a love which cannot be limited temporally, geographically, racially, religiously, economically, sexually, or culturally, a love which has no limits except the limits which unbelief imposes.
Some might say that the word (all) refers to worldwide distribution of the church, rather than the universally potential redemptive work of Christ.
The problem with this thinking is that there are Scriptures such as 1 John 4:14-15 that personalize the atonement by using the word, "whoever."
1 John 4:14-15 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.
It is important for us to understand that predestination does not teach who should be saved and who shouldn't be saved, but simply teaches that God has determined or predestinated that each person who is born again by the Spirit of God will be adopted into His family and will be conformed into the image of Jesus Christ completely at His appearing. [10]
2. Salvation Comes Through the Blood of Jesus Christ.
Under the Old Covenant in the Old Testament salvation came through the sacrificial blood of lambs and goats. When John the Baptist came on the scene, He introduced Jesus as the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.
John 1:29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
It is through the blood sacrifice of Jesus that makes salvation possible. What is it about blood having to be spilled that is so important in relationship to salvation?
Leviticus 17:11 'For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.'
Hebrews 9:22 And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission.
This is why Jesus Christ is the only way to mankind’s salvation. It was His shed blood that makes atonement for our sin.
3. Why Jesus is the Only Way to Salvation.
We see in Scriptures that it is very clearly stated that Jesus Christ is the only way to salvation for mankind. What is it about Jesus that separates Him from all other religions or spiritual figures?
John 14:6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
Acts 4:12 "Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."
The Reason Jesus is the only way to the Father is that He was and is both God and man. He came to us as the only begotten of the Father and gave Himself as a ransom for our sins by dying on the cross and pouring His blood out to make atonement for our sins.
1 Timothy 2:5-6 For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, 6Who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time,
Hebrews 9:13-16 For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, 14how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? 15And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance. 16For where there is a testament, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator.
4. Salvation is a Free Gift from God to Us.
We must realize that salvation is a free gift from God and that there are no amount of good works we can do to earn it. It's Free!
Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.
Salvation has nothing to do with whether we deserve it or not. It is not based on how good we are or have been. It is a free gift of God’s unmerited favor being bestowed upon our lives in spite of ourselves. It is totally based on our belief in the person of Jesus Christ is and who we believe Him to be.
5. Salvation is based Upon Our Belief in Jesus Christ.
We must come to the place where we believe and confess what Jesus Christ has accomplished for our salvation.
Romans 10:9-10 ...that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes to righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made to salvation.
6. Salvation Demands Repentance and Obedience to God’s Word.
Repentance and obedience to Jesus and the Word of God are absolutely necessary in the salvation experience, because Jesus has become to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation.
Hebrews 5:9 And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him.
Matthew 18:2-4 Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, 3and said, "Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. 4"Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
A true heart belief in the Lord Jesus Christ will bring forth repentance in our lives as Matthew 3:8 says, "bear fruits worthy of repentance."
III. The Process of Salvation.
When does salvation begin in a person’s life? Is it when a prayer is first offered up to God with a simple confession of who Jesus Christ is and asking forgiveness of our sins? Or is that just a seed that is trying to be planted in our hearts? Or is it when the seed actually takes root and begins to produce fruit?
The Parable of the Sower in Matthew 13 shows us that there is quite a process involved in making sure the seed gets planted. The Parable also shows us that there is much warfare from the enemy of our faith over the seed of salvation.
Matthew 13:19 "When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside.
1. There Must Be a Spiritual Revelation and Understanding.
• The key presented here is that we must understand what is taking place.
We need to really have a revelation in our heart of what is taking place. We need to understand how the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin and makes us righteous before God the Father. Without this basic understanding and revelation, the enemy will steal the seed before it gets a chance to be planted in the soil of our hearts.
• The Scriptural Revelation & Understanding
1 John 1:7-9 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. 8If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
2 Corinthians 5:21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
Hebrews 10:12-14 But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, 13from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool. 14For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.
We have to understand that we are now righteous in God. We are standing in His righteousness and not our own. Our own righteousness will always be as filthy rags[11] before God our Father, but Jesus’ righteousness is a perfect righteousness that enables us to continually come boldly to the throne of grace[12] no matter how many times we may blow it. As far as God is concerned, we have been perfected forever[13] by the one offering that Jesus made through His death, burial and resurrection.
Proverbs 24:16 For a righteous man may fall seven times And rise again, But the wicked shall fall by calamity.
This is the understanding that we need in order to prevent Satan from stealing the seed that God has planted in our hearts.
2. The Seed Must Be Watered and Nurtured.
Matthew 13:20-21 "But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; 21"yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles.
This begins to take place when we come to the place of genuine repentance[14] in our lives and begin to allow God’s word through preaching, teaching and personal Bible Study to wash over us, renewing our minds
1 Peter 2:1-3 (NLT) So get rid of all malicious behavior and deceit. Don't just pretend to be good! Be done with hypocrisy and jealousy and backstabbing. 2You must crave pure spiritual milk so that you can grow into the fullness of your salvation. Cry out for this nourishment as a baby cries for milk, 3 now that you have had a taste of the Lord's kindness.
Romans 12:2 (NLT) Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is.
Ephesians 5:26-27 that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, 27that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.
3. Stay Focused on God and Heavenly Things to Avoid the Cares of the World.
Matthew 13:22 "Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.
Colossians 3:1-3 (NLT) Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits at God's right hand in the place of honor and power. 2Let heaven fill your thoughts. Do not think only about things down here on earth. 3For you died when Christ died, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God.
IV. The Salvation Package – What is Included.
Salvation is much more than just being saved from Hell and going to Heaven. It involves every aspect of our lives, spirit, soul and body. When we are born again by God’s Spirit, we become partakers of His Divine Nature, which brings us into a rich inheritance.
2 Peter 1:2-4 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, 3as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, 4by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
Ephesians 1:11 In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will,
Ephesians 1:17-20 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, 18the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, 19and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power 20which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places,
We see this when we look at the Greek words for “Saved and Salvation.” They are words that include much more than we may have realized.
1. The Full meaning of The Words "Saved and Salvation".
Salvation involves more than just the saving of man's soul; it involves total salvation for his spirit, soul and body.
The Greek words for “saved” and “salvation” are "Sozo" and "Soteria", which mean to save, deliver, protect, heal, preserve, to do well, be or make whole and rescue or safety.
The chart below shows you how these two words are translated in the New Testament.
|Health – Survival |Healed |Preserved |Do Well |
|Acts 27:34 |Acts 14:9 |2 Timothy 4:18 |John 11:12 |
| |Mark 5:23 | | |
| |Luke 8:36 | | |
| | | | |
|Be whole |Made whole |Saved – Save |Salvation |
|Matthew 9:21-22 |Mark 6:56 |Mark 8:35, 16:16 |Romans 1:16 |
|Mark 10:52 |Mark 15:30-31 |Romans 1:10 |2 Timothy 3:15 |
|Luke 8:48-50 |Luke 9:56 |2 Timothy 3:15 | |
| |Luke 18:42 |1 Corinthians 1:21 | |
| | |1 Timothy 1:15, 2:15 | |
| | |James 5:15 | |
| | |Mark 16:16 | |
The following passages of scriptures bear this truth out:
Acts 27:34 ...."This is for your survival (soteria)."
Acts 14:9 ...."Faith to be healed (sozoed)."
2 Timothy 4:18 ....."Preserve (sozo) me for His heavenly kingdom."
John 11:12 ...."Lord, if he sleeps he will get well (sozo)."
Mark 6:56 ...."And as many as touched Him were made well (sozo)."
• The Old Testament type of Salvation is consistent with New Testament teaching.
In the Old Testament we have the type of Moses leading the Children of Israel out of Egypt. Egypt represents slavery and bondage of which they were delivered from. In Exodus 12 we have the Passover being instituted when God spoke to Moses for each family to prepare a lamb to be sacrificed, so that the blood of the lamb could be put on the doorposts of their homes. That night when God went through the land with the last plague, He smote the first born of every person and creature, except for those who had applied the blood to their doorposts. The Children of Israel were also told to partake of the lamb as they left Egypt.
Exodus 12:5-6 'Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats. 6'Now you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month. Then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it at twilight.
Exodus 12:11-14 'And thus you shall eat it: with a belt on your waist, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. So you shall eat it in haste. It is the Lord's Passover. 12'For I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD. 13'Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt. 14'So this day shall be to you a memorial; and you shall keep it as a feast to the LORD throughout your generations. You shall keep it as a feast by an everlasting ordinance.
When the children of Israel left Egypt as they had been commanded to do so, there was not one feeble or sick person among them. Partaking of the lamb was for their healing, deliverance and preservation.
Psalms 105:37 (NLT) But he brought his people safely out of Egypt, loaded with silver and gold; there were no sick or feeble people among them.
• It is also consistent with King David’s understanding & teaching.
Psalms 103:2-7 (NLT) Praise the LORD, I tell myself, and never forget the good things he does for me. 3He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases. 4He ransoms me from death and surrounds me with love and tender mercies. 5He fills my life with good things. My youth is renewed like the eagle's! 6The LORD gives righteousness and justice to all who are treated unfairly. 7He revealed his character to Moses and his deeds to the people of Israel.
3. God’s Desire is to Abundantly Bless Us – He Wants us to Do Well.
John 10:10 "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
2 Peter 1:2-4 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, 3as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, 4by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
Psalms 68:19 Blessed be the Lord, Who daily loads us with benefits, The God of our salvation! Selah
4. We are Delivered from the Enemy’s Devices and Preserved.
2 Timothy 4:18 And the Lord will deliver me from every evil work and preserve me for His heavenly kingdom. To Him be glory forever and ever. Amen!
1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.
V. Concluding Remarks.
As you have seen our salvation is truly a great salvation that includes so much. We have so much to be grateful for.
Biblical Perspectives From God’s Word
The Foundation of Repentance
Ken Birks, Pastor/Teacher
I. Introductory Remarks
2 Timothy 2:19-21 Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: "The Lord knows those who are His," and, "Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity." 20But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor. 21Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work.
As we can see from this passage, repentance is an important essential when it comes to fulfilling our destiny. It allows us to be sanctified and useful for the Master so than we can be prepared for every good work.
In this lesson we will see how we as Christians must deal with the sin in our lives. It's important for us to understand that becoming a Christian does not necessarily nullify the old nature, but rather introduces a new nature which wars against the old.
• What does sin mean? There are three primary words for "sin" in the Hebrew language. Each of them implies the existence of a standard of righteousness established by God.
1. hata' means to miss the mark," or to "fall short of the divine standard."
2. Pesa' is usually rendered by "rebellion" or "transgression," and indicates revolt against the standard.
3. 'Awon, translated by "iniquity" or "guilt," is a "twisting of the standard or deviation from it."
Sin not only blinds us and leaves the good beyond our grasp, but sin also twists our will, moving us to desire and to choose what we know is wrong.
II. Understanding Repentance
What is repentance and how does if affect our Christianity? This is an important question we must all come to grips with.
Matthew 9:13 "But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy and not sacrifice.' For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance."
Repentance is a total turning from your past and coming under the Lordship of Jesus Christ, which involves a total surrender of your heart to Jesus Christ and all He stands for with a conscientous desire to obey the Word of God.
Hebrews 5:8-9 though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. 9And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him,
• New Testament Definitions of Repentance
True repentance involves a change of mind and purpose and life, to which remission of sin is promised, which consists of the Following:
1. A true sense of one's own guilt and sinfulness
2. An apprehension of God's mercy in Christ
3. An actual hatred of sin and turning from it to God; (Psalm 119:128; Job 42:5, 6; 2 Corinthian 7:10)
4. A persistent endeavor after a holy life in a walking with God in the way of His commandments.
5. True repentance is conscious of guilt, of pollution, and of helplessness. (Psalm 51:4, 9), (Psalm 51:5, 7, 10), (Psalm 51:11; 109:21,22).
6. True repentance will be just what God has always seen in you to be and declares you to be in Him.
Matthew 18:3-4 and said, "Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 "Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
Acts 3:19-20 "Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, 20"and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before,
Luke 15:7 "I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.
III. The Process of Transformation and True Repentance
1. Repentance Begins with God’s Intervention in our Lives.
Jesus, the Author & Finisher of our faith comes to seek and save those who are lost. His desire is to not only seek us out and to save us from ourselves, but to deliver us from the grips of Satan and his domain and then to translate us into His kingdom.
Colossians 1:13-14 (NLT) For he has rescued us from the one who rules in the kingdom of darkness, and he has brought us into the Kingdom of his dear Son. 14God has purchased our freedom with his blood and has forgiven all our sins.
• It is through His goodness that He begins this process in our lives.
Romans 2:4 Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?
2. True Repentance Requires Obedience on our Part.
Paul said, hew was not disobedient to the heavenly vision when sharing his vision and calling with King Agrippa.
Acts 26:18-19 'to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.' 19"Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision,
As we respond in true repentance through obedience when God comes knocking on our door, we are saved and born again and He becomes our savior because of obedience.
Hebrews 5:9 And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him,
Genuine conversion begins the process of transformation in our lives, which delivers us from the power of Satan’s domain into God’s everlasting Kingdom. As a result of this conversion we are born again of the incorruptible seed of the Word of God. (See 1 Peter 1:23)
3. The Seed of God’s Word Must Be Firmly Planted in our Hearts.
In Matthew’s Gospel we have the Parable of the Sower in Chapter 13, which illustrates to us the importance of the seed being planted in our hearts. In this parable Jesus talks about four kinds of soil that the seed of God’s Word falls upon. It is the good ground that we are concerned with.
Matthew 13:23 "But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty."
What is the key to hearing the word and understanding it? We must hear with faith.
Hebrews 4:2 For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it.
To hear the Word with Faith is to come into agreement with God’s Word. You are immediately accepting His word as truth. You agree with it and embrace it rather than question and filter it through old paradigms of understanding.
IV. The Problem of Sin in the Christian.
1. All Christians Sin.
No matter who you are, even if you think you are the most perfect person that ever came forth, you still have sin in your life. All Christians sin! No Christian can have day-by-day victory over sin and live the happy, joyful, triumphant life, until he or she faces the true facts about sin in their own nature, sin in his own life, what sin will do and what do about it. Remember what it says in Jeremiah 17:9, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?
1 John 1:7-9 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
According to Scripture, we now, present tense, have sin. All of us have sin in our hearts and lives. If we say we have not, we are simply deceiving ourselves. To say that we have no sin is not the truth.
• Every Christian Has Two Natures.
To better understand why Christians sin, we must understand the difference in the two natures we as Christian have. We have an old nature and a new nature. We are to put on the new nature while putting off the old nature.
Ephesians 4:22-24 ...that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in righteousness and true holiness.
What we have to understand is that these two natures war with each other and the sinful nature sometimes wins out over the new nature and thus we fall into the trap of sinful behavior as Christians. We see this struggle in Paul's writings to the Romans.
