psalmonesermons

[psalmonesermons]

Lessons from Galatians Part 4a/10

Chapter 4:1-15 Meet your Abba Father

4:1 What I am saying is that as long as the heir is a child, he is no different from a slave, although he owns the whole estate. An everyday example.

2 He is subject to guardians and trustees until the time set by his father. Other people boss him around and tell him what to do.

3 So also, when we were children, we were in slavery under the basic principles

of the world.

By the principles or elements of the world the Apostle does not mean the physical elements. In calling the Law "the elements of the world" Paul is saying that the Law is something material, mundane, earthly. It may restrain evil, but it does not deliver from sin. The Law does not justify; it does not bring a person to heaven. I do not obtain eternal life because I do not kill, commit adultery, steal, etc. Such mere outward decency does not constitute Christianity. Even an unbeliever can observe the same restraints to avoid punishment or to maintain a good reputation. God receives no glory from this. In a sense the Law brings us into condemnation. Paul is saying that such effects of the Law certainly cannot be called divine or heavenly. These effects are principles or elements of the world.

4 But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law,

5 to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights (KJV adoption) of sons.

Two thousand or so years ago in a stable in Bethlehem, Jesus Christ the son of God was born to his mother Mary and was born subject to the Law. He came to redeem humankind from the penalty of the Law, so that we could be freed from sin and able to enter the Family of God as mature sons.

6 Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, "Abba, Father." When you heard and believed the Gospel, God poured out his Holy Spirit into your heart, and he cries ‘Abba Father'.

Daddy God and causes us to know that we are saved, and not only saved, but that we have become sons of the living God. The Holy Spirit operates in us in such a way to produce new motives, new desires, new ways [1].

When the Spirit within us cries Abba Father, we can know for certain that the Father hears him and through him us.

7 So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir.

Checkmate! Says Paul, since we are now sons of God, we can no longer be slaves, but are heirs of the promises of God.

8 Formerly, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those who by nature are not gods.

9 But now that you know God--or are known by God--how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable principles? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again?

10 You are observing special days and months and seasons and years!

The Apostle Paul knew what the false apostles were teaching the Galatians: The observance of days, and months, and times, and years. The Jews had been obliged to keep holy the Sabbath Day, the new moons, the feast of the Passover, the feast of tabernacles, and other feasts. The Judaizers urged the Galatians to observe these Jewish feasts under threat of damnation. Paul tells the Galatians that they were exchanging their Christian liberty for the weak and beggarly elements of the world.

11 I fear for you, that somehow, I have wasted my efforts on you.

12 I plead with you, brothers, become like me, for I became like you. You have done me no wrong.

Paul is saying that it was not that they had not offended him personally in any way, but it was because of his love and concern for them that they should stick to the one true gospel.

13 As you know, it was because of an illness [2] that I first preached the gospel to you.

14 Even though my illness was a trial to you, you did not treat me with contempt or scorn. Instead, you welcomed me as if I were an angel of God, as if I were Christ Jesus himself.

When Paul speaks of the infirmity of his flesh, he does not mean some physical defect or carnal lust, but the sufferings and afflictions which he endured in his body. What these infirmities were he himself explains in II Corinthians 12:9, 10: "Most gladly therefore will I glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore, I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong." "In labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft. Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck," etc. (2 Cor. 11:23-25.) By the infirmity of his flesh Paul meant these afflictions and not some chronic disease. He reminds the Galatians how he was always in peril at the hands of the Jews, Gentiles, and false brethren, how he suffered hunger and want.

15 What has happened to all your joy? I can testify that, if you could have done so, you would have torn out your eyes and given them to me.

The Apostle continues his praise of the Galatians. "You did not only treat me very courteously. If it had been necessary, you would have plucked out your eyes and sacrificed your lives for me." And in very fact the Galatians sacrificed their lives for Paul. By receiving and maintaining Paul they called upon their own heads the hatred and malice of all the Jews and Gentiles.

Amen and your prayer

[1] 2 Cor:5 17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

[2] 769. astheneia, as-then'-i-ah; from G772; feebleness (of body or mind); by impl. malady; mor. frailty: --disease, infirmity, sickness, weakness.

[psalmonesermons]

Lessons from Galatians Part 3b/10

Chapter 3:19-29 What was the Law for?

19 What, then, was the purpose of the law? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come. The law was put into effect through angels by a mediator.

This is talking about Moses. The Law as it were coming through a middleman whereas the promise was given directly from God to Abraham.

The Law was delivered by the angels, but the Gospel by the Lord Himself.

