Lecture 28 - Dictations From The Spirit



Lecture 28Review Romans, Corinthians, GalatiansI’d like you to stop and think for a moment about taking on this assignment: Summarize everything you’ve learned this year in a half hour. That has been my challenge for the last few weeks to try and “boil down to basics” four of the most important books in the New Testament that have comprised our study this year. It’s quite a challenge, and if I don’t touch on something, it’s not because it isn’t important. You could live in the books of Romans, Corinthians and Galatians all summer – reading and rereading them – and still get new and fresh insight that will significantly impact your life. Hopefully, the all-important message of grace has come through loud and clear.When I worked at Insight for Living several years ago, I was introduced to Gary Richmond who is a pastor/author. He worked at the Los Angeles Zoo for several years and wrote a book titled A View from the Zoo. He tells some fascinating stories including one about the birth of a giraffe.He writes, “The first thing to emerge are the baby giraffe’s front hooves and head. A few minutes later the plucky newborn is hurled forth, falls ten feet, and lands on its back. Within seconds, he rolls to an upright position with his legs tucked under his body and from this position he considers the world for the first time as he shakes off the last vestiges of the birthing fluid from his eyes and ears.“The mother giraffe lowers her head long enough to take a quick look. Then she positions herself directly over her calf. She waits about a minute, then she does the most unreasonable thing. She swings her long, pendulous leg outward and kicks her baby, so that it is sent sprawling head over heels.“When it doesn’t get up, the violent process is repeated over and over again. The struggle to rise is momentous. As the baby calf grows tired, the mother kicks it again to stimulate its efforts. Finally, the calf stands for the first time on it wobbly legs.“Then the mother giraffe does another amazing and remarkable thing – she kicks it off its feet again. Why? She wants it to remember how it got up. In the wild, baby giraffes must be able to get up as quickly as possible to stay with the herd where there is safety. Lions, hyenas, leopards, and wild hunting dogs all enjoy a meal of young giraffe, and they’d get it too, if the mother didn’t teach her calf to get up quickly and get with it.”He goes on . . . “I’ve thought about the birth of the giraffe many times. I can see its parallel in my own life. There have been many times when it seemed that I just stood up after a trial, only to be knocked down almost immediately by the next. It was God helping me remember how it was I got up, urging me to walk with Him, in His shadow, under His care.”As I looked back at my opening lecture, I said then that in these books Paul was “going to tell it like it is.” I think he did that, don’t you? And you know, that isn’t always just being negative, but it does usually mean getting into someone’s face. It’s telling the truth and we recall that Paul had some positive truths to share with them and us:Romans 8:1 “There is now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus.”Romans 8:37-39 “Nothing shall separate us from the love of God.”2 Corinthians 5:5 We’re given the Holy Spirit as a deposit guaranteeing what is to come.Galatians 5:22-23 The fruit of the Spirit in a Christian’s life is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.We gave the theme of this year’s Bible study as Building Foundation Faith. Now that we’ve completed the course, maybe we should re-title it Building Foundation Faith that Leads to Freedom.One man commented that Genesis tells us where we came from; Revelation tells us where we’re going; and Romans tells us how to get there. The book of Romans is so important to give us a clear picture of what we believe, and why, and how these beliefs relate to daily living and the salvation of the rest of the world. It is head knowledge that grasps the great truths of Christianity and helps us share that truth with others. Remember the Roman Road? We should now be able to answer questions like these –How did Jesus affect eternally the life of every man, woman and child on the planet?What does it mean to say, “Jesus Saves?” What must I do to be saved?I love God, I don’t want to sin, so why do I keep doing it?If we’re saved by grace through faith, is that freedom to live any kind of lifestyle we want to?What is the gospel? Let me share it with you.Remember Romans 10:9-13? –“If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. . . Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”We need the foundation of Romans as we build our Christian life. It is solid and essential head knowledge that will last and serve you well.In 1 Corinthians we were instructed to put out our hands to grasp the privileges in Christ. We’ve discovered haven’t we, that becoming a Christian doesn’t automatically furnish a person with impeccable manners and suitable morals. In the Corinthian church factions had developed, morals were in disrepair, worship had degenerated into a selfish grabbing for the supernatural. So Paul showed them (and us) how to effectively translate God’s saving love into love for one another. There are great privileges in Christ but there is a responsibility too, especially in interpersonal relationships for the church body as a whole.In 2 Corinthians we discovered a book that lifted our hearts to receive the comforts that are our in Christ. We felt for Paul as he was under personal attack. Leadership is a demanding task. But Paul always pointed us back to Jesus, the Someone who can and does understand all about us, and the struggles we face in our daily lives.Finally, in Galatians Paul said, “Stand on your feet!” When people get their hands on “religion,” they want to turn it into an instrument for controlling others, either by putting them or keeping them in their place. Paul was not going to let the legalists herd these freedom-loving Galatian Christians back into the corral of religious rules and regulations by their strong-arm tactics of fear and guilt and intimidation. This church needed a good swift kick for its own good.Can you see how the story of the mother giraffe fits into all this? The church then and now needs to know how to grow from wobbly legs to standing firm and being able to flee from the enemy who stalks in the tall grass of compromise waiting to devour us. Whatever kick of encouragement or rebuke we need, God will give it over and over to strengthen us for a life-long endurance. Are you feeling that kick today? Is He saying to you, “Be strong! You know what is right – do it! Quit searching for something else – I’m all you need! You’ve heard and responded to the truth – Don’t back down.”And occasionally we may need that surprise knock-down to remind us of how we got up in the first place. Maybe your circumstances have knocked the wind out of you. Surprised?? Did you think the Christian life was a permanent escape from difficulty? Surprise again! But that same love that keeps the mother giraffe prodding her offspring is ever so much greater in the love the Father has for each of us. Look up, get up! In the winding trail through the jungle of the world we travel in, God has prepared a path of solid rock . . . the rock is Jesus. So, we began in Romans finding our standing in Christ (our position) and we’ve ended with Galatians taking a stand for Christ and freedom and liberty in God’s grace.Grace – that’s been the operative word this year, hasn’t it? I’m grateful for your positive affirmation about the lecture on grace a couple of weeks ago and it makes me confident that you know what God’s grace is and what it is not. We must stay alert to two dangers concerning grace. I’ll remind you of both: First, that we fail to claim it, live in it and praise God for it. And second, that we misuse it or abuse it.Grace – Liberty – Freedom – wonderful, meaningful words to Christians. I think I’d like to close out our time together this year thinking about our freedom in Christ.Let’s break it down into two parts . . . What we’ve learned about “freedom from” and what we’ve learned about “freedom to.” I’ve chosen six items we’re given freedom from doing and seven items we have freedom to do.WE HAVE FREEDOM FROM:1.Any system of good works or legalistic requirements for salvation that adds to the gospel of justification by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.Romans 3:20 “Therefore no one will be declared righteous in His sight by observing the law; rather through the law we became conscious of sin.”Romans 3:28 “We maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law.” (Remember that justification is the sovereign act of God whereby He declares a believing sinner righteous while he’s still in is sinning state.)Galatians 2:21 “. . . if righteous could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!”Galatians 5:4 “You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace.”As Paul said in Galatians 5:1, “It is for freedom that Christ set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” Christ died to redeem every one of us from this bondage.WE HAVE FREEDOM FROM:2.God’s wrath. Not His fatherly discipline of us, His children, but the wrath that will separate sinful mankind from Him in eternity.Romans 4:7-8 “Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him.”Romans 