• The two-fold nature is seen in Paul's writings.
Romans 7:15-20 For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good. But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.
When we were born into this world, we were born with a sinful nature that opposes the law of God. But when we are born again by the Spirit of God, we received a new divine nature that hates sin.
Paul talks about his struggle he went through on a daily basis with his sin nature. Paul had the mind or heart to serve the law of God, but he had the flesh and fleshly nature to continually pull him towards sin
• This two-fold nature is seen in John's writings as well.
1 John 3:6-9 Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him. Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.
Does this mean that anybody whoever sins proves he has never known God or been saved? No! This means that the new nature, the born again nature, the new heart of the converted person cannot sin. The old man or nature sins, but the new man does not sin and cannot sin. Let's keep in mind that the new man's nature is to bring the old nature unto subjection and submission.
• We Stand In The Righteousness of God.
Romans 4:3 For what does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness."
Hebrews 10:14 For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.
The above Scripture is a great Scripture. On one hand it shows how we have already been perfected because of the sin offering by Jesus on the cross and on the other hand it shows that our sin nature is still being sanctified. God sees us as perfected because we are standing in His righteousness and not our own.
Hebrews 4:15-16 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Romans 6:1-2 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?
We have seen that the Christian sins because he stills struggles with the old nature, but a true Christian has a new nature that is convicting Him of the sin in his or her life and moving them forward in God's grace and victory over sin.
Even though God's grace covers us this does not give us a license to continue in known sin. When we continue in sin without any conviction coming from the new nature, which is born after God, we should question ourselves as to whether the new man even exists. If it doesn't, then we have not known God.
V. Repentance and Honest Confession.
For the Children of Israel it wasn't enough for the blood sacrifice of a lamb to be made. It had to be applied to the door of their homes. That was their responsibility in the process.
Exodus 12:7 And they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses where they eat it.
Just as the Children of Israel had as responsibility to apply the blood, we too, have a responsibility to apply the Blood. This is not something Christ does for us. When we learn to apply the blood we find immediate forgiveness and cleansing and the way to complete restoration of fellowship with God. Therefore, let's look at how Jesus expects us to apply to blood to the doorposts of our hearts.
1. We Must Sincerely Confess & Forsake Our Sins.
1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Any Christian who honestly confesses his sin to God has it instantly forgiven and cleansed. The key is to confess honestly and sincerely before God.
2 Corinthians 7:10 For godly sorrow produces repentance to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death. (Verses 11-12 also).
1 Corinthians 11:31 For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged.
The very moment we confess our sin, and thus judge the sin and take sides with God against sin, that sin is blotted out, both forgiven and cleansed. Thus, upon simple confession of sin, the child of God has peace with God about the sin, and he has victory over the sin. So we see that through confession we are applying the blood of Christ to our sins. But our confession must be honest and sincere.
VI. Concluding Remarks.
Yes it is true, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." Just make sure it is honest confession, a confession that judges the sin honestly, that repents of the sin and turns from it, and that does anything that properly can be done to undo the sin. Anything less is not an honest confession of sin.
Do not fail to have the forgiveness and cleansing that you need by dealing lightly or dishonestly with sin. This is how the blood is truly applied to the doorpost of our hearts.
May God bless you and may His blood completely cleanse you of all your sin. This is the first step in receiving your complete victory over the sin that so easily ensnares you.
Biblical Perspectives From God’s Word
Knowing & Understanding Our Enemy
Ken Birks, Pastor/Teacher
I. Introductory Remarks.
Colossians 1:13 He has delivered us from the power of darkness and translated us into the kingdom of the Son of His love...
Ephesians 6:12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
As people who have been born again of God's Spirit, we have been delivered from the power of darkness. There was a time when all of us were under the influence and the jurisdiction of Satan's kingdom and domain. Now that we have been born again and translated into the kingdom of God, we should not take lightly that we still have an enemy who wants to bring harm to us and render us ineffective as ambassadors of God's kingdom.
It’s important for us to understand the tactics and cunning devices of God's arch enemy. Therefore, in this lesson we will be looking at Satan, who he is, his origin and fall and how he seeks to work in our lives. The Bible says we are not to be ignorant of his devices.
2 Corinthians 2:11 ...lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices.
I believe many Christians are walking around in defeat and even in backslidden conditions, simply because they have not been aware of the enemy's cunning devices in their lives. We need to understand that Satan is the arch enemy of God and the church. That means he is your arch enemy as well, if you belong to God. His intent is to destroy the work of God in your life by any means possible. Therefore we should understand just who this enemy is and how he works.
In warfare many victories are won by those who understand and know the moves of their enemy. In spiritual warfare it is much the same way, the more we know and understand the tactics of our enemy the more on guard we will be, as well as being able to thwart his attacks.
1 Peter 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
II. Satan's Origin And Fall.
Who is Satan and where did he come from? This is a question of great importance. The answer to this question gives us insight into his characteristics and how he tries to operate in our lives.
1. He Was One of God's Created Beings – An Archangel.
Ezekiel 28:13-14 You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering: the sardius, topaz, and diamond, beryl, onyx, and jasper, sapphire, turquoise, and emerald with gold. The workmanship of your timbrels and pipes was prepared for you on the day you were created. "You were the anointed cherub who covers; I established you; you were on the holy mountain of God; you walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones.
Before his fall he was one of the most powerful angelic beings in the universe, being of great beauty. His name was Lucifer and he had a high position in heaven before he became Satan. Lucifer used his position and brought destruction upon himself. He was perfect in every way.
Ezekiel 28:15 You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, till iniquity was found in you.
2. He Was Cast Out Of Heaven Because Of Sin.
Ezekiel 28:16 "By the abundance of your trading you became filled with violence within, and you sinned; therefore I cast you as a profane thing out of the mountain of God; and I destroyed you, O covering cherub, from the midst of the fiery stones.
Ezekiel 28:17 "Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor; I cast you to the ground, I laid you before kings, that they might gaze at you.
3. Lucifer's Five "I Wills" Cause His Fall.
Pride enters into the heart of one of God's mightiest creatures and causes his destruction and made Lucifer into the devil.
Isaiah 14:13-14 For you have said in your heart: `I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.'
|I will ascend into heaven... |4. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds... |
|I will exalt my throne above the stars of God... |5. I will be like the Most High... |
|I will sit upon the mount of the congregation... | |
Lucifer wanted to sit where God is and wanted his throne to be in heaven, not on earth. The name "Most High" in the Bible is the word "El Eloim" which not only means "most high," but also means "the possessor of heaven and earth." Imagine that a creature, a created angel, wanted to be possessor of heaven and earth. This is why he failed and became the devil.
Lucifer did not want to get closer to God because of love. He wanted to get closer because of jealousy. He was not satisfied with just getting closer. He wanted to sit on the throne.
When Lucifer fell and was cast out of heaven, he was thrown out of the third heaven. The Lord Jesus saw Satan fall from heaven like lightening.
Luke 10:18 And He said to them, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.
Jesus simply meant He saw Satan fall from the third heaven as lightning. Right now the devil is still in the heavenlies. His place today is in the second heaven. He dwells there as much as he dwells in the earth. He rules from his place of authority, the heavenlies. This is the place we wrestle against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Eventually Satan will be thrown out of this realm of heaven as well. This happens just prior to the great tribulation.
Revelation 12:7-8 And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer.
III. Who Is Satan Today.
1. He Is A Powerful Angelic Being With Power To Deceive.
Let's remember that he is still a powerful angelic being of great beauty and is still able to transform himself into an angel of light and to even transform his ministers into ministers of righteousness.
2 Corinthians 11:13-15 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, trans-forming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works.
Matthew 24:24 "For false christs and false prophets will arise and show great signs and wonders, so as to deceive if possible, even the elect.
2. He is the god or the Prince of this World.
John 14:30 "I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me.
2 Corinthians 4:4 ...whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.
1 John 5:19 We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the [sway] of the wicked one.
IV. Satan's Major Tactics and Works.
1. He Works through Deception and Subtlety.
2 Corinthians 11:3 But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.
In writing about America's problems with our own national security, Jim Banford, author of "The Puzzle Palace", said, "Once you've sold one secret you're usually hooked. They don't start by asking to get a top secret document. They usually ask for something innocuous, like a telephone directory. Once a person starts, they're hooked at that point." Isn't that the way Satan operates? He tempts us to make little compromises that seem so insignificant and end up ensnaring us in sin.
His deception often times comes through the word of God itself. He will take God's word and either question it, take away or add to it. He will try to wrest the scriptures to our destruction as well as his. This is how he was able to deceive Eve.
• He caused Eve to question God's Word.
Genesis 3:1 Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, "Has God indeed said, 'You shall not eat of every tree of the garden'?"
• He Quoted Half Truths to Jesus.
Matthew 4:6 ...and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: `He shall give His angels charge concerning you,' and, `In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone.' "
• He twists or wrests the Scriptures.
2 Peter 3:16 as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which those who are untaught and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures.
John 8:44 "You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a [liar] and the father of it.
Our victory over this kind of an attack is by knowing and understanding the Word of God, being like David who said, "I have hid the word in my heart that I might not sin against You."
• He Transforms Himself into an Angel of Light
His deception also comes about because of his ability to be transformed into an angel of light. This is one of the major ways in which Christians shall be deceived in the last days. The Bible says there is a strong delusion that is coming with false signs and wonders being done by Satan's own ministers.
2 Corinthians 11:14-15 And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works.
2. He Purposes to Stumble Us and Lay Snares In our Paths.
Psalms 140:4-5 Keep me, O LORD, from the hands of the wicked; Preserve me from violent men, who have purposed to make my steps stumble. The proud have hidden a snare for me, and cords; they have spread a net by the wayside; they have set traps for me. Selah
He waits for those vulnerable times in our lives when we are most susceptible to temptation and then springs the trap. This was exactly how he worked in the life of Jesus.
Luke 4:13 Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time.
Our victory over this Satan in this area is to continually keep our eyes on Jesus, because when our eyes are on Jesus, He will steer us around the traps and help us to strengthen those areas of vulnerability. He will be our guard.
2 Thessalonians 3:3 But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil one.
3. He Opposes And Exalts Himself Above All That Is God.
The very thing that got Satan into trouble in the first place is still the major characteristic that he has imbedded into our society -- the antichrist spirit.
2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.
IV. Other Tactics and Devices.
|He afflicts the righteous |Instigates us to sin or temps us. |
|Claims authority over the world |Contends with us in heavenly realms; |
|Blinds the minds of unbelievers |He places his people in church to defraud it |
|Slanders and accuses saints |He steals, kills and destroys |
|He opposes the righteous – tries to keep us in our place | |
V. Concluding Remarks.
It is important for us to understand that our enemy is already defeated in every sense of the word. Jesus defeated Him once and for all at the cross. All we have to do is call on Jesus and defeat him by the blood of His testimony.
1 John 4:4 You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
Biblical Perspectives From God’s Word
Eternal Judgment of the Righteous & Unrighteous
Ken Birks, Pastor/Teacher
I. Introductory Remarks.
A common question that has risen in mankind from generation to generation is, "What happens to someone after death?" Many people have had so called death experiences and have come back to life and told of their experiences. Philosophers and religious leaders have offered countless opinions on the subject as well. Ideas have ranged from reincarnation to simply ceasing to exist at all, but the Bible gives us the most clearly stated answers on this subject.
The Subject of Eternal Judgment is a necessary part of the spiritual foundation that God is laying in each one of our lives. It is important that we understand from a believer’s perspective what happens in the eternal state of both the believer and the unbeliever.
Hebrews 6:1-3 Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, 2of the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. 3And this we will do if God permits.
Daniel 12:2 And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall wake, some to everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting contempt.[15]
The Bible has a lot to say concerning life after death and what happens to the soul. Jesus spoke a great deal about this subject and declared that He Himself had come down from heaven[16] and that after His death He would go there to prepare a place for those who would follow Him.
John 14:2 "In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
Jesus also spoke a great deal about a second place that had been prepared for the Devil and his followers.
Matthew 25:41 "Then He will also say to those on the left hand, `Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
In this lesson I want to try and paint a picture for us on what the Bible has to say concerning the reality of both Heaven and Hell. God has provided very clear answers regarding life after death and eternal judgment.
II. What Is Heaven?
Heaven is a term in the Bible which describes three different spheres of existence. The word "heaven" sometimes refers to the atmosphere surrounding the earth. Other times it refers to outer space where the other planets are. Lastly, Heaven is the dwelling place of God and the elect angels. It is the everlasting home of the redeemed of all mankind. This is the Heaven we will be looking at in this message. It is the place where those who are not destined for Hell will live after death. In the New Testament it is clearly described as an actual place, and not a state of mind or being.
1. Terms Used To Describe Heaven.
John 14:2 "In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
Hebrews 11:16 But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.
Revelation 14:13Then I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, "Write: 'Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.' " "Yes," says the Spirit, "that they may rest from their labors, and their works follow them."
2 Corinthians 12:4 ...how he was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.
Luke 13:29 "They will come from the east and the west, from the north and the south, and sit down in the kingdom of God.
The term "kingdom of God" represents the here and the now as well as the eternal domain. In fact most references concerning the kingdom of God refer to the here and the now. The truth is that we must enter into the kingdom of God now if we want to be a part of it in the eternal.
It is here in heaven that the believer is promised "the tree of life", not to be hurt of the second death, a stone with a new name in it, authority with Christ, a white garment and his name in the Book of Life; security in the City of God, and ruling and reigning in the Throne of God and the Lamb.
III. The Reality Of Life After Death.
The Bible teaches that life continues after the physical death of the body. God created man with a natural, temporal body and an eternal soul. The soul of man consists of who we really are. It is the center of our mind, will and emotions. The Bible teaches that life is eternal.
1 John 2:25 And this is the promise that He has promised us; eternal life.
2 Corinthians 5:1 For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
When Jesus returns at His "Second Coming" all those who have died in Christ will be raised from the dead and then we who are alive will meet Him in the air. From that time on we spend 1000 years with Christ on the earth and then at the end of the 1000 years we rule and reign with Him throughout eternity.[17]
IV. What Will Heaven Be Like?
Heaven will be a place of light, love, holiness, righteousness, worship, service, joy, peace and life eternally because Jesus the Redeemer will be there. The New Jerusalem will be the new capitol of the universe and the place where the redeemed gather for worship and service. There will be no darkness, hate, sin, unrighteousness, sorrow, discord or death there. Without these things, it will be heaven indeed. What a wonderful and worthy reward of the God who redeemed us!
1. It Is A Place of No More Thirst, Hunger, Sorrow, Pain Or Death.
Revelation 21:4 "And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying; and there shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away."
Revelation 7:16-17 "They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat; "for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."
2. Heaven Is A Place Where Nothing Can Be Corrupted.
Matthew 6:20 "but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.
Revelation 21:27 But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb's Book of Life.