Hence, the Gospel is superior to the Law, as the word of a Lord is superior to the word of his servant.

20 A mediator, however, does not represent just one party; but God is one.

Here the Apostle briefly compares the two mediators: Moses and Christ. "A mediator," says Paul, "is not a mediator of one." He is necessarily a mediator of two: The offender and the offended.

21 Is the law, therefore, opposed to the promises of God? Absolutely not! For if a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law.

22 But the Scripture declares that the whole world is a prisoner of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe.

23 Before this faith came, we were held prisoners by the law, locked up until faith should be revealed.

24 So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith.

25 Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law.

v19-25 So what is the purpose of the Law? The Law exposed our needs once and for all. It was given to show man what he was really like i.e. unable to keep the law and so reveal to him his great need for a Saviour.

The law showed what God’s standards of morality and conduct were and we are unable to meet them. The Law was our teacher that taught the ABC of being in right standing with God.

Was the Law a bad thing? no it has done its job for you and me by showing our need for repentance and turning to Jesus Christ. The law was given to Moses (acting as a mediator) through angels by God , but the promise was given directly to Abraham by God Himself.

Thus in some way showing the superiority of the promise to the Law.

A mediator is a friend that comes between two parties and is not to act merely with and for one of them. God is one party and sinful man is the other.

26 You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus,

27 for all of you who were baptised into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.

28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

29 If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.

v26-29 The believers are no longer counted as servants but as sons of God who have an inheritance in the Father’s kingdom.

Through baptism we have identified with Jesus in His death, burial, and resurrection. so we die and rise again new creations in Christ Jesus.

The Law made a difference between the Jew and Gentile , the slave, and the freeman but the promise brings all true believers together into the one standing before God as sons of the living God.

Some people try to make this scripture try to say all sorts of things that it cannot mean. It clearly does not abolish human sexuality, male and female may be equal in value before God but not in responsibility and are certainly not interchangeable.

Jesus Christ is an equal opportunity Saviour looking only at your heart not your race or culture.

Belonging to Christ we are Abraham’s seed and heirs according to the promise are therefore entitled to the great blessings and privileges of the promise.

Summary

It was always God’s position that man could only be justified by faith and that God accounted Abraham a righteous man who acted in faith. The Law was given to expose sin and sinfulness and was our teacher to teach the ABC of salvation that we are unable to keep the law and can only be saved through faith in the promised seed Jesus Christ.

Through him we have become sons of God and can inherit all the great and precious promises of God.

He will be our God

We will be His people

He will dwell with us

Amen

Your Prayer

[psalmonesermons]

Lessons from Galatians Part 3a/10

Ch 3 :1-18 Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law

3:1 You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified.

They had heard the one true Gospel, that Jesus Christ had been crucified for the sin of humankind, he died and was resurrected to the right hand of the Father, and everyone who believes in Him, shall be saved by faith in Him.

2 I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you heard?

This is a rhetorical question, we receive the Spirit by believing of course.

3 Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?

4 Have you suffered so much for nothing--if it really was for nothing?

Usually it is only the true gospel that gets persecuted.

5 Does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you because you observe the law, or because you believe what you heard?

When the dynamic of the Holy Spirit came to them, by faith, how could they even consider going back to a dead religion, Surely, they could see that the manifestations of the Holy Spirit, occur where there is faith, but not where there is observance of the Law.

Paul, now, takes them back to first principles.

6 Consider Abraham: "He believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness."

Abraham never observed the Law.

7 Understand, then, that those who believe are children of Abraham.

The believers followed his example.

8 The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: "All nations will be blessed through you."

9 So those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.

This is very Good News.

Shocking news.

10 All who rely on observing the law are under a curse, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law."

These curses include poverty, sickness, famine, want, shortage, confusion, defeat, terror, darkness, despair, and separation etc.; see all these curses in Deuteronomy 28.

11 Clearly no one is justified before God by the law, because "The righteous will live by faith."

12 The law is not based on faith; on the contrary,

"The man who does these things will live by them.” The Law only offers life to those who completely obey it.

13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree."

Jesus took it all on the cross that all believers might go free and receive the blessings of God not his curses.

14 He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.

This is the greatest blessing.

15 Brothers, let me take an example from everyday life. Just as no one can set aside or add to a human covenant that has been duly established, so it is in this case.

16 The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. The Scripture does not say "and to seeds," meaning many people, but "and to your seed," meaning one person, who is Christ.

17 What I mean is this: The law, introduced 430 years later, does not set aside the covenant previously established by God and thus do away with the promise.