5:9 “Since we have now been justified by His blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through Him.”2 Corinthians 5:10 “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done in the body, whether good or bad.”Yes, we shall stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ, but only for rewards, not for judgment of our sins. That is the freedom purchased by Jesus on the cross.WE HAVE FREEDOM FROM:3.The mastery of sin in our lives. Not sinlessness in the flesh. Like the old bumper sticker says, “Christians aren’t perfect, just forgiven.” But we have a power for godly living and self-control that the non-Christian simply does not have. The Holy Spirit indwells us and self-control is a part of the fruit of the Spirit.Romans 6:14 “For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.In all of Romans 7 Paul speaks of the struggle with the fleshly sin nature even after becoming a Christian, but proclaims our freedom in -- Romans 8:1 “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”Satan is not our master and sin is not our lifestyle. We have been set free and washed clean by the power of the blood!WE HAVE FREEDOM FROM:4.The fear that God will abandon or reject us. We are not alone in the battles of life. God has an agenda for you and for me. It’s to conform us to the image of His Son Jesus Christ.Romans 8:29 “For those God foreknew He predestined to be conformed to the likeness of His Son . . .”Romans 8:31 “If God is for us, who can be against us?”Romans 8:37-39 “Nothing can separate us from the love of Christ.”1 Corinthians 10:13 “ . . . God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.”Every parent knows it takes a great investment in time and energy to raise a child to maturity. They pout, they grumble, they disobey and even rebel, but occasionally, they throw their arms around your neck with a tight hug and say, “I love you.” The story of the father in the parable of the prodigal son is exactly like our heavenly Father. God is a committed, loving parent. He is there to love, to advise, correct, wipe our tears and cheer us on. He’s very proud of every right choice we make.WE HAVE FREEDOM FROM:5.The concern that God has broken His promise to His chosen people the Jews. If He did, could He break His promises to us?Romans 11:11 “Did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all! Rather, because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make them envious.”Romans 11:28-29 “As far as the gospel is concerned, they are enemies on your account; but as far as election is concerned, they are loved on account of the patriarchs, for God’s gifts and His call are irrevocable.”God is a Promise Keeper! Lastly,WE HAVE FREEDOM FROM:6.Destructive attitudes and actions when we focus on God’s law of love. If we exercise love, we’re free:a) From nursing grudges: It’s called forgiveness.Romans 12:18 “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.b) From being judgmental: It’s called compassion.Romans 14:12-13 “So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God. Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother’s way.”c) From being divisive in nature: It’s called acceptance.Romans 15:7 “Accept one another then, just as Christ accepted you to bring praise to God.”1 Corinthians 13 is the beautiful “love” chapter. Those glowing embers of love consume our destructive attitudes that fuel our differences and, as a result, those embers become the warmth for our household of faith.So, we’ve looked at six things we have freedom from: 1) Legalism for salvation; 2) God’s wrath; 3) Being mastered by sin; 4) Fear of God’s rejection; 5) Concern God will break His promises; 6) Destructive attitudes and actions by focusing on God’s law of love.Now let’s look at seven things we have “freedom to”:WE HAVE FREEDOM TO:1.Boldly proclaim the gospel of truth recognizing it is the Holy Spirit working in people’s lives that convicts of sin and brings about repentance and salvation. We share, God saves “whosoever will come.”Romans 1:16 “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then for the Gentile.”Romans: 5:1 “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”Romans 8 has multiple verses that tell us we’re eternally secure, internally free, and positionally perfect. That’s good news everyone should hear!2 Corinthians 5:17 “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”It is so freeing to know what the real truth is. We’re free to stand on a solid foundation – the Rock, Jesus Christ!WE HAVE FREEDOM TO:2.Pray boldly knowing God hears and answers prayers even when we can’t seem to know what or how to pray. As I told you a couple of weeks ago, a little child can’t do a bad coloring, and a child of God can’t do a bad prayer.Romans 8:26-27 “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will.”What freedom, what a privilege! It’s not how we pray, but that we pray.WE HAVE FREEDOM TO:3.Discipline a sinning brother in the church body for the purpose of bringing about repentance and keeping the Church pure. We cannot tolerate sinful lifestyles as the Corinthians were doing under the cover of calling it “being gracious” or “being accepting” or “being non-judgmental.”1 Corinthians 5:11-13 “But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat. What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside.”2 Corinthians 7:10 “Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.”Other Scriptures we didn’t study this year deal in more detail about this aspect of church life, but it’s important to recognize that sin is still sin (regardless of God’s graciousness to forgive it) and that it has no place being yeast in the body of Christ. This is one of those instances where freedom carries responsibility.WE HAVE FREEDOM TO:4.Exercise our liberty in Christ not to do some things. That almost sounds contradictory, doesn’t it?1 Corinthians 6:12 “Everything is permissible for me, but not everything is beneficial. Everything is permissible for me, but I will not be mastered by anything.”1 Corinthians 10:23 repeats that but ends, “but not everything is constructive.” Just because you can doesn’t mean you have to or should. 1 Corinthians 8:9 “Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak.”1 Corinthians 10:31 “So whatever you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. (There’s the true motive.)The love of Christ constrains us to put others first and be considerate in all circumstances. You’d be amazed at how many others are watching your example and leadership in areas you might not even be aware of.WE HAVE FREEDOM TO:5.Cooperate with the Holy Spirit by using every spiritual gift He has given us to honor God and build the body.1 Corinthians 12:7 “Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.”12:11 “and He gives them to each one just as He determines.”12:18 “God has arranged the parts of the body, every one of them, just as He wanted them to be.”12:25 “So there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other.”Spiritual Gifts are to build the church, not tear it apart.WE HAVE FREEDOM TO:fort one another and be Christ’s ambassadors, His arms to:Comfort at times of death –1 Corinthians 15:51 “I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed – in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will all be changed.”2 Corinthians 5:8 “We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.”Comfort at times of suffering –2 Corinthians 1:3-4 “. . . the God of comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.”2 Corinthians 12:9 “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”Comfort at times of witnessing –2 Corinthians 2:15 “For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life.”What a precious gift it is to have a Christian brother or sister’s arms and words of comfort in times of grief, suffering or rejection. Our ministry to one another is very much a driving force that has kept this Bible study strong over the last 40 plus years. I hope you’ve felt it this year. I know I have.Lastly:WE HAVE FREEDOM TO:7.Excel in the grace of giving.2 Corinthians 8:7 “Just as you excel in everything – in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love – see that you also excel in this grace of giving.”2 Corinthians 8:12 “for if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what one does not have.”2 Corinthians 9:6-8 “Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all you need, you will abound in every good work.Vs. 15 “Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!”My personal thanks to each of you for your financial support this year as well as your contributions to our refreshments. You are openly generous and may you be richly blessed in return.So to recap: We have seven things we are free to do: 1) Preach the gospel boldly; 2) Pray with boldness; 3) Exact discipline in the church; 4) Exercise our liberty in Christ not to do permissible things; 5) Use our spiritual gifts; 6) Comfort one another; and 7) Excel in the grace of giving.At the end of Paul’s letters his thoughts usually turned to individuals. He names many for us in his letters. Our Bible study takes committed people – those who lead, those who work behind the scenes – those who attend faithfully. My personal thanks again to our lecturers: Dan Leppo, Dellena Ludwig, Maggie Fitzpatrick, Steve Mood, and Jeff Swaney. You all did a wonderful job and you’re appreciated very much.I can’t express enough my appreciation for Maggie Fitzpatrick and her valuable help this year as my co-leader and organizer of the viral meetings we had to have as a result of the pandemic virus that hit our nation. These last few weeks of off-site meetings have been a challenge for all of us. May we all gain a new appreciation of the privilege it is when we can meet together collectively.**To our morning small group leaders: Jackie Bredehoft , Michele Dodds, Carolyn Lauer, Dellena Ludwig, Vickie Leppo, Brenda Nederhood, Eric Newman, Pam Rozzi, Lara Rutherford and Connie Watson.**To our hospitality team: Penny Peterson, Jeannie Lydic, Kay Barnett, Caroline Francis and all the ladies who help them.**And, of course, to Liz Robertson and Betty Cureton and the ladies of the chorus . . . Thank you all, very much!*To our evening small group leaders: Terry Addotta, Carol Cotroneo, Margie McCoy, Laura Rutherford, Joni Hutain, Sal Gonzales, Juan Hernandez, Eric Newman and Keith Taylor.*To our hospitality team: Ruth Lee, Joy Mau, and Sylvia Gonzales for the set-up weekly, and Cindy and Howard Brown and others of you for the weekly clean-up. *To our worship team Ginny Michael, Carol Cotoneo, Laura Rutherford, Andy Kwan, Mona Piraino. Thanks to all of you!Let me leave you with four simple thoughts as we leave here and go on to minister in God’s kingdom together:A – Accept variety in the church and view differences as benefits.B – Become a servant. Look for ways to help, teach, encourage.C – Cultivate esteem for others. Magnify their strengths.D – Declare your love and openly show it. It is the mark of a true disciple.God Bless You!WE HAVE FREEDOM FROM:Any system of good works or legalistic requirements for salvation that adds to the gospel of justification by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.Romans 3:20 Romans 3:28Galatians 2:21Galatians 5:1Galatians 5:42) God’s wrath. Not His fatherly discipline of us, His children, but the wrath that will separate sinful mankind from Him in eternity.Romans 4:7-8 Romans 5:9 2 Corinthians 5:103)The mastery of sin in our lives. Not sinlessness in the flesh, but power for godly living and self-control that the non-Christian simply does not have. The Holy Spirit indwells us and self-control is a part of the fruit of the Spirit.Romans 6:14 Romans 7 Romans 8:1 4) The fear that God will abandon or reject us. We are not alone in the battles of life. God has an agenda to conform us to the image of His Son Jesus Christ.Romans 8:29 Romans 8:31 Romans 8:37-391 Corinthians 10:13 WE HAVE FREEDOM FROM:5)The concern that God has broken His promise to His chosen people the Jews. If He did, could He break His promises to us?Romans 11:11 Romans 11:28-296)Destructive attitudes and actions when we focus on God’s law of love. If we exercise love, we’re free from:a) Nursing grudges: It’s called forgiveness.Romans 12:18 b) Being judgmental: It’s called compassion.Romans 14:12-13 c) Being divisive in nature: It’s called acceptance.Romans 15:7 Six things we have freedom from: Legalism for salvationGod’s wrathBeing mastered by sin Fear of God’s rejection Concern God will break His promisesDestructive attitudes / actions by focusing on God’s law of love. WE HAVE FREEDOM TO:1)Boldly proclaim the gospel of truth recognizing it is the Holy Spirit working in people’s lives that convicts of sin and brings about repentance and salvation. We share, God saves “whosoever will come.” Romans 1:16Romans: 5:1Romans 8 2 Corinthians 5:172)Pray boldly knowing God hears and answers prayers even when we can’t seem to know what or how to pray. Romans 8:26-27 3)Discipline a sinning brother in the church body for the purpose of bringing about repentance and keeping the Church pure. 1 Corinthians 5:11-132 Corinthians 7:104)Exercise our liberty in Christ not to do some things. 1 Corinthians 6:12 1 Corinthians 10:231 Corinthians 8:9 1 Corinthians 10:31WE HAVE FREEDOM TO:5)Cooperate with the Holy Spirit by using every spiritual gift He has given us to honor God and build the body.1 Corinthians 12:7 1 Corinthians 12:111 Corinthians 12:18 1 Corinthians 12:256)Comfort one another and be Christ’s ambassadors, His arms to:Comfort at times of death –1 Corinthians 15:512 Corinthians 5:8 Comfort at times of suffering –2 Corinthians 1:3-42 Corinthians 12:9 Comfort at times of witnessing –2 Corinthians 2:157)Excel in the grace of giving.2 Corinthians 8:72 Corinthians 8:12 2 Corinthians 9:6-15 Seven things we have freedom to:1) Preach the gospel boldly2) Pray with boldness3) Discipline in the church4) Exercise our liberty in Christ not to do permissible things5) Use our spiritual gifts6) Comfort one another 7) Excel in the grace of giving ................
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