3. Heaven Is A Place Of Pleasures Forevermore.
Psalms 16:11 You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
1 Corinthians 2:9 But as it is written: "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him."
4. It Will Be A Place Of Worship.
Revelation 15:4 Who shall not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy. For all nations shall come and worship before You, for Your judgments have been manifested."
5. Heaven Will Be A Place Of Constant Illumination.
Revelation 21:23 And the city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it, and the Lamb is its light.
Heaven is clearly described in the Bible as an actual place. It is not a feeling or a state of mind. When people refer to Heaven as being on earth they are partially correct in that we can experience a personal relationship with God while we are still alive. This is experiencing some of what is in store for those who will go to Heaven when they die.
We saw that the Bible teaches that life continues after the physical death of the body. God created man with a natural, temporal body and an eternal soul. The soul of man consists of who we really are. It is the center of our mind, will and emotions. We saw that the Bible teaches that life is eternal, because the soul is eternal, which means we will either spend eternity in Heaven or in Hell.
V. The Reality of Hell and the Lake of Fire.
Although this subject of Hell is not the most edifying of subjects, every Christian should have an understanding of its truth. The Bible teaches in Hebrews six that we are to have an understanding of eternal judgment. We all need to have a healthy dose of the fear of God in this respect. This is what helps us to stay on the straight and the narrow.
Matthew 10:28 "And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
The word "destroy" in this setting means to literally give over to eternal misery.[18] It is not talking about the death of the soul but rather giving the soul over to eternal misery.
There are many questions in people’s minds concerning hell: Is it a real place, do all unsaved people go there, will it continue to exist forever, will people who are consigned there be tormented forever or will they be annihilated? The only way to understand this subject and to answer these questions is to look to the Bible for the answers.
Hell is the place or state of final punishment of the wicked. It is an actual place, as surely as heaven is. Many like to accept that heaven is a place while rejecting hell as a place. Just as God has a place of happiness for the redeemed who serve Him, so God has a place of punishment for the rebellious who serve the Devil. Jesus the perfect compassionate One, spoke more on hell than all other Bible writers, because He came to save men from it.
1. Do Some Souls Cease To Exist?
There are some who believe that the souls of those who do not go to Heaven will be annihilated or cease to exist. The Bible clearly indicates that this is not so. The soul is eternal, and will spend eternity in Heaven or in Hell.
Mark 9:47-48 "And if your eye makes you sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire; "where `their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.'
The kind of worm that is spoken of here is the kind that preys upon dead bodies – this speaks of their punishment after death will never cease. It also symbolizes the loathsomeness of the penalty.
Revelation 20:10,15 And the devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever... And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.
2. What About Purgatory?
Some people believe that the soul of man goes to an intermediate place between Heaven and Hell called purgatory. It is believed that in this place the soul goes through a fiery purging to make it pure enough to enter Heaven later on. There is no evidence of this in the Bible. The Bible makes it very clear that we can only enter heaven through the righteousness of Jesus.[19] Our own righteousness will never be good enough. There is only one method for dealing with sins ever mentioned in the Bible.[20]
1 John 1:7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.
Hell is neither annihilation nor a place of temporary punishment. It is not a place of probation or a state of non-existence. An honest consideration of the Scriptures will show that hell is a place of eternal punishment. Hell is a self-chosen and self-inflicted curse, the inevitable outcome of sin.
3. What About Reincarnation?
The Bible absolutely does not teach reincarnation anywhere. It teaches that it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment.
Hebrews 9:27 And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.
Reincarnation teaches that when a person dies, his soul goes to live in a new body that is being born, and that this process repeats itself over and over again. This belief of Hinduism teaches that how we live our life determines the Karmic debt that we must pay off in the next life. The basic idea is that we are stuck on an endless wheel of life, death, and reincarnation until we improve our state through many thousands of lives.[21]
VI. What Is Hell Going To Be Like?
The Bible has a lot to say about Hell. It is a place that the devil and demons inhabit. It is such an awful place to be, that Jesus said it would be better to cut off your hand or gouge out your eye rather than to go there. There is crying and total darkness in Hell. It is described as a lake made up of fire and brimstone. The fire in Hell cannot be put out and causes intense pain and agony.
It is true that people can partially experience Hell on earth. Those who live in rebellion against God and His ways do experience to a small degree some of the things that those in Hell are suffering. This experience is however, only a slight foretaste of the miseries that the occupants of Hell experience forever.
1. Hell Will Be A Place Of Fire And Brimstone.
Revelation 19:20 Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone.
Revelation 20:10 And the devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
Revelation 20:14-15 Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.
2. Hell Will Be A Fire That Is Never Quenched.
It is a fire that shall never be quenched. It shall go on forever and ever.
Mark 9:43 And if your hand makes you sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed, than having two hands, to go to hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched.
Mark 9:45 And if your foot makes you sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame, than having two feet, to be cast into hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched.
3. Hell Will Be a Place of Intense Torment, Pain & Weeping.
Matthew 13:42 ...and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
Matthew 13:50 ...and cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
The parable of the rich man and Lazarus illustrates to us the intensity of the pain that will exist in Hell. The rich man speaks of being tormented in the flame and does not wish this place of torment upon anyone – Luke 16:19-28.
Hell will be a place where it will be terrible torment to have lusts which cannot be satisfied and a conscience that torments past guilt and rejected grace.
4. It Shall Be A Place Of Blackness & Darkness.
Jude 1:13 ...raging waves of the sea, foaming up their own shame; wandering stars for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.
IV. Concluding Remarks.
As we have seen, Hell will be a terrible place separate from the presence of God, the rejected Lamb, the holy angels and the redeemed. No light, life, peace, joy righteousness, nor salvation, but only darkness and torment of conscience will be there for those who rejected and despised the grace of God. This is the Hell Jesus Christ died to save us from.[22]
The important thing to keep in mind is that Jesus did not come into the world to condemn it. The world was already condemned. Jesus came so that the world would be saved from this awful place of torment.
John 3:17-19 "For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. "He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. "And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
2 Peter 3:9-11 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....
A great deal of people will end up in hell. They will come from every background, society, religion, and culture. Among their numbers will include those who the Bible describes as:
1. Those who do not know God. (2 Thessalonians 1:8)
2. Those who do not obey the Gospel of Jesus Christ. (2 Thessalonians 1:8)
3. Sinners and hypocrites. (Isaiah 33:14)
4. Those that practiced lawlessness. (Matthew 13:41)
5. Cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murders, sorcerers, sexually immoral, idolaters, and all liars. (Revelation 21:8)
6. Homosexuals, adulterers, thieves, covetous people, drunkards, extortioners. (1 Corinthians 6:9-10)
The Bible says the road to hell is wide and the road to heaven is narrow. Which road are you traveling on?
Pray that you will be among the righteous and be a part of the new heaven and the new earth and not a part of the lake of fire and its torment. As long as you continue to follow Jesus your place in heaven is assured.
Biblical Perspectives From God’s Word
The Revelation of God’s Grace
The Grace of God Ken Birks, Pastor/Teacher
I. Introductory Remarks.
I. Introductory Remarks.
In this lesson we are going to begin looking at what it really means to be in the grace of God.
Ephesians 2:6-8 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,
Q. What does it mean to be saved by Grace?
In this lesson we will be looking at more specifically how God's grace is carried out in our lives. What does it really mean to live by grace?
The grace of God involves more than the dimension of it simply being God's unmerited favor towards us. It is also God's divine enabling through His Spirit. Through God's grace we are enabled to cope with whatever adversity, trial, or dilemma we face in a godly manner. We are also equipped by His grace to perform the spiritual tasks He gives us to do.
1 Peter 4:10 As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.
2 Corinthians 9:8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, have an abundance for every good work.
• This is a powerful promise to us concerning His grace towards us.
This means no matter what the situation we are going through, no matter what the problem we are dealing with and no matter what the task we are involved in, God's grace and sufficiency will be there to sustain us and help us in all that we put our hand to do.
2 Corinthians 2:14 Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.
Philippians 2:12-13 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.
• The Problem: Many Christians fail to walk in the fullness of God's grace and often revert back to walking in a spirit of condemnation and guilt, which leads to a performance based walk because of a failure to fully understand the reality of a continuous walk in God's grace.
Q. Do you consider yourself a performance based Christian or a Grace based Christian?
• Performance Vs. Grace Test.
If you knew you only had one month to live, how would you prepare yourself to meet the Lord during that month? Check any boxes below that you would do.
ρ Pray harder
ρ Memorize more scripture
ρ Read Bible more
ρ More spiritual works
ρ Give more money
ρ Pay your tithes
ρ Witness more
ρ Repent of every bad habit and sin
If your answer was yes to any of these questions, you are probably a performance based Christian who is trying to work to earn God's favor. These are all good things to do, but this isn't what God expects from us to gain His favor. We are already as perfect as we will ever be in God's eyes.
Hebrews 10:14 For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.
• The apostle Paul addressed this issue to the Galatians.
Galatians 3:3 Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?
Galatians 3:3 (NIV) Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?
There is no amount of work you can do to earn any more of God's favor. His favor has already been granted to you through His grace which is a free gift. To live as
a performance based Christian is to become estranged from Christ and nullify the work of His grace in your life.
Galatians 5:4 You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.
Strongs: 2673. katargeo, kat-arg-eh'-o; from G2596 and G691; to be (render) entirely idle (useless), lit. or fig.:--abolish, cease, cumber, deliver, destroy, do away, become (make) of no (none, without) effect, fail, loose, bring (come) to nought, put away (down), vanish away, make void.
• What does the term “fallen from grace mean?”
When it says you have fallen from grace, I do not believe it's referring to your salvation experience, but rather the appropriating of God's divine ability in your life. You are simply walking in your own sufficiency rather than Christ's and thus you become estranged from Him.
II. Our Need For God's Grace.
II. Our Need For God's Grace.
1. Our Condition Prior To Our Salvation Experience.
As we have seen from previous lessons, we are born into sin and unclean in God's eyes. Because God is a perfect and righteous God and we are imperfect and unrighteous in His eyes, we are without hope without His grace and forgiveness. It is only as we apply the Blood of Christ to our sins and accept Jesus Christ as our Lord that we are able to come to Him.
Romans 3:10-12 As it is written: "There is none righteous, no, not one; 11There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God. 12They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one."
Isaiah 64:6 But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousness are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, Have taken us away.
Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
2. God's Answer To Our Need.
Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Ephesians 2:8-10 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
• Definition of Grace: Grace is God's free and unmerited favor shown to guilty sinners who deserve only judgment. It is the love of God shown to the unlovely. It is God reaching downward to people who are in rebellion against Him.[23]
III. How To Live And Reign In God's Kingdom By Grace.
III. Living And Reigning In God's Kingdom By Grace.
When we came to Christ, we recognized our need for His grace and love and had no problem accepting what He had to offer because of our helpless condition. But how many of us continue to live in this helpless condition, being totally dependent upon His grace and sufficiency to cover over lives?
Galatians 3:3 (NIV) Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?
If we come to God's kingdom by Grace, we must also live in it by grace. If we couldn't get into God's kingdom by good works, good works will not sustain us either.
1. We Must Be Continually Motivated By Grace.
Philippians 1:6 being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you [by His grace] will [will also by His grace] complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;
We are brought into God's kingdom by grace; we are sanctified by grace; we are motivated by grace; we are called to serve by grace; we receive strength to endure trials by grace; and we are glorified by grace. The entire Christian life is lived under the reign of God's grace.
• A Definition of Grace:
Being motivated by grace means that we realize that it isn't our spiritual disciplines and works that earns us God's favor and blessings in our lives. This all continues to flow from His riches in grace, whether we deserve it or not.
Obviously, if we continue in a pattern of slothfulness and sin, we will begin to reap what we sow.
• Spiritual Disciplines vs. Grace.
There are many godly spiritual disciplines that we all need to be involved in of which are often constituted as our spiritual works. Things such as regular church attendance, daily devotions, Bible study, prayer, fasting, scripture memorization, witnessing, and giving of tithes and offerings are all good and important Christian activities. The question is, do you do these things to earn God's favor or do you do them in response to His love and grace?
• What happens if I forget to pray or I fail God?
Does that mean I go through the whole day with God ignoring me and not desiring to use me? A person who is secure in God's love and grace doesn't get blown away when something goes wrong. They confess and forsake their sin and go on, secure in God's love and grace.
Proverbs 24:16 For a righteous man may fall seven times And rise again, But the wicked shall fall by calamity.
Hebrews 4:14-16 Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
2. Must Understand that Our Works Are A Result of Walking In God's Grace.
Ephesians 2:9-10 ...not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
• Spiritual works are an indicator as to how we are responding to God's love and grace.
If we are doing things out of guilt to please and appease others, we are performance oriented. If we are doing things out of a godly response to God's love and grace, we are operating under His grace.
James 1:25 But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.
• The true work of God is released through Grace.
When we are looking into the perfect law of liberty we find the spiritual work that God gives us to do is somehow a part of our overall calling and gifting in Him.
3. Must Understand that God's blessings Flow Through His Grace, Not Our Performance.
All of God's blessings and riches flow through His grace and if we are walking as a performance based Christian we have actually fallen from grace and are losing our inheritance in Him as well. That's why so many Christians live unproductive lives.
Ephesians 2:7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
When Jesus paid it all, he not only purchased your forgiveness of sins and your ticket to heaven, He purchased every blessing and every answer to prayer you will ever receive.
• The most important commandment that God has given to us, is to love Him with all our heart, mind and soul.
1 John 3:22 And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight.
• Performance will not bring forth God's blessing.
Most of us are legalistic by nature. We innately think so much performance by us earns much favor and blessing from God.
Peter had this same attitude when he said to Jesus in Matthew 19:27, "We have left everything to follow you. Therefore what shall we have?" Peter had already added up his merit points, and he wanted to know how much reward they would buy.
There are rewards that we will receive for our labors, but if our motivation is self-serving and not provoked by a response to God's love and grace, we will probably lose our rewards.
1 Corinthians 3:13-15 each one's work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one's work, of what sort it is. 14If anyone's work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. 15If anyone's work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.
If we are doing things out of guilt, shame, eye service, as men-pleasers or some other self-serving motive we are performance based people who have fallen from the workings of God's grace and as a result we do not inherit the blessings that are entitled to us as New Testament Christians. When we fail we are guilt ridden and full of condemnation, thinking God hates us and is mad at us, instead of receiving the forgiveness and security that comes from abiding under His grace.
IV. Concluding Remarks.
IV. Concluding Remarks.
Let us all determine to be motivated by God's grace and love, which will produce in us the godly character and good works that He is desiring in our lives.
Biblical Perspectives from God’s Word
The Dynamics of True Servanthood
Ken Birks, Pastor/Teacher
I. Introductory Remarks.
2 Timothy 1:9 ...who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began...
In this lesson we will see what it really means to be a servant of God. We will see that when we have a true Biblical perspective of what true servanthood is we will find ourselves in a place where we are fulfilling the will of God for our lives.
II. The True Meaning of Servanthood.
1. The Example of Jesus.
• Scriptures describe Jesus as God's Servant. Jesus came as a servant to accomplish God's will in the redemption of humanity.
Philippians 2:5-8 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a servant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.
• His instructions to His disciples describe His own role of service.
Matthew 20:26-28 "Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. "And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave; "just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."
• He also told us about our relationship in Him.
John 20:21 Then Jesus said to them again, "Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you."
2. Servanthood: What It is Not - What It Is.
• The world's concept of servanthood.
Often times we confuse true servanthood with the world's concept of it. The world's concept of a servant is that a servant goes to the master and says, "Master, what do you want me to do?" The master tells him, and the servant goes off by himself and does it.
• The Biblical concept of servanthood.
The Biblical concept is more like the Parable of the Potter and the Clay – Jeremiah 18:1-6. Be moldable and remain in the Master's hand.
Jeremiah 18:6 "O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter?" says the LORD. "Look, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel!
a. The clay has to be molded. The clay has to be responsive to the potter so the potter can make any instrument of his choosing.
b. The clay has to remain in the potter's hand. When the potter has finished making the instrument of his choosing that instrument has no ability to do anything whatsoever. It has to remain in the potter's hand.
c. Example of a cup. A cup has to remain in the potter's hand so that he can use in any manner he so chooses.
• Key Point.
The Biblical view is very different than the world's view of a servant. When you come to God as His servant, He first wants you to allow Him to mold and shape you into the instrument of His choosing. Then He can take your life and put it where He wills and work through it to accomplish His purpose. Just as a cup can do nothing on its own, you do not have any ability except to be where the Lord wants you to be.
• The servant of the Lord has to do two things.
a. Be moldable and b. Remain in the Master's (potter's) hand.
John 15:5 "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.
John 5:19 Then Jesus answered and said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.
With God working through the servant, he or she can do anything God can do.
• Servanthood requires obedience. You must do what God is instructing, but remember it is God who is accomplishing the work.
You do not get orders and then go out and do them. You relate to God, respond to God, and adjust your life so that He can do whatever He wants to do through you.
3. The Example of Elijah - 1 Kings 18:16-39.
• Elijah challenges the prophets of Baal and the prophets of Asherah – Vs. 19.
• Elijah challenges the people of Israel to follow God – Vss. 20-21.
• Elijah repaired the altar of the Lord – Vss. 30-31
• He stayed with God and did everything God commanded Him to do – Vss. 34-36. He was acting in obedience to God's command and not based on his own initiative.
• He went where God told him, when God told him, and did what God told him.
• Then God accomplished His own purposes through him.
• Elijah wanted the people to identify the Lord as the true Lord.
• This is exactly how the people responded.
Key Point.
Did Elijah or God bring down the fire from Heaven? God did. What was Elijah doing? He was being obedient. Elijah had no ability to do what God was about to do. When God did something only He could do, all the people knew that He was the True God. And, God did it through His obedient servant.
III. Concluding Remarks.
We are a "doing" people. We always want to be doing something. Once in a while someone will say. "Don't just stand there, do something."
I think God is crying out and shouting to us, "Don't just do something. Stand there! Enter into a love relationship with Me. Get to know Me. Let Me love you and reveal Myself to you as I work through you." A time will come when the doing will be called for, but we cannot skip the relationship. The relationship with God must come first. Jesus said,
John 15:5 "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.
God wants you to come to a greater knowledge of Him by experience. He wants to establish a love relationship with you. He wants to involve you in His kingdom purposes. He wants to accomplish His work through you.
Do you want to be a servant of God? Find out where the Master is, then that is where you need to be. Find out what the Master is doing, then that is what you need to be doing. Jesus said,
John 12:26 "If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor.
• Five Summary Statements.
1. To be a servant of God I must be moldable and I must remain in the Master's hand.
2. Apart from God, I can do nothing.
3. With God working through me, I can do anything God can do.
4. When I find out where the Master is, then I know that is where I need to be.
5. I come to know God by experience as I obey Him and He accomplishes His work through me.
Biblical Perspectives from God’s Word
Discovering and Capturing Your Destiny – Pt. 1
Ken Birks, Pastor/Teacher
I. Introductory Remarks.
It is important for every Christian who has truly been born again to know that we have been born again with a purpose in mind. God has a destiny for each one of us to fulfill.
Ephesians 1:11 In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will,
2 Timothy 1:9 who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began,
• The emphasis of this lesson will be on coming to an understanding that God is always at work in our lives to bring us to the place where we can discover and capture the destiny that He has marked out for each one of us.
Jeremiah 1:5 "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations."
• We may not all be called to be prophets to the nations, but the fact remains that through the foreknowledge of God,[24] He is all knowing and knows our lives from the beginning to the end and as a result He has called us, shaped us and even molded us according to His Divine purpose for our lives.
This is why it is so I important for us to be at peace with the person God has created us to be.
1 Peter 1:2 elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace be multiplied.
• The point I really want to drive home in this lesson is that there are defining moments in our lives where God allows us to see things from His perspective concerning our lives. It is at these moments that we are called to come into agreement with His purpose and calling by committing ourselves wholeheartedly to what He is desiring to do. When we do this we are forcibly laying hold of the destiny that God has marked out for each of us.
• What should be our active response?
Romans 12:1-2 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
• Our plans and decisions in life should now begin to evolve around the destiny God has ordained for our lives.
When these defining moments come they are for a purpose. God is wanting for us to not only renew our commitment to Him, but to aggressively take it to a new level. It demands an active aggressive response from our part.
Matthew 11:12 (NIV) From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it.
II. The Illustration of Young David – 1 Samuel 17:20-26.
The story of David and Goliath is a beautiful illustration of someone who was able to forcibly lay hold of his destiny when he got a glimpse of God’s perspective and purpose at a defining moment in his life.
1 Samuel 17:26 Then David spoke to the men who stood by him, saying, "What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?"
As a result of seeing God’s perspective and purpose, his heart is filled with faith as he begins to forcibly take action. This was a defining moment in David’s life. If he fails to respond correctly here he would miss a great opportunity in laying hold of his destiny.
1. David’s Confession of Faith – 1 Samuel 17:34-37.
1 Samuel 17:36 "Your servant has killed both lion and bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God."
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This wasn’t the first defining moment in David’s life. There were many defining moments that led up to this. One of David’s defining moments was when the prophet, Samuel came to him and anointed him to be the next king. From then on there were a series of defining moments in his life.
David was able to access his past to give him a greater understanding and depth as to what God was doing in the present.
• Assessing the Past: Creating Your Time.
• Question #1: ( Where Have I Been?
Biblical Command: Remember
Biblical Pattern: A Theology of Remembrance {Deuteronomy 8, Psalm 106, O.T. Feasts}
A Big picture overview... the significant people, events, and circum-stances... relationships... jobs... schooling... locations... churches... mentors... family..etc.
If you could determine lessons and patterns from your development, these experiences could provide keys to unlocking your unique and ultimate contribution. The future is best informed by the past, providing greater certainty and hope.
• The Process
Step 1 ((((( Brainstorm... People, events, circumstances
Step 2 ((((( Brainstorm... Struggles, Negative, Painful
Step 3 ((((( Brainstorm... Order Chronologically... Top to bottom.
• Lessons: Pain + Passion = Pupose
Lessons and painful experiences from the Past are the signposts that point to the Future. We often develop a passion from our painful experiences that leads us into the purpose God has for our lives.
Just as each defining moment brought David into a deeper walk with God and added a deeper dimension to his faith. It will do the same for us. It is from faith to faith that we are led into the destiny that God has prepared for each one of us.
Romans 1:17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "The just shall live by faith."
When we step out in faith and forcibly lay hold of what God has already apprehended for us, we are not only solidifying our faith, but we are adding to and capturing the measure of faith and vision that is already at work in our lives.
2. David was Able to Capture His Future by Taking Forcible Action.
The events and lessons of your past have not only been God’s tools to shape your life, they are guideposts that inform your future. Vision is a word picture that captures the future from God’s perspective. The timeline of your life enables you to look back over your life and look for those signposts that are pointing to your destiny.
James 2:17-18 Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. 18 But someone will say, "You have faith, and I have works." Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.
1 Samuel 17:45 Then David said to the Philistine, "You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.
1 Samuel 17:46 "This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.
When you understand the life and ministry God has created you for, you gain the ability and confidence to live, grow, and minister intentionally just as David did.
We all know how the story ends. David kills Goliath and goes on to become a great hero in the land of Israel only to have King Saul turn on him with vengeance.
III. The Process of Discovering and Capturing Your Destiny.
1. Where do we start? It begins with Us. It always has!
Mark 3:13-14 And He went up on the mountain and called to Him those He Himself wanted. And they came to Him. 14Then He appointed twelve, that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach,
2. What is the Key? God is already at work in your life!
Ephesians 2:10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
3. How does it work? The process of Discovery!
Philippians 1:6 being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;
1. Clarifying your past
2. Discovering the future
3. Pursuing your calling
4. What is the result? Hope leads to Courage!
Joshua 1:9 "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go."
IV. Your Unique Journey
Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.
The real test of a man is not when he plays the role he wants for himself, but when he plays the role destiny has for him. (Vaclav Havel, President, Czech Republic)
1. The Discovery and Capturing Paradigm.
• God is always at work!
• Our call is not to invent but to align ourselves with God’s purposes!
• Alignment requires absolute surrender.
God develops us as mature believers over a lifetime. He is actively shaping both our character and our skills.
How has He been at work in your life? It is very easy to lose sight of the big-picture when we are entrenched in the day-to-day challenges of life.
If you could determine lessons and patterns from your development, these experiences could provide keys to unlocking your unique and ultimate contribution. The future is best informed by the past, providing greater certainty and hope.
If you take the time to develop your time line, this will be a great resource for you as you contemplate God’s ultimate destiny for your life.
V. Concluding Remarks.
As we can see through the life of David, God is able to work on our behalf as well as He worked in David’s life. I believe God has given to each one of us a wonderful destiny to fulfill, but it is up to us to discover and capture that which Christ has already apprehended for us. The kingdom of God is forcibly advancing and forceful men and women are needed to lay hold or capture it. As you encounter each defining moment in your life, determine right now you are going to respond forcibly to what God is leading you into.
V. Homework.
1. What is a defining moment and how does it relate to your destiny?
2. Write down at lease two defining moments you have experienced from every phase of your life beginning from your earliest memories.
3. In the Boxes Below fill in your most painful experiences and those things that you are most passionate about and then see if you can write out your purpose based on your pain and passion.
Biblical Perspectives from God’s Word
Discovering and Capturing Your Destiny – Pt. 2
Ken Birks, Pastor/Teacher
I. Introductory Remarks.
Every believer needs to discern their calling, because every believer is a minister. Your maturity and leadership skills are developed over the course of your lifetime along with your character and skills.
Ephesians 2:10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
Ephesians 4:12-13 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;
Ephesians 4:16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
Everyone who has been created and designed by God (that’s all of us) has a unique purpose and calling that has been placed within us by God. It is something that is latent within each of us – a vision that reflects our passion and uniqueness. Our part is to discover what that is. Our discovery began with the time line and then proceeds to your personal calling statement.
II. Building Your Personal Calling Statement.
A personal Calling Statement is your best understanding to date of what God has called you to be and to do. It represents an intentional effort to embrace what Ephesians 2:10 would look like lived out. It is a tool that helps you live a purposed and intentional life of influence by providing a constant yardstick by which you can measure your behavior and your plans.
• Question #1: Where Do You Start?
The key to creating an effective calling statement is to pull the three critical components apart and clarify each one separately. Like a rope of three strands, each strand must be created separately and then they can be woven together.
Those strands are:
1. Biblical Purpose: The reason you exist.
2. Life-Ministry Values: The way God has wired you to live life and influence others.
3. Vision: What God wants to accomplish through the influence of your life, as you live out your purpose.
• Question #2: Where Am I Going?
1. Biblical Purpose.
Living a life of destiny and purpose with kingdom influence begins with a sure foundation. A study of key scriptures helps reveal our reason for existence as individuals. The Biblical foundation of your life is like true north, the point of reference by which all things are measured.
1. Declares the reason you exist
A being Statement
2. Reflects the heart of God
Kingdom perspective
3. Clarifies what is non-negotiable
True North
• Biblical Examples
1. Joshua - As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord - Joshua 24:15
2. Apostle Paul - I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death, and so somehow to attain to the resurrection from the dead – Philippians 3:10-11.
2. Values.
Values are those underlying assumptions, those core-convictions that shape our actions and decisions. They are usually born out of the lessons we learn and then forged into our DNA through times of difficulty and testing.
While some have mistaken beliefs for values, actual values will always be observed in behavior. A mature Christian’s core values represent their unique wiring, the unique ways God has shaped his or her views and approaches on life. Therefore, a focused Christian understands how God has shaped them and intentionally lives, ministers, and works according to those values.
• Life - Ministry Values.
Values are present whether we recognize them or not. Core values are those few, deep seated convictions that guide your life and behavior.
They are:
• What you "pound the table" for?
• What cannot be sacrificed without dissonance?
• What best reflects both life and ministry.
• They are your life messages.
• Decision-making tools and guidelines.
3. Personal Vision - What is God Calling You to Accomplish?
Vision is the ability to see God’s preferable future. It captures in a word picture what God wants to accomplish through the unique contribution of our lives. Vision is the heartbeat of the personal mission statement. God designs it. We discover it.
• Vision ignites passion!
It motivates and captures you as a child of God. It describes what the heart yearns to see accomplished and drives you to sacrificial living and obedience. Personal vision answers the question: If you knew that you would not fail, what would you do in your lifetime for the glory of God?
• Where might God be leading you in the future?
• What contribution to the kingdom has God created you to make?
If Biblical PURPOSE describes the road we were created to travel on. VALUES describe the unique vehicle we use to travel down that road. And VISION describes the destination we are called to travel to.
• Five Facets of Vision.
1. First facet – Vision Defined.
A. A Word Picture of the future from God’s perspective. “A picture of the future that produces passion in you.” Bill Hybels
B. Motivating - What you would mortgage the farm for. Specific enough to elicit emotion, even apprehension. It will engage your passion.
C. Not Purpose Restated - Vision describes destination. Purpose = general intent. Vision a = specific result. Vision requires faith and faith is spelled risk.
Notice, vision is not a restatement of purpose!
D. Dynamic – It unfolds over time. God reveals more in response to our obedience. Look for destiny pointers in your time line.
2. Second Facet – The Characteristics of Vision.
True vision focuses on the future.
True vision captures reality from God's perspective
True vision seeks God's specific call
It involves passion
3. Third Facet – Vision Is Dynamic
Like a Polaroid Picture – Vision begins to come into focus with time.
4. Fourth Facet – Vision Is Personal
This is about you and what God wants to do in and through you!
Unfortunately, when expectations in the past were met with disappointment, we have a tendency to squash or deny any dreams for the future.
5. Fifth Facet - Vision Is Destiny Expressed
It is God’s destiny for me, not for you.
Vision must be anchored in God’s work in our past. If it is invented out of the blue, you will be headed in the wrong direction.
Discovering vision is not dreaming up your biggest dream. It is discovering the good works God has prepared you for.
Ephesians 2:10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
IV. Concluding Remarks.
As you endeavor to put the three strands of purpose, values and vision together you will have a personal calling statement that will help you to stay on track as you navigate through the many changes and curves that life throws at you. It will truly help you to discover and capture the wonderful destiny God has written for your life.
Homework:
1. Write out a simple purpose statement for your life.
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
2. Write out seven of your core values.
1. ________________________________________________________
2. ________________________________________________________
3. _________________________________________________________
4. _________________________________________________________
5. _________________________________________________________
6. _________________________________________________________
7. _________________________________________________________
3. Write out a vision statement for your life.
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
Biblical Perspectives From God’s Word
Unlocking the Mystery of the Godhead
Ken Birks, Pastor/Teacher
I. Introductory Remarks.
The study of the Godhead is an important doctrine for the Christian to understand. It is one of the major doctrines that orthodox Christianity teaches. It is a doctrine that separates Christianity from cults and so called Christian cults. It is considered a great mystery in Scripture, of which in this lesson our goal is to unravel this great mystery.
The question that arises concerning the Godhead, is how can God, who is one God, be three persons? God in the Bible is shown to be three distinct personalities: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.
1 John 5:7 For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one.
• The Word Godhead Is Used To Describe God's Divine Nature.
In the scriptures the word "Godhead" is used to describe the person of God.
Acts 17:29 Therefore, since we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature (Godhead) is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man's devising.
Colossians 2:9 For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily...
Romans 1:19-20 ...for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse.
• The Godhead is a Mystery.
There are many mysteries in God's word of which the subject of the name of God and the Godhead are one of those great mysteries.
Colossians 2:2 ...that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, and attaining to all riches of full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God, both of the Father and of Christ.
1 Timothy 3:16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen by angels, preached among the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up in glory.
Tertullian, one of the early church fathers introduced the word "Trinity" as the most suitable word to define the teaching concerning the Godhead. It's important to understand that the Bible does not use the word "trinity", but it is a good word to describe the nature of God. In this study we will refer to the word the Bible uses, the word "Godhead".
II. A Statement of Faith Concerning the Godhead.
The Eternal Godhead is revealed as one God existing in three persons; the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. All three are co-eternal, co-equal and co-existent in attributes, power, nature and glory.
The Bible teaches very explicitly that God is one, but it also teaches us that God is three. The study of the oneness of God must always be in connection with the threeness of God, and the study of the threeness of God must always be in conjunction with the revelation of the oneness of God otherwise either extreme can become heresy.
1. God Is One.
The God of the Bible, the God whom we worship, is revealed as One God. This is confirmed in both the Old and New Testaments.
A. Old Testament Scriptures.
Deuteronomy 4:35,39 ...The Lord Himself is God; there is none other besides Himself...there is no other.
Exodus 20:3 You shall have no other gods before Me.
Deuteronomy 6:4 Hear, O Israel; the Lord our God, the Lord is One!
Other scripture references are as follows: 1 Samuel 2:2, 2 Samuel 7:;22, Psalm 86:10; 83:18, Isaiah 44:6,8; 43:10; 45:18.
Each one of these verses show clearly that there is one God, and that He is the one and only true God to be worshipped.
B. New Testament Scriptures.
Mark 12:29 The first of all the commandments is, "Hear, O Israel, The Lord our God, the Lord is one.
Mark 12:32 ...for there is one God, and there is no other but He.
1 Corinthians 8:4 ...and that there is no other God but one.
Galatians 3:20 Now a mediator does not mediate for one only, but God is one.
Ephesians 4:5-6 One Lord, one faith, one God and Father of all...
1 Timothy 2:5 For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.
2. Word Study on the Hebrew Words "One".
By doing a word study on the Hebrew and Greek words used for "one" in the Bible we can see this truth concerning the oneness of God and the tri-unity of God more clearly.
The two Hebrew words for one are “Yachead” and “Echad.”
A. Yachead (or Yachid) speaks of absolute unity – a mathematical or numerical number one. It is used about twelve times in the Old Testament, but not to describe the Unity of God. Some examples are as follows:
Genesis 22:2,12 Abraham offered up his only (Yachead) son, Isaac.
Zechariah 12:10 ...they will mourn for him as one mourns for his only (yachead) son.
Jeremiah 6:26 ...make mourning as for an only (yachead) son...
This word is significant of the fact that there is only one way to God, one Son of God, man's only hope of salvation, and this is through the Lord Jesus Christ – John 14:1,6
B. Echad – speaks of a compound or collective unity often a unity which comprises more than one person. ie., one crowd, one people, one nation. Examples of this type of unity are as follows:
Genesis 2:24 ...and they shall become one (echad) flesh.
Ezra 3:1 ...the people gathered together as one (echad) man to Jerusalem.
I Chronicles 12:38 ...and all the rest of Israel were of one (echad) mind to make David king.
The Hebrew word "Echad" is used hundreds of times in the Old Testament and is often significant of a compound unity; the unity of more than one. It is the word which is used concerning our one God.
Deuteronomy 6:4 "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one ("Echad")!
3. A Word Study on the Greek Words For "One".
There are also two Greek words for "one", which are Heis, and Monos.
A. "Monos" means alone, solitary the numerical number one as seen in the example below.
Hebrews 11:17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son.
B. "Heis" means union and concord, a compound unity. Examples of this are as follows.
1 Corinthians 12:12 For as the body is one and has many members, but all members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ.
John 17:21 ...that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent me.
Whenever the Scripture speaks of the fact that God is One, it never means the mathematical or number One God but always a Compound Unity; the unity of more than One Person. It speaks of plurality of Divine Persons in the One God. This Unity is a compound Unity, which unity is revealed as Tri-Unity, the union of Three in One.
God's revelation of Himself in the Scripture is One God in Three Person, Eternal, Self-existent; Father, Son & Holy Spirit, distinguishable but indivisible. The Father is the first Person, The Son is the Second and the Holy Spirit is the Third person.
4. God Is Three – The Tri-Unity Of God.
As clearly as the Scriptures teach that God is one, they also teach that God is Three. There is one God manifested in three persons, distinguishable, but indivisible. These three are spoken to us as being "The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, co-equal, co-eternal, and co-existing in power, majesty, glory and essence – One God in three persons.
The God of the Bible is always revealed as Triune in nature and being. From Genesis to Revelation, whether it is by type or symbol, pattern or created things, or whether it is by clear declaration, Scriptures consistently show that God is always revealed as One in Three and Three in One.
Genesis 1:26 Then God said, "let us make man in our image."
Genesis 11:7 "Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another's speech."
Isaiah 6:8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: "Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?" Then I said, "Here am I! Send me."
• When God appeared to Abraham at one point, He appeared in the form of three men.
Genesis 18:1-2 Then the LORD appeared to him by the terebinth trees of Mamre, as he was sitting in the tent door in the heat of the day. 2 So he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing by him; and when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them, and bowed himself to the ground,
III. The Bible Teaches Jesus As God.
For the Bible to be consistent in showing that God is Triune then the it must also teach and show us that Jesus is referred to as God.
1. The New Testament Reveals Jesus as God.
John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Commentary: Jesus Christ, Word of God – Jesus is explicitly called the Word (Greek logos) in this verse and in vs. 14. The idea of Jesus as Word is one of the most significant insights about Christ in the New Testament. As the Word became flesh, Jesus was God in human form communicating God's will in all He said and did. He embodied ultimate truth. To communicate or proclaim about God is to point to Jesus. Only in Him can life and the universe be seen as rational and meaningful. Human speech cannot adequately communicate God. The Word become flesh can, did, and does show us the Father.
Jesus is the Word of revelation alive in human flesh. His revelation did not begin at birth in Bethlehem. He has been actively revealing God since creation in which He was active. He shows the nature of the life God creates.
John 1:14 …and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
Commentary: Jesus Christ – God's presence became a human being and revealed the fullness of God's identity in flesh. The glory of God (Ex 33:22) became visible as grace and truth which all people need. He is a greater revelation than Moses' Law which revealed God's guidelines for life. He shows those guidelines can really be lived out in human flesh on earth. He is God in flesh letting us see what otherwise was impossible to see.
• Jesus referred to Himself as God.
John 10:31-33 Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him. 32Jesus answered them, "Many good works I have shown you from My Father. For which of those works do you stone Me?" 33The Jews answered Him, saying, "For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God."
The reason the Jews wanted to stone Jesus was because they understood exactly what Jesus was saying. They knew Jesus was telling them that He was God.
John 8:57-58 Then the Jews said to Him, "You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?" 58Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM."
Again, the Jews were ready to stone Jesus because He told them in verse 58, "before Abraham was, I AM." He invoked upon Himself the name of Jehovah, calling Himself God. When God spoke to Moses this is the Name He referred to Himself by.
Exodus 3:14-15 And God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM." And He said, "Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, 'I AM has sent me to you.'" 15Moreover God said to Moses, "Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: 'The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is My name forever, and this is My memorial to all generations.'
When Jesus identified Himself as I AM in John 8:58, He was without a doubt calling Himself Jehovah God.
• The Father also addressed Jesus as God.
Hebrews 1:6-8 But when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says: "Let all the angels of God worship Him. 7And of the angels He says: "Who makes His angels spirits And His ministers a flame of fire." 8But to the Son He says: "Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your Kingdom.
• The Angels are to Worship Jesus as God.
It also says in the above Scripture that the angels of God shall worship Him, whereas God makes it very clear in Scripture that only God is to be worshipped.
Exodus 34:14 '(for you shall worship no other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God),
The only reason Jesus could possibly be worshipped would be for Him to actually be God. God makes it very clear that He is the only God and that He is the savior and there are no other gods besides Himself.
Isaiah 45:21-23 Tell and bring forth your case; Yes, let them take counsel together. Who has declared this from ancient time? Who has told it from that time? Have not I, the LORD? And there is no other God besides Me, a just God and a Savior; There is none besides Me. 22"Look to Me, and be saved, All you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other. 23I have sworn by Myself; The word has gone out of My mouth in righteousness, And shall not return, That to Me every knee shall bow, Every tongue shall take an oath.
Jesus and the Father are one but two separate personalities as with the Holy Spirit also. God very specifically said He is a jealous God and that He is the only God and the only One to be worshipped, and yet we see in the Scriptures very clearly that it is Jesus who is to be worshipped as God. There can only be one conclusion. Jesus is God the Son, a part of the Triune God or Godhead.
• The apostle Paul Referred to Jesus as God.
Philippians 2:5-7 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.
1 Timothy 3:16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen by angels preached among the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up in glory.
The word "being" in the above Scripture means: remaining or never ceasing to be. The Scripture could read, "Christ Jesus, who remained or never ceased to be in the form of God thought it not robbery to be equal with God.
• God has Highly Exalted Jesus and Given Him a Name Above all Names.
Philippians 2:9-11 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
We saw earlier in the study in Isaiah 45:21-23 that it was to God the Father that every knee would bow down and worship. "The word has gone out of My mouth in righteousness, And shall not return, That to Me every knee shall bow, Every tongue shall take an oath."
The word "God" found in verse 21 is the Hebrew word (Elohheem), which is the plural expression of God or the Godhead. This is why every knee shall bow down and worship Jesus, because the fullness of the Godhead dwells in Him and He bears the name of the Godhead.
Colossians 2:8-9 Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. 9For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily;
Philippians 2:5-11 goes on to explain how Jesus emptied Himself and made Himself of no reputation. He emptied Himself of the right to independently exercise His attributes of deity. He never acted as God. The Father acted through Him and by the Holy Spirit. It took all three personalities of the Godhead to produce God's purpose and will in the earth in heavens.
It was only after His resurrection and ascension into Heaven that Jesus would once again be glorified with the Father. We find this in His prayer in John 17.
John 17:5 "And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.
Now that He has gone through the death, burial and resurrection and ascended unto the Father, He is now glorified and reigns with the Father. All power and authority has now been given to Jesus in Heaven and earth. Jesus took up again in the resurrection and ascension what He had voluntarily laid down in the incarnation.
Matthew 28:18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.
• Peter Understood this when he Preached his Message at Pentecost.
Acts 2:36 "Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ."
2. Old Testament Prophecies Reveal Jesus As God.
Once again, if Jesus is truly God and the second person of the Godhead, we should also find Old Testament prophecies that portray Him in this light.
• His goings forth have been from everlasting.
Micah 5:2 "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, From everlasting."
• He shall be called the Mighty God.
Isaiah 9:6 For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
This prophecy actually reveals the fullness of the Godhead dwelling upon Jesus. He is referred to as the Everlasting Father, which reveals the Father in Him, the Counselor, which reveals the Holy Spirit in Him and of course the Prince of Peace by which Jesus the Son has been called. Jesus bears both the name and characteristics of the Father and the Holy Spirit, because the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily in Him.
3. Jesus is revealed as God through the Alpha & the Omega.
Revelation 1:8 "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End," says the Lord, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty."
• Both Jesus and the Lord Jehovah identify themselves as the First and the Last.
Revelation 1:17-18 And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, "Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. 18"I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.
Revelation 22:12-13 "And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work. 13 "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last."
Isaiah 44:6 "Thus says the LORD (Jehovah), the King of Israel, And his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: 'I am the First and I am the Last; Besides Me there is no God.
Here we see the Father and the Son (His Redeemer, the LORD of Hosts) are identified together as the First and the Last and as God. There is only one conclusion, and that is that Jesus and Jehovah are one and both are a part of the Godhead.
III. The Holy Spirit Is Referred To As God.
Up to this point in this lesson, we have focused our attention on Jesus as God showing conclusively that He is referred to as God. In this section the purpose will be to establish that the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Godhead and is also referred to as God.
1. The Holy Spirit Took Part In The Creation Of The World.
The Bible shows in Genesis the first chapter that it was God who created the heavens and the earth, but it speaks of the plurality of God in Genesis 1:26 where it says, "let Us make man in Our image." The thought that I want to establish here is that the Holy Spirit was involved in the creation of the world and therefore if it was God who created the world, then the Holy Spirit must also be a part of the Godhead.
• The Spirit of God Hovered over the face of the waters.
Genesis 1:2 The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
• Job's Friend: "The Spirit of God has made me."
Job 33:4 The Spirit of God has made me, And the breath of the Almighty gives me life.
The Spirit of God in the Hebrew is referred to as the breath of the Almighty, and wind by resemblance breath, divine inspiration.
• The Holy Spirit involved in the creation of animals and sea creatures.
Psalms 104:25 This great and wide sea, In which are innumerable teeming things, Living things both small and great.
Psalms 104:30 You send forth Your Spirit, they are created; And You renew the face of the earth.
• The example of Ananias.
Acts 5:3-5 But Peter said, "Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself? 4"While it remained, was it not your own? And after it was sold, was it not in your own control? Why have you conceived this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God." 5Then Ananias, hearing these words, fell down and breathed his last. So great fear came upon all those who heard these things.
Ananias lied to the Holy Spirit, but in verse five, it says, "he lied to God." This is because the Holy Spirit is a part of the Godhead an is also God. He is just as much God as the Father and the Son.
• Scripture came by the inspiration of God or by the Holy Spirit.
2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,
IV. The Godhead in Action.
1. All Three Persons of the Godhead were involved in the creation of the world.
• The Father's Involvement.
Genesis 1:1-3 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. 3Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light.
• The Son's Involvement in Creation.
Colossians 1:16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.
Ephesians 3:9 and to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ;
• The Holy Spirit's Involvement in Creation.
Genesis 1:2 The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
2. The Godhead Involved in the Resurrection of Jesus.
• The Father's Involvement.
Acts 2:36 "Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ."
• The Son's Involvement.
John 10:17-18 "Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. 18"No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father."
• The Holy Spirit's Involvement.
Romans 8:11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.
3. Our Access to the Father.
Ephesians 2:18 For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.
4. The Godhead at the Baptism of Jesus.
Matthew 3:15-17 But Jesus answered and said to him, "Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." Then he allowed Him. 16When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. 17And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."
The Father spoke and the Holy Spirit descended in the form of a dove on the Son, Jesus. The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit always work together, because they are one.
V. Types of The Godhead.
1. The Sun, Moon & Stars.
Romans 1:20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,
The sun, moon and the stars were the first created type of the Godhead bodily as the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The Sun represents the glory of the Father, the moon reflects the glory of the sun in the same way the Son (Jesus) reflects the glory of the Father and the stars represent the omnipresence of God the Holy Spirit.
2. The Ark of Noah – Genesis 6:14-19.
The ark represents the Godhead in the sense that there was one ark with three stories. There was one door in the middle story, just as Jesus is the door and the middle person of the Godhead. There was one window, or light giver in the upper story. To see the light you had to look up.
VI. Concluding Remarks.
Just as our body cannot exist without our soul and our spirit, the Father cannot exist without the Son and the Holy Spirit. They are all interdependent upon each other. This is why when Philip asked Jesus to show him the Father, Jesus responded by saying, "He who has seen Me has seen the Father."
John 14:8-9 Philip said to Him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us." 9Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, 'Show us the Father'?
There is only one God. There never has been any except Him. Therefore God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit have always existed together, they are eternal.
Isaiah 43:10-11 "You are My witnesses," says the LORD, "And My servant whom I have chosen, That you may know and believe Me, And understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, Nor shall there be after Me. 11I, even I, am the LORD, And besides Me there is no savior.
• The invisible attributes and His eternal Godhead is seen in through creation.
Romans 1:20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,
Biblical Perspectives from God’s Word
The Glorious Body of Christ
Ken Birks, Pastor/Teacher
I. Introductory Remarks.
This study will focus on the "Glorious Body of Christ" beginning with "Christ’s Many Membered Body," and then showing how our personalities, relationships, giftings and servanthood all work together to produce the Glorious Body of Christ in the earth.
Hebrews 10:5 Therefore, when He came into the world, He said: "Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, but a body You have prepared for Me.
When Jesus walked on this earth almost 2,000 years ago, He was the full embodiment of Christ, the manifestation of God in the flesh. He came in the express image of God the Father with the brightness of the Father's glory indelibly stamped upon His personage. He was given the Spirit without measure that He might fully express the Father's image and glory to all who witnessed His coming.
John 3:34-35 For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit. The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands. (NIV)
I. Jesus, the Manifestation of the Body of Christ.
• Jesus was the anointed One sent from God to show us God in all of His majesty, power and grace.
John 1:14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
Jesus showed us the true character of God and what it means to truly love, care and minister to others with the fruit of the Spirit pouring forth out of His life. He showed us the awesome power and majesty of God through the gifts of the Spirit that were manifested in His life. He showed us what it is to operate in the authority of God through His anointed teaching, casting out demons and speaking with wisdom to those who opposed Him. He was certainly the embodiment of God in the flesh. He manifested God's power, character and authority in an amazing way. Yet He did all of this as a man totally submitted to the fullness of the Spirit working through His life.
Philippians 2:5-7 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a servant, and coming in the likeness of men.
It's important to understand that when Jesus came to earth, He never ceased being God. He was and is the second person of the Godhead. But what He did do was this; He made Himself of no reputation by allowing Himself to be stripped of His power to act as God. He became dependent upon the Holy Spirit working through Him just as you and I must do. That's why it says, "Let this same attitude be in you". You see Jesus came to show us how to be the many membered Body of Christ.
• The Divine Seed had to be planted in the earth.
The time came when the Divine seed of God that had come to fruition in the life of Jesus had to be buried in the earth, so that it could bring forth a more glorious expression of God's fullness.
You see Jesus was limited by space and time. God needed a vehicle or expression of His image that was not limited by space and time. And for this reason Jesus had to die so that the Divine seed could multiply and bring forth a greater harvest of sons. His purpose was to bring forth a many membered body that would be much more glorious than the single expression of His Body in Jesus.
John 12:23-24 But Jesus answered them, saying, "The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified. "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.
II. The Purpose of Christ's Death.
• Our sins had to be purged and atoned for.
The death of Christ was an eminent part of God's overall plan to bring many sons to glory. In order for us to be made acceptable in God our sins had to be atoned for.
Hebrews 2:10-11 For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the author of their salvation perfect through sufferings. For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren,
Hebrews 1:3 ...who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high...
Revelation 1:5-6 ...and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
Before God can breathe His Holy Spirit into us and cause us to be born again of the incorruptible seed of God's own Divine nature, we, first of all, had to be cleansed by Christ's blood.
▪ He broke down the middle wall of partition between us.
Because mankind is made up of many races, tribes, cultures and other things that divide, the wall of partition between us had to be broken down. If we are to be united together in Him to bring forth a more glorious body than the body of Christ Himself, all of the issues that divide mankind had to be broken down. This too, was accomplished through His death!
Ephesians 2:14-16 For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of division between us, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity.
Through the death of Christ, God provided the means for the two greatest obstacles of His body coming together in the fullness of Him – our sin and our differences.
VI. The Many Membered Body.
• God is calling for unity out of diversity.
Romans 12:3-5 For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.
When God's call of salvation goes out to people, it knows no boundaries. It goes out to all peoples of all races, cultures, backgrounds, genders, personalities, classes, political backgrounds, etc. God's idea is to create one new man out of all these diversities of people. This is where the fun begins and where the work of the cross comes into play.
God has given to each person in the body a measure of faith and gifting in Him, but for the body to come together as the glorious body of Christ that He has destined it for, there must be a meshing together.
1 Corinthians 12:13-14 For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body; whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free; and have all been made to drink into one Spirit. For in fact the body is not one member but many.
• We must endeavor to walk together in unity now that we have been baptized into one body.
Ephesians 4:1-7 I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to have a walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift.
In the midst of all of our diversities, we must now learn how to walk together in unity and have the same care for one another. This is what knits the body together and causes it to be the glorious body that God has ordained. We have many differences such as:
▪ personalities
▪ backgrounds eg. drugs, gang, good kid, etc.
▪ race
▪ gender
▪ culture
▪ politics
▪ giftings
▪ strengths
▪ weaknesses
▪ class, eg. rich, poor
1 Corinthians 12:25 ...that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another.
▪ How is this accomplished?
In Christ we are not to know each other after the flesh, but rather after the new creation we have become.
2 Corinthians 5:16-17 Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
God's desire is to have a fully functioning body that continually edifies itself in love with each member contributing to the overall growth and encouragement of the body.
Psalms 50:2 Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God will shine forth.
IV. Concluding Remarks.
As we seek to find that place in the Body of Christ that God has so perfectly designed for us, we will be contributing to fullness that God has ordained for the Body to come into.
Ephesians 4:16 (NLT) Under his direction, the whole body is fitted together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.
Ephesians 1:22-23 And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, 23which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.
Biblical Perspectives from God’s Word
The Person & Ministry of the Holy Spirit
Ken Birks, Pastor/Teacher
I. Introductory Remarks.
The goal of this lesson will be to define who the Holy Spirit is, His role and how He works in the lives of believers.
My purpose is not to exalt the person of the Holy Spirit above Jesus and the Father, but to simply show us that it takes all three persons in the Godhead working in our lives for us to be complete and that it takes having a relationship with the person of the Holy Spirit to be able to give full honor and glory to the Father and the Son. It also takes a having a relationship with the person of the Holy Spirit for us to come into the fullness of what God has destined for our lives.
• After believing and trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ we are sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, Who is the guarantee of our inheritance until our complete redemption.
Ephesians 1:13-14 In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.
• Everything that has been committed to us from Jesus Christ and the Father are kept in our lives because of the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
2 Timothy 1:13-14 Hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me, in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. 14That good thing which was committed to you, keep by the Holy Spirit who dwells in us.
II. The Spirit’s Divine Association with the Father and Son.
• The Holy Spirit is revealed in scripture to be the third person in the eternal Godhead.
• The Holy Spirit is a title that is often associated with the Father and Son.
Matthew 28:19 "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit..
1 John 5:7-8 For there are three who bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one. 8And there are three that bear witness on earth: the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three agree as one.
• The Holy Spirit is just as much God as the Father and the Son are. He is a distinct personality.
He is not merely an influence, but a Divine person, coequal and co-eternal with the Father and the Son. Believers can be robbed of a real relationship with the Holy Spirit if they consider the Spirit to be an impersonal influence, power or energy.
John 16:13-14 "However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. 14"He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.
• Jesus said that the Holy Spirit would represent Him in every way.
He came to came to take Jesus' place and in so doing He fulfills the ministry of Jesus on the earth. In order to do this He must be equal to Jesus; and He must be a person. The Holy Spirit is the silent member of the eternal Godhead. By that we mean He never projects Himself He always glorifies God the Father and God the Son.
III. The Holy Spirit Has Divine Attributes.
The same essential and moral attributes ascribed to the Father and the Son are also ascribed to the Holy Spirit. This could only be so if the Holy Spirit is indeed a Divine person.
• The Holy Spirit is called God. When Peter said, "You have not lied unto men, but unto God", he was referring to the Holy Spirit being God.
Acts 5:3-4 But Peter said, "Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself? 4"While it remained, was it not your own? And after it was sold, was it not in your own control? Why have you conceived this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God."
• The Holy Spirit is Eternal. Jesus offered His blood through the eternal Spirit.
Hebrews 9:14 ...how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
• The Holy Spirit Is Omnipotent or (All-Powerful).
Luke 1:35 And the angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you..
• The Holy Spirit Is Omniscient or (All-Knowing).
John 14:26 "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.
1 Corinthians 2:10 But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.
• The Holy Spirit Is Omnipresent (Everywhere-Present).
Psalms 139:7-10 Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? 8If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. 9If I take the wings of the morning, And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, 10Even there Your hand shall lead me, And Your right hand shall hold me.
IV. Other Attributes and Works of the Holy Spirit.
• The Holy Spirit was active in the creation of the world – Genesis 1:1-2.
• The Holy Spirit Is Active In The regeneration of fallen man – John 3:3-5.
• The Holy Spirit Is actively involved in the resurrection of the body – Romans 8:11.
• The Holy Spirit was active in the inspiration of Scripture – 2 Timothy 3:16, 2 Peter 1:21
• The Holy Spirit has a mind – Romans 8:21.
• The Holy Spirit has a will – 1 Corinthians 12:11.
• The Holy Spirit has emotions – Romans 15:30.
As we have seen the Holy Spirit is a divine Person, He is the third Person in the Godhead. He is God indwelling the believer. It is a privilege to have the conscious joy and knowledge of the Spirit within.
V. The Holy Spirit in the Life Jesus and the Believer.
1. The Holy Spirit in the Life of Jesus.
In order to fully understand how the Holy Spirit works in the life of the believer, it is important to see how He worked in the life of Jesus. Keep in mind that when Jesus came to earth, He emptied Himself of all of His Divine Attributes and became dependent upon the Holy Spirit in the same way that a believer must.
Philippians 2:5-8 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.
The whole life of Jesus as a perfect Man was governed by the Spirit. If Jesus depended upon the Holy Spirit in such a manner, how much more should the believers constantly depend upon the Holy Spirit.
All that God has for us and wants to do in our lives will only be done by the operation of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Therefore it is of utmost importance for believers individually and the church corporately to open their hearts to seek the fullness of the Spirit working in them.
Luke 4:14 Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region.
Luke 4:18 "The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to preach the acceptable year of the LORD."
2. The Holy Spirit in the Life of The Believer.
When you have needs in your life, to whom do you turn? You look to the Father because His is the giver of every good and perfect gift. The source is the Father. But the giver of that source is Christ. And the power of the source is the Holy Spirit.
• The Holy Spirit is your helper. He is your assistant to help you receive everything that pertains to life and godliness that God has made available to you.
John 14:16-17 "And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever, 17"even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.
• The New Birth brings forth the Holy Spirit enters Into our lives.
John 3:5-6 Jesus answered, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6"That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
When we come to the place in our lives where we believe on the Lord Jesus Christ we are born again, which means we have received the birth of the Holy Spirit in our lives. He is now resident within us.
John 20:20-22 Now when He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. 21Then Jesus said to them again, "Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you." 22And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit.
• The Baptism of the Holy Spirit Empowers us.
It is important for all believers to understand that God's desire is that we be completely immersed or filled with His Spirit. It is through being baptized in the Holy Spirit that He is totally released and activated in our lives.
The Baptism of the Holy Spirit is a subsequent experience that should follow our experience of salvation and being born again. Every example in the Bible shows us that it was always God's will for believers to be baptized in the Spirit following their salvation experience.
Jesus told His disciples to wait in Jerusalem until they received the Promise of the Father, which was the baptism of the Holy Spirit. This was after He had breathed the Spirit upon them.
Luke 24:49 "Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high."
Acts 1:8 "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."
When we receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit with the evidence of tongues, it brings us into the fullness of the Holy Spirit's ministry and working in our lives.
Following the outpouring the of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit upon the 120 who were meeting in the Upper Room the Church of Jesus Christ was born and from that point on their lives were led by the Holy Spirit into all of the different ministries that were available to them through the Holy Spirit.
Acts 2:1-4 Now when the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them.4And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
As a result of being filled with the spirit they went forth in the same anointing that Jesus did, healing the broken hearted, preaching the gospel to the poor, preaching deliverance to the captives, the recovery of sight to the blind, setting at liberty those who were oppressed and healing and performing miracles.
God's desire is to fill each one of us with the power of the Holy Spirit so that we too can go forth performing the works of God and be led by His Holy Spirit to do all that He has for us. We must realize that we need His ministry in our lives, because, like Jesus, we too, can do nothing of ourselves. Our sufficiency and strength is in Him.
VI. The Holy Spirit's Ministry in Our Lives.
As we look at the ministry of the Holy Spirit in our lives it is important that we understand that His ministry works in conjunction with the will and purpose of God. The purpose of the ministry of the Holy Spirit in our lives is to bring us into the fullness of all that our sonship represents and to be transformed into the image and the glory of the Son.
• He imparts the Divine Revelation of God into our Spirits.
The Holy Spirit has been given to us so that He may instruct and teach us in all of God's ways.
John 14:26 "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.
1 John 2:20 But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things.
1 John 2:27 But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him.
• He Reveals Things That Have Been Freely Given To Us By God.
We have received the Spirit Who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. For it is the Spirit of God Who searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.
1 Corinthians 2:9-16 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.
• He leads & guides us Into God's will & our ministries.
The Holy Spirit is our personal guide through this life. When our lives are dedicated to serving God and His purpose we activate this ministry of the Holy Spirit in our lives. When our lives are full of self will and self-serving motives His ministry in this area will be quenched.
Romans 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.
Whether it is through prophecy, the still small voice, dreams, visions or even an audible voice the ministry of the Holy Spirit is to be our personal guide into the purpose and will of God for our lives. This starts out with a personal calling and then leads into more specific adventures in the Spirit.
John 16:13 "However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.
• The Holy Spirit gives us Victory over sin.
Romans 8:11-13 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. 12Therefore, brethren, we are debtors; not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 13For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
There are many Christians walking around today who are still in bondage to the sins of their youth. God wants to break those bondages in your lives and set you free. The problem is, is that so many people try to break these bondages relying on their own strength rather than the power of the Holy Spirit.
Yield yourself to the power of the Holy Spirit and the purpose and will of God; and you will begin to experience His help and ministry in your lives on a permanent basis. If you yield to Him and allow Him to speak to your heart through His gentle promptings you will find Him leading you through life's many snares and into the purpose of God for your lives.
The Holy Spirit and His Gifts.
The gifts of the Holy Spirit will bring forth the fullness of His ministry in our lives. It is through the gifts of the Spirit that we are able to minister effectively one to another and to receive the help of the comforter in our lives.
John 14:12 "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.
God's desire is to do His works through us that we might be effective in our ministry one to another. Therefore we must be good stewards of all that God has given to us through the ministry of the Holy Spirit in our lives so that those around us will be partakers of His complete ministry.
1 Peter 4:10 As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.
• The following scriptures show that the gifts of the Holy Spirit are for the purpose of completing His ministry of comfort and strength in our lives.
1 Corinthians 14:3 But he who prophesies speaks edification and exhortation and comfort to men.
1 Corinthians 14:12 Even so you, since you are zealous for spiritual gifts, let it be for the edification of the church that you seek to excel.
1 Corinthians 14:26 How is it then, brethren? Whenever you come together, each of you has a psalm, has a teaching, has a tongue, has a revelation, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification.
• The Presence and Power of the Holy Spirit are released through his gifts.
As we seek to be led by the Spirit and press into the Spiritual gifts that God has for us we will begin to see more of His power and presence manifested when we assemble together as His body.
1 Corinthians 12:6-7 And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. 7But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all.
There are two important words in these two verses that should help us to see God's intent and purpose for these gifts, and how He expects them to work in our lives.
It is the same God who works all in all: The word “works” here means active operation, effectual, powerful to be active, efficient, fervent, be mighty in, show forth.
The manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: The word “manifestation” means to make visible, clear, manifest, known. The true meaning is to uncover, lay bare, reveal (Vines).
With these two definitions in mind, we can see that it is God's desire to be fervent and mighty in showing forth and making visible His power through the gifts of the Spirit. We as His people are to be fervent, active, effectual, efficient and powerful in manifesting His gifts in our lives for the edification of the Body of Christ, so that the ministry of the Holy Spirit is effectively released for all of us to profit from.
• The Nine Gifts of the Holy Spirit.
The gifts of the Holy Spirit are the nine gifts mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12:4-11 and they fall into three general classifications: gifts of revelation, gifts of power and gifts in inspiration or vocal gifts.
The Revelation Gifts.
The revelation gifts include the 1) word of wisdom, 2) word of knowledge, and 3) discerning of Spirits. Collectively, these three gifts are supernatural manifestations of the Spirit of God. Through them we may know anything which God chooses to reveal. Each gift is a supernatural revelation given by God to an individual for a particular purpose, and at a particular time and in a particular place.
The Power Gifts.
The power gifts are the 4) gifts of faith, 5) working of miracles and, 6) gifts of healings. Collectively these three gifts are supernatural manifestations given by God for a particular time in a particular place. These three gifts will show forth God's glory, His power, His greatness, His majesty and His victory over sickness, diseases and over death in supplying the needs of His people. The power gifts are for deliverance and overcoming nature itself.
The Vocal Gifts.
The vocal gifts or the gifts of divine revelation are the 7) gift of tongues, 8) interpretations of tongues, and 9) prophecy. Collectively these three gifts are supernatural manifestations of the Spirit of God and, through them, God can speak through man anything which He chooses to tell. Each gift is a supernatural manifestation given by God to an individual for a particular purpose, at a particular time and in a particular place.
From the beginning of mankind, God has always had the ability to speak to men, whom He created. He spoke with Adam and Eve in the garden, He spoke with Noah concerning the building of the Ark. He talked with Abraham concerning leaving His country. He also spoke with Moses and the many other prophets down through history.
Hebrews 1:1-2 God, who at various times and in different ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets 2has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds;
Throughout the New Testament, we also see God as a God who desires to speak to His children. In the Gospels He spoke to us through His Son, Jesus Christ, but now that He has ascended unto the throne of God, He now speaks to us through the Holy Spirit. Prophecy, tongues and interpretation of tongues are the vocal gifts of the Holy Spirit that God uses to speak to us as a people.
VII. Concluding Remarks.
Let's remember that God's desire is to fill each one of us with the power of the Holy Spirit so that we too can go forth performing the works of God and be led by His Holy Spirit to do all that He has for us. We must realize that we need His ministry in our lives, because, like Jesus, we too, can do nothing of ourselves. Our sufficiency and strength is in Him.
If we are to be kingdom builders in the same way that Jesus was and as were the early disciples in the Book of Acts, we too, must be dependent upon the enabling grace that comes from a relationship with the Holy Spirit.
Biblical Perspectives From God’s Word
The Baptism of the Holy Spirit
Ken Birks, Pastor/Teacher
I. Introductory Remarks.
Acts 19:1-2 And it happened, while Apollos was at Corinth, that Paul, having passed through the upper regions, came to Ephesus. And finding some disciples he said to them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?"
This is a question we should ask ourselves. Have you received the Holy Spirit since you believed? Maybe you are like these disciples mentioned here and you are not sure whether this experience is for you or not.
Acts 19:2 …he said to them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" And they said to him, "We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit."
The purpose of this lesson is to assure you that this is an experience God desires for you to receive and enjoy. The baptism of the Holy Spirit is for you today just as it was for the 120 disciples who received it on the day of Pentecost.
Acts 2:1-4 Now when the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
In this passage we have the record of how the 120 in the upper room first received the baptism of the Holy Spirit. It says, "They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues." Peter says in verses 38-39 this promise is to everyone to whom the Lord calls. This means it is for you today! God wants you to be baptized in His Spirit.
Acts 2:38-39 Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. "For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call."
It is my conviction that the baptism of the Holy Spirit is something that God wants every believer to experience. It is to be major part of our life and fellowship in the Lord Jesus Christ as we are involved in carrying out His will and purpose. We are not complete without it. It is indispensable in our walk with the Lord Jesus Christ. We all desperately need it just as much as these early disciples did. It is the baptism of the Holy Spirit that gives us the power to carry out His will in our lives.
Acts 1:8 "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."
This is a gift God wants each one of us to receive so that we can be fully empowered to pursue our destiny with a greater sense of fervency and zeal.
II. What Is The Baptism Of The Holy Spirit?
1. Baptism In The Holy Spirit Is A Full Immersion Into God's Spirit.
The Baptism of the Holy Spirit is more than just being born again of the Holy Spirit. It is a total infilling of The Holy Spirit. The very word baptism means to be fully whelmed or immersed as in water baptism. In water baptism a person in fully immersed into water and in Spirit baptism a person is fully immersed into the Spirit of God.
It is an experience that is subsequent to the new birth. We find in the scriptures that the disciples were both born of the Spirit and baptized in the Holy Spirit. One example of this is found with the people of Samaria in Acts chapter eight.
Acts 8:4-6 Therefore those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word. Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ to them. And the multitudes with one accord heeded the things spoken by Philip, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did.
Acts 8:12 But when they believed Philip as he preached the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized.
These people were saved, water baptized, delivered of demons, and experienced miracles, yet they did not receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit until the apostles at Jerusalem sent Peter and John to them. The apostles in Jerusalem thought it was so important for them to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit that they sent Peter and John to minister it to them.
Acts 8:14-17 Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them, who, when they had come down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. For as yet He had fallen upon none of them. They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
2. Holy Spirit Baptism Is Accompanied By Speaking In Tongues.
The scriptures consistently show that whenever the baptism of the Holy Spirit came to believers, it was accompanied by speaking in tongues.
Acts 2:4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Acts 2:33 "Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear.
This experience with tongues as the accompanying sign also happened when the Gentile believers were brought into the church.
Acts 10:44-46 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word. And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God.
Acts 11:16 identifies both this experience and the one in Acts 2 as the baptism of the Holy Spirit that John the Baptist prophesied would happen.
Let's remember that in the gospels the truth of the baptism of the Holy Spirit and speaking in other tongues is introduced, but there is no indication of what takes place when it happens. We find now in the Book of Acts that when the disciples experienced this truth that both Jesus and John the Baptist prophesied would happen that it was accompanied with speaking in tongues.
Mark 16:17 And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues.
John 7:37-39 Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. "He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water." But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
III. Why The Baptism Of The Holy Spirit Is Necessary.
As we see from these scriptures, the baptism of the Holy Spirit is something Jesus said all believers should receive – “these signs will follow those who believe...” He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive. What is it about the baptism of the Holy Spirit that makes it so necessary to our walk with the Lord?
1. It Is A Vital Part Of Our Spiritual Foundation.
Hebrews 6:1-3 Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, of the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. And this we will do if God permits.
If we are to grow up and be mature into all that Christ desires for us, we must have this experience of the baptism of the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues. We are a spiritual house that is to come into the full measure of Christ.
2. It Brings Us Into God's Supernatural Power.
Acts 1:8 "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."
Ephesians 1:19 ...and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power...
As Christians we are called to do great exploits for God and to wage a spiritual warfare with our enemy, Satan. Without the power that comes forth from the baptism of the Holy Spirit we will find ourselves coming out on the losing end. Our enemy has supernatural power, but God says that He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world – 1 John 4:4. The baptism of the Holy Spirit releases this power in our lives.
3. Baptism In The Holy Spirit Helps To Purify Us.
Matthew 3:11-12 "I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. "His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly purge His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire."
Part of our calling as Christians is to be Holy as God is. We have been called to be holy and blameless. Jesus is coming back for a bride without spot or blemish. In the parable of the ten virgins, Jesus shows us that it is the oil or the baptism of the Holy Spirit that prepares us for this beautiful relationship between Christ and his purified bride.
4. Baptism In The Holy Spirit Builds and Strengthens Our Faith.
Jude 1:20 But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit...
1 Corinthians 14:4 He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church.
5. Baptism In The Holy Spirit Helps Us Pray In God's Will.
1 Corinthians14:2 For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one understands him; however, in the spirit he speaks mysteries.
Although the scripture below isn’t necessarily speaking about speaking in tongues it is talking about a very similar experience when the Holy Spirit takes over. In light of the above Scripture, I believe the same principle is being incorporated when we pray in tongues or in the Spirit.
Romans 8:26 Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us...
1 Corinthians 14:15 What is the result then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the understanding. I will sing with the spirit, and I will also sing with the understanding.
6. It Brings Us Into A Deeper Level Of Intimacy With God.
1 Corinthians14:2 For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one understands him; however, in the spirit he speaks mysteries.
7. It Brings Us Into A Deeper Level Of Revelation Of God's Word.
1 John 2:20 But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things.
1 John 2:27 But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him.
8. It Brings Rest To Our Souls.
Isaiah 28:11-12 For with stammering lips and another tongue He will speak to this people, to whom He said, "This is the rest with which you may cause the weary to rest," And, "This is the refreshing"; yet they would not hear.
IV. Summary & Concluding Remarks.
In this lesson we have seen that it is God's desire for each one of us to be filled with His Spirit to the fullness. It is in receiving the baptism in the Holy Spirit with the accompanying sign of speaking in other tongues that continually allows us to be filled by His Spirit.
I encourage those of you who have not received this wonderful gift to do so. As we have seen, it is a vital part of our spiritual foundation, it brings us into God's supernatural power, it helps to purify our vessels, it build us up in our faith, it helps us to pray according to God's will, it brings us into a deeper level of intimacy, it also brings us into a deeper revelation of His word and brings peace and rest to our souls. These are good reasons to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit today.
Biblical Perspectives from God’s Word
The Word of God and It’s Influence
Ken Birks, Pastor/Teacher
I. Introductory Remarks.
Since the beginning of time God has sought to communicate with the people of His creation. God created man in His own image with the purpose of mankind having a relationship with their God. God has always been the initiator of this relationship and has used His Word as a means of communication. It is important to understand as well that when God speaks and communicates with man, He does it with purpose.
II. The Influence of the Word in the Old Testament.
1. God’s Word to the Old Testament Patriarchs.
• Adam and Eve: It was God’s custom to speak with them during the cool of the day – Genesis 3:8.
• Noah: God told Noah to build an ark – Genesis 6:13-14.
• Abraham: God told him to leave his home – Genesis 12:1
• Isaac: God told him to dwell in the land – Genesis 26:3-6
• Jacob: Was told that he would come back to the land – Genesis 28:1-5
• Joseph: God spoke to Joseph in dreams in preparation bring the twelve tribes of Israel to Egypt for 430 years.
God communicated with all of the patriarchs with His spoken voice, through dreams, visions, etc. His Word to all of these individuals served as a guiding influence in their lives to bring the nation of Israel into existence.
The Word of God spoken to the Patriarchs was something that was cherished and obeyed by, not only them, but to future generations as well. By the time of Israel’s deliverance from Egypt by Moses, a whole community of people had been formed around the Word of God that had been spoken through the Patriarchs. At this time there was no Written Word – just that which had been passed from generation to generation.
1. God’s Word To The Old Testament Prophets.
• Moses: God met with Moses face to face – Exodus 20-40.
Moses spent at the very least 80 days on the mountain with God alone. During this time Moses was given the 10 commandments plus much of the history of Israel and instructions concerning the building of the tabernacle and the laws and customs of Israel. God gave Moses very explicit instructions as to how to build the church in the wilderness. It was with Moses that God’s written word began to evolve and come into existence.
• Other Prophets of the Old Testament
Through out the Old Testament God continued to speak to His people through His prophets.
Hebrews 1:1 God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets,
Much of God’s Word came into existence through these prophets, who not only spoke God’s Word, but also wrote it down. God’s Word through the prophets was a constant guiding influence for the nation of Israel as they came into existence and their prominent role among the nations. God used over 40 people from every walk of life over a period of 1600 years to write His word. In all of this, He spoke with continuity from Genesis to Revelation. Amazing!
III. The Influence of the Word in the New Testament.
1. Jesus and The Word of God.
Hebrews 1:2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds;
John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
John 1:14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
• Even though Jesus was the Word made flesh, He also used the Written Word to validate Who He was and His ministry.
Luke 4:18 "The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed;
Jesus used the phrase “It is written” on several occasions to not only validate His ministry, but also to show the authority of the Written Word. Some of the examples are as follows: Matthew 4:4, 11:10, 21:13, 26:27,31, Mark 7:6, 9:13, Luke 24:46 and John 6:45.
1. The Word of God in the Formation of the Early Church.
• It was relied upon when choosing someone to take Judas’ place.
Acts 1:20 "For it is written in the book of Psalms: 'Let his dwelling place be desolate, And let no one live in it'; and, 'Let another take his office.'
• Peter used it when validating the move of the Holy Spirit.
Acts 2:16 "But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
This is an important point to remember for us as well. There are sometimes things that go in the life of the church that are called movements of the Spirit that cannot be validated by the God’s word. Paul wrote in Ephesians 4:14 and 1Thessalonians 5:21 not to be swayed by every wind of doctrine, but to test and prove all things.
• Paul constantly referred to the Word in the Old Testament with the phrase “It is written” (See Romans 1:17,3:4, 9:33, 10:15, 11:26, 14:11, 1 Corinthians 1:19, 14:21, 15:45).
• Peter also referred to Paul’s letters as Scriptures.
2 Peter 3:15-16 and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, 16as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures.
1. The Role of Scripture in the Church.
• Scripture is the ultimate authority.
2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,
• The Church is the pillar and ground of all truth.
1 Timothy 3:15 but if I am delayed, I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.
In order for the church to truly be the pillar and ground of the truth, it must be faithful to the authority of God’s Word. The only truth the world knows is the truth that is distilled through our lives and the life of the church. If that truth is compromised then it is being distorted in the eyes of the world.
1. Our Responsibility to Scripture.
• We are to read and meditate in it – Joshua 1:8, Psalm 1:1-5.
• We are to study it – 2 Timothy 2:15
• We are to rightly divide it – 2 Timothy 2:15.
• We are to test all things – hold fast to that which is good – 1 Thessalonians 5:21
IV. Concluding Remarks.
When we are faithful to God’s Word we will be extremely blessed in all that we do. This applies both individually and corporately. A church that is built according to the pattern of scripture without compromising will prosper and do well. We see this in Psalms 1 and Joshua 1.
Psalm 1:3 ...whatever he does shall prosper.
Joshua 1:8 ...you will make your way prosperous, and they you will have good success.
Biblical Perspectives From God’s Word
Rightly Dividing The Word of Truth
Ken Birks, Pastor/Teacher
I. Introductory Remarks.
In this section we are talking about “The Bible and its role in the New Testament Church.” A major part of my passion is instilling or imparting to you a real respect and love for God's Word. This lesson will deal with how we as ministers of the New Covenant have a responsibility before God to rightly handle His Word of Truth. This is something we have been entrusted with and given stewardship over. It is an awesome responsibility.
1 Corinthians 4:1-2 Let a man so consider us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. 2Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful.
2 Timothy 2:15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
• Teachers of God’s Word shall incur stricter judgment.
James 3:1 My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment.
• The church of Jesus Christ is the pillar and ground of all truth.
If teachers of God's word begin to distill the truth and water it down by whatever means it will have a direct affect upon the world around us because the Church is the pillar and ground of the truth.
1 Timothy 3:15 but if I am delayed, I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.
II. Areas In Which We Are To Handle The Word of God.
1. We Begin By Ordering Our Lives According To God's Word.
1 Timothy 4:16 Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.
2 Corinthians 4:1-2 Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not; 2But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.
If you have major areas in your life that out of order according to God’s Word it will affect your teaching and preaching. If deception can occur in your life than it will spread into other areas.
1 Timothy 4:12-13 Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity. 13Till I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.
2. Rightly Dividing The Word of Truth in Teaching & Preaching.
As preachers and teachers we have a responsibility before God and the people we serve not to twist and pervert scriptures to fit our own unique perspectives. We must learn to interpret Scripture from God's Perspective. Anyone can wrest or twist the Scriptures to make them say whatever they want. Our goal should be to put our own preconceived ideas aside and truly look at it from God's perspective.
2 Peter 3:16 As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.
2 Timothy 2:15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
There are some simple safeguards that will enable you to be a person to rightly divide the word of truth.
• Make sure your motivation is right before God.
• Do not take Scriptures out of context – No Scripture is of private interpretation.
2 Peter 1:20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
• Study your subject thoroughly and carefully.
Don't rely on what others teach and say. You are responsible to rightly divide the word of truth for yourself and those who will hear you.
What happens if you come up with something different than what you have been taught by those who are in authority over you? Submit it to them and allow it to be tested and proved. Don't just start teaching some new revelation without first submitting it.
Acts 17:11 These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.
• Experiences are not to be esteemed over the Word.
The word of God is the final authority for all matter of life and doctrine.
2 Timothy 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
1 Corinthians 4:6 And these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and to Apollos for your sakes; that ye might learn in us not to think of men above that which is written, that no one of you be puffed up for one against another.
3. The Word Must Permeate all That is Preached and Taught.
2 Timothy 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
A good message will always have lots of Scripture to back up what you are saying. It's the word of God that impacts people's lives, not our fancy words or eloquent speech.
Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
Even though people may want to hear ear tickling doctrines, as a minister of God you have a responsibility to teach them to endure sound doctrine.
2 Timothy 4:2-4 Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. 3For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; 4and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.
• Preachers and Teachers have a responsibility to preach and teach the whole counsel of God, not just a particular area of expertise.
Acts 20:26-28 "Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men. 27"For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God. 28"Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.
4. The Word of God Must Also be Included in All Areas of Ministry.
All that we do as ministers of God is based upon the Word of God. Our counseling, vision and purpose, ministries etc. must be word based.
Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
Again, it is the word of God that changes people's lives, not your well thought out philosophies or psychology.
III. Concluding Remarks.
• The foundation of God's Word keeps us secure in God in the midst of a world that is in the midst of great turbulence.
Psalms 11:3 If the foundations are destroyed, What can the righteous do?
• There is a great reward for those who remain faithful to God's Word.
Revelation 3:8-12 "I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name. 9"Indeed I will make those of the synagogue of Satan, who say they are Jews and are not, but lie; indeed I will make them come and worship before your feet, and to know that I have loved you. 10"Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth. 11"Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown. 12"He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. And I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name.
Biblical Perspectives From God’s Word
The Christian’s Perspective of The World
Ken Birks, Pastor/Teacher
I. Introductory Remarks.
In this lesson we are going to be looking at how God views the world and what the Christian’s perspective to the world should be. This is a very important lesson as we will see how it is that we are to relate to the world and its pressures.
In one sense God loves the world so much that He sent His only Son to die for the sins of the world – John 3:16. In another sense the world is His enemy. This is the domain that Satan controls of which he sets his deceptive traps to lie and deceive the people of the world and of which he tries to influence God’s people.
1 John 5:19 We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one.
2 Corinthians 4:4 whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.
II. We Are Not of the World.
The first part of our perspective of the world should be that we have a good understanding of is that we are not of the world.
• We Are in the World, but Not of the World.
John 17:15-16 "I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. 16"They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. (See vss.11-14 as well)
When we are born again, we are translated from Satan’s kingdom (the world) into God’s kingdom. This means we are no longer of the world, which is Satan’s kingdom and domain. We are delivered from the power of Satan’s kingdom and translated into the kingdom of the Son.
Colossians 1:13 He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love...
When we say we are not of the world, what we are really saying is that we no longer belong to Satan’s kingdom, because he is the god of this world. (See 2 Corinthians 4:4)
The whole world lies under the sway or control of the evil one, which is why we as Christians should desire to have no part of the world.
1 John 5:19 We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one.
• We Are a Chosen Generation, a Royal Priesthood, a Holy Nation, God’s Own Special People.
We are of God’s kingdom, a totally separated kingdom, a holy nation planted in the world, but not of it. Even though we live in the world we operate and live by the principles of God’s kingdom rather than those of the world, therefore we are in the world, but not of it.
1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.
1. We Are to Be Crucified or Set Apart from the World.
If we are no longer of the world it will mean we will have to put to death the world in our lives. The world must become dead to us, meaning it simply no longer exists as far as we are concerned.
Galatians 6:14 But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.
• We Are to Come out from Among the World and Be Separate.
There is no fellowship between light and darkness. We must crucify the world by becoming dead to it.
2 Corinthians 6:14-18 Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? 15And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? 16And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: "I will dwell in them And walk among them. I will be their God, And they shall be My people." 17Therefore "Come out from among them And be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, And I will receive you." 18"I will be a Father to you, And you shall be My sons and daughters, Says the LORD Almighty."
• We Cannot Serve Two Masters.
We must either be dead to one or the other. If we choose to serve God, we must leave the world where Satan is the master
Matthew 6:24 "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.
IV. We Are Not to Love the World.
• We Are Told Not to Love the Things of the World.
The love of the world will steal the love of the Father away from us and cause our hearts to grow cold towards the Lord.
1 John 2:15-17 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16For all that is in the world; the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life; is not of the Father but is of the world. 17And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.
There is a tendency to get distracted by the world when things are not going well in our lives. When pressures and difficulties come it is often easy to be enticed by the world. Remember the Israelites in the wilderness. Because of the hardness of the way they longed for Egypt once again. (e.g. Parable of the Sower - Matthew 13)
• Our Conduct Should Be Without Covetousness.
Hebrews 13:5 Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you."
Covetousness will lead us into temptation and an opportunity for the enemy to try to get us to stumble and fall. It is very dangerous ground to give to the enemy.
The Psalmist writes as to how covetousness caused him to almost stumble.
Psalms 73:1-3 Truly God is good to Israel, To such as are pure in heart. 2But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled; My steps had nearly slipped. 3For I was envious of the boastful, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
Psalms 73:16-17 When I thought how to understand this, It was too painful for me; 17Until I went into the sanctuary of God; Then I understood their end.
• Friendship with the World will affect our Relationship with God.
When we make friendship with the world by loving the things of the world, we become an enemy of God, because Jesus said, “if your are not with Me you are against Me “.
James 4:4-10 Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 5Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, "The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously"? 6But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble." 7Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 8Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.
• Our Perspective and Relationship to the World is a Choice.
Moses chose to suffer affliction with God’s people rather than enjoy the passing pleasures of sin. We should do the same.
Hebrews 11:24-26 By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, 25choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, 26esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward.
V. We Are Not to Be Conformed to the World.
• We are strongly exhorted not to get entangled in the affairs of the world.
The world is trying very hard to squeeze the Christian into its mold. It comes at us in every conceivable way with its lusts and pleasures.
2 Timothy 2:4 No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier.
In our day there is a compulsive pressure of sin and ungodliness that is bearing down upon God’s people that we need to resist by presenting ourselves to God as a living sacrifice.
Romans 12:1-2 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
• The Love of Many Shall Wax Cold Because of the Increase of Sin.
Matthew 24:12 "And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.
The pressure to be conformed to the world will become stronger and stronger. We must resist the squeeze of the world, which we can do by becoming less attached to the world and by denying ourselves and presenting our bodies as a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God. The Word must now be the standard that we conform to.
VI. We the Can Also Expect to Be Hated by the World
Because of the fact that we refuse to be conformed to the world’s philosophy and participation in their sins, we will be hated by the world. (John 17:14)
John 15:18-19 "If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. 19"If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.
As Christians we need to learn how to accept rejection instead of compromising our stand for Jesus to gain acceptance in the eyes of the world.
• All that live Godly in Christ Jesus Shall Suffer Persecution.
2 Timothy 3:12 Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.
John 15:20-21 "Remember the word that I said to you, 'A servant is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also. 21But all these things they will do to you for My name's sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me.
1 John 3:13 Do not marvel, my brethren, if the world hates you.
I. We Are to Be Lights To The World.
Let your light shine and don’t hide it. The world needs to see your light so that they can see Jesus in you.
Matthew 5:14-16 "You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15"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. 16"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
We are to shine as lights in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation. Your light should dispel the darkness of the world.
Philippians 2:15 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...
VIII. Concluding Remarks.
If we are to have an on fire relationship with God our Father through Jesus Christ, His Son, then we must not allow ourselves to be contaminated by the world. The threat of worldliness in the lives of Christians is becoming stronger and stronger all the time, and will only get worse as the Day of the Lord hastens. By keeping our eyes on the Lord and His kingdom, we can keep ourselves pure in a sick and demented world.
Colossians 3:1-3 If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. 2Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. 3For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
Matthew 24:12 "And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.
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[1] Isaiah 55:9
[2] This quote among many others in this study are taken from the CEI Booklet “ The Knowledge of God” by Terry Edwards
[3] All Scripture references are from the (NKJV) unless otherwise noted.
[4] For more information and teaching on the godhead see
[5] Note from the Disciple’s Bible on Psalm 139:7-10
[6]For more information on the foreknowledge of God, see
[7] The knowledge of the Holy, p.60
[8] Romans 3:23
[9] John 14:7 & Acts 4:12
[10] 1 John 3:2. John 12:32, 1 John 2:2, John 12:32, 1 John 2:2, 1 Timothy 2:3-4, Titus 2:11 For more information on the subject of predestination, please see
[11] Isaiah 64:6
[12] Hebrews 4:16
[13] Hebrews 10:14
[14] Repentance will be discussed more thoroughly in a later lesson (see )
[15] See Matthew 25:46 also
[16] John 3:13
[17] See 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, 1 Corinthians 15:20-25, 51-55 & Revelation 20:1-4, 21:1-4.
[18] The New Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament - Joseph Henry Thayer, D.D., page 64, #622.
[19] 2 Corinthians 5:21
[20] Taken from CEI Booklet "Heaven & Hell" by Gary Beasley
[21] Taken from CEI Booklet "Heaven & Hell" by Gary Beasley
[22] The Foundations Of Christian Doctrine - Kevin Conner, page 307.
[23] Quote from Jerry Bridges - Author of "Transforming Grace"
[24]For more information and understanding on God’s foreknowledge, please see,
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