18 For if the inheritance depends on the law, then it no longer depends on a promise; but God in his grace gave it to Abraham through a promise.

v15-18 A covenant is a solemn and binding agreement in which two parties exchange vows or promises committing themselves to a joint relationship or venture.

There may be penalties involved for breach of promise.

What types of covenants do we enact in everyday life?

Marriage and business contracts (mortgages etc.).

So many marriages break up because people want to add new clauses to the deal or the vows that they made. For instance, to have and to hold until you get sick , or get made redundant, or until you meet someone else whom you prefer to your spouse, or until your lack of commitment , selfishness and self pity overwhelm you to the extent that you that you break the marriage covenant.

Many business contracts now include penalty clauses to compensate for breach of contract. No sensible business deal will allow you to change the terms after the deal has been struck.

In the same way God does not let anyone alter the conditions of his promise to Abraham fulfilled through his seed Jesus Christ, and passes through Jesus to us , to be changed nothing can be added or subtracted from the deal.

Because we live in new testament times, we sometimes forget that the law came 430 years after God’s promise to Abraham and Paul is saying here that the law cannot alter the original covenant, deal, or promise.

What was the promise?

God's announcement of His plan of salvation and blessing to His people, one of the themes integrating the message of the Old and New Testaments. God's promise begins with a declaration by God; it covers God's plan for not just one race, but all the nations of the earth; and it focuses on the gifts and deeds that God will bestow on a few to benefit the many.

Summary 3:1-18

We may define God's promise this way: the divine declaration or assurance was made to Abraham representing the whole nation of Israel and specified that:

(1) He would be their God,

(2) They would be His people,

(3) He would dwell in their midst.

Amen

Your prayer

[psalmonesermons]

A year from now, you’ll look back in amazement at how far God has brought you. Keep trusting Him.

[psalmonesermons]

Lessons from Galatians Part 2/10

Chapter 2 Paul sorts out Peter

Paul is still addressing his critics who compared his calling unfavourably to the apostles Peter, James, and John.

The critics were a bunch of very vocal Jews, who believed that the Christians needed to believe in Jesus and keep the law of Moses. They were also known as the circumcision group.

2:1 Fourteen years later I went up again to Jerusalem, this time with Barnabas. I took Titus along also.

Paul is just letting them know that was he was neither dependent upon nor subordinate to the other main apostles.

2:2 I went in response to a revelation and set before them the gospel that I preach among the Gentiles. But I did this privately to those who seemed to be leaders, for fear that I was running or had run my race in vain.

Paul uses great wisdom here, he goes straight to those who were the leaders of the Christian faith, to explain his version of the gospel to them. He was willing to be put to the test and was open to any criticism or correction by the apostles. He was not up for a public debate; this matter was to be resolved in private.

2:3 Yet not even Titus, who was with me, was compelled to be circumcised, even though he was a Greek. Paul’s gospel and practice were the same, he did not command to be circumcised his gentile fellow ministers.

2:4 This matter arose because some false brothers had infiltrated our ranks to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus and to make us slaves. They are still around, the legalists. We need to fight against both legalism and against liberalism.

2:5 We did not give in to them for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might remain with you.

6 As for those who seemed to be important--whatever they were makes no difference to me; God does not judge by external appearance--those men added nothing to my message.

7 On the contrary, they saw that I had been entrusted with the task of preaching the gospel to the Gentiles, just as Peter had been to the Jews.

8 For God, who was at work in the ministry of Peter as an apostle to the Jews, was also at work in my ministry as an apostle to the Gentiles.

Paul’s message and preaching was certainly both powerful and anointed and left the apostles with no other course of action, other than recognise Paul’s calling to preach the gospel to the gentiles.

2:9 James, Peter, and John, those reputed to be pillars, gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship when they recognized the grace given to me. They agreed that we should go to the Gentiles, and they to the Jews.

10 All they asked was that we should continue to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do.

11 When Peter came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he was clearly in the wrong.

Think of one of the best-known Christians in the world, the late Billy Graham or Late Reinhard Bonke, imagine God has sent you to give them a telling off!

2:12 Before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group.

13 The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led astray.

14 When I saw that they were not acting in line with the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter in front of them all, "You are a Jew, yet you live like a Gentile and not like a Jew. How is it, then, that you force Gentiles to follow Jewish customs?

15 “We who are Jews by birth and not 'Gentile sinners'

16 know that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified (put in right standing with God) by faith in Christ and not by observing the law, because by observing the law no one will be justified.

We know that God accepts only those who have faith in Jesus Christ. No-one can please God by simply obeying the Law. So we have put our faith in Jesus Christ, and God has accepted us because of our faith.

2:17 “If, while we seek to be justified in Christ, it becomes evident that we ourselves are sinners, does that mean that Christ promotes sin? Absolutely not!

When the Jews started looking for a way to please God, they discovered that they were sinners too. Does this mean that Christ is the one who makes us sinners? Definitely not!

2:18 If I rebuild what I destroyed, I prove that I am a lawbreaker.

But if I tear down something and then rebuild it, all I prove was that I got it wrong the first time.

2:19 For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. It was the Law the law that killed me and freed me from its power, so that I could live for God.

2:20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.

I have been nailed to the cross with Christ. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I have died, but Christ lives in me, and I now live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave his life for me.

2:21 I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!"

I will not turn my back on God’s undeserved kindness to me. If we could be saved by keeping the law, then it was useless for Christ to die for us.

Summary

Paul went up to Jerusalem to meet with the apostles.

He was well received and his ministry to the Gentiles was recognised.

None of his gentile companions were forced to be circumcised.

When Peter needed correction about falling back under the Law, God sent Paul, to tell him off.

Paul, exposed Peter’s hypocrisy in public.

Paul begins to explain the differences between the Law and the Gospel.

He concludes that if we can be saved by simply obeying the Law then Jesus Christ died for nothing.

Amen

Your Prayer

[psalmonesermons]

Lessons from Galatians Part 1/10

Ch 1 Correcting the belief in Jesus plus anything else for salvation

The gospel had been preached and received in Galatia, which region today would be found in modern Turkey. The apostle Paul wrote this letter to the churches of Galatia. The main thrust of the letter is to bring correction to the churches because Judaizing teachers had arisen, saying, that faith in Christ alone was not enough for salvation but that the Christians had also to keep the mosaic law (including circumcision).

These legalistic teachers had also tried to discredit Paul, by unfavourably comparing him with the other apostles. They tried to discredit Paul so that they could also discredit his teaching. The message of Galatians is still important today as there are still people around trying to add things (believe in Jesus and …something else) onto the gospel and bringing men into bondage.

Paul then emphasises the great teaching of justification by faith alone without the works of the law and exhorts them to walk in the wonderful liberty given to them and us by Jesus Christ.

Galatians 1:1 Paul, an apostle--sent not from men nor by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead--

2 and all the brothers with me, To the churches in Galatia:

3 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ,

4 who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father,

5 to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

A true apostle and a true message.

6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel--

7 which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ.

8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one, we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned! Not just life or death, but eternal.

9 As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!

There is only one true message.

10 Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.

What about you, are you a man-pleaser?

11 I want you to know, brothers, that the gospel I preached is not something that man made up.

How Paul became an apostle.

12 I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ.

13 For you have heard of my previous way of life in Judaism, how intensely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it.

14 I was advancing in Judaism beyond many Jews of my own age and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers.

15 But when God, who set me apart from birth and called me by his grace, was pleased

16 to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not consult any man,

17 nor did I go up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before I was, but I went immediately into Arabia and later returned to Damascus.

18 Then after three years, I went up to Jerusalem to get acquainted with Peter and stayed with him fifteen days.

19 I saw none of the other apostles--only James, the Lord's brother.

20 I assure you before God that what I am writing you is no lie.

21 Later I went to Syria and Cilicia.

22 I was personally unknown to the churches of Judea that are in Christ.

23 They only heard the report: "The man who formerly persecuted us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy."

24 And they praised God because of me.

Paul did not go to the other apostles or bible school, nor a seminary, he was in no way inferior to them or dependent upon them. His calling was direct from the Lord.

Summary of key learning points

1. Paul is a true apostle. He was not called, commissioned nor taught by any man; he was directly called by Our Lord.

2. There is one true gospel, that we are justified by faith alone without the works of the law.

3. The one true gospel is believed in Jesus, not believe and Jesus and anything else.

4. It is crucial we know and understand the basis of the gospel, so that no one can take away our wonderful liberty Christ has purchased by his blood and death for us.

Amen

Your prayer

[psalmonesermons]

Six Godly Aims of Effective Christian Churches Part 3/3

Catalysts to maturity: meditation and seeing in the spiritual realm

Aim Priority #2 To produce mature & stable believers. (Our Commitment to God).

We need all of these Christian practices (below) to be active in our lives to help us grow and mature.

Prayer; personal and communal

Bible study and walking in the Spirit-see next slides.

Stop taking the Lord for granted.

Thanksgiving , Praise, and Worship

Fellowship with believers.

Recognising and operating in your own gifts

We will now focus on two of the above activities for growth, one which is a type of bible study, and the other Walking in the Spirit.

Clean animals and clean Christians

Leviticus 11:1 And the Lord spake unto Moses and to Aaron, saying unto them,

2 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, These are the beasts which ye shall eat among all the beasts that are on the earth.

3 Whatsoever parts the hoof, and is cloven-footed, and chews the cud, among the beasts, that shall ye eat.

Animals which are cloven-footed, and which also chew the cud are called clean animals and can be eaten by the Israelites.

There is an interesting parallel between the clean animals and clean Christians for if we chew the cud and learn how to be in two places at once then these things can accelerate us maturing.

Catalysts to maturity 1. Chewing the cud: Meditation

Psalm 1:1 Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked,

or set foot on the path of sinners,

or sit in the seat of mockers.

2 But his delight is in the Law of the LORD, and on His law, he meditates day and night.

The best way to gain maximum benefit from your bible study is to learn how to meditate on God’s word. Christian meditation is a biblical practice encouraged in both the Old and New Testament.

Christian meditation helps reinforce the truth of God's Word in believers' hearts so that they remember it and live by it.

The purpose of Christian meditation is to bring a believer into closer fellowship with God through a greater understanding of his Word and a deeper commitment to his will and his ways.

Bible teacher Roger Price likened bible meditation to the process of how cattle chew the cud. Cows have 4 stomachs and as chewed grass is regurgitated back up into the cow’s mouth the cow begins to chew on it again to get the absolute maximum nutrition from it. In the same we should revisit each portion of scripture we are studying to get the maximum benefit from it. In this way the truths of scripture are absorbed into our being which cause us to grow and mature. Meditation is a practice that should occur daily according to Psalm 1. The words of Scripture are not merely to be read but to be heard and are meant to go to our heart!

Muttering: Psalm 1 opens with a blessing on the man who “meditates day and night” on the law (Ps. 1:2). The word the psalmist uses for “meditates” means “to mutter.” St Augustine translated verse 2 with the catchy phrase “on his law he chatters day and night.” From this we understand that biblical meditation requires the use of both mind and mouth. Personally applied, this tells us that along with our systematic reading of the Bible, we ought to select especially meaningful passages to reverently mutter over (can be a verse or passage).

Catalysts to maturity 2- Bilocation

We need to become aware that believers live in two places at once i.e. in the spiritual realm and also in the natural realm.

Ephesians 2:4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

What I mean is that our lives are lived and governed in two places which are firstly in heaven and secondly on earth. We need to walk in both places. Some believers are so earth-bound that they are not aware of the spiritual realm in heaven. They forget that they need to walk in and live the heavenly realities as well such as all believers are seated in heavenly places.

Spiritual truth may appear to contradict natural truth. When you are seated in your local church, you are also seated in heavenly places in Jesus Christ. Amen

Chariots of Fire

2 Kings 6:15 And when the servant of the man of God arose early and went out, there was an army, surrounding the city with horses and chariots. And his servant said to him, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” 16 So he answered, “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” 17 And Elisha prayed, and said, “Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

Elisha was walking in two dimensions, but the servant’s eyes could only see the natural circumstances. Elisha had been reading the Psalms, particularly Psalm 91. The servant lacked the information that Elisha had.

You might not be able to see the angels guarding the people of your local church family at present, but they are with you right now. Lord open our eyes that we may see all your protection and provision. We get our facts about the spiritual realm from the bible. We need to realise that the things that the Lord says about the spiritual realm in the bible are just as true, if not more so than what we can learn from our five senses. We need to be real about the spiritual realm as well as the natural realm and this will help us to grow and mature.

Amen

Personal Prayer

Acknowledgement

This study is a modified version from the following bible studies.

Roger Price Fellowship Life Series Aims and Vision TaFLS 05.

Roger Price Special Topics Series Christian Maturity STS 141.

[psalmonesermons]

trust in the Lord is like trust in a beloved author. I picked up this book because I know the kind of stories you’ve told before. I know your stories are told with love for the characters and love for the reader. and even though you sometimes take things in directions that scare me, that I don’t understand and that I wouldn’t have chosen myself, I know you’re a better author than I could ever be, you’ve proved it over and over. so I trust that in the end, all the hurt will be part of something beautiful. I trust that failure and despair will not get the final say. I trust that you know what you’re doing.

He wrote the Incarnation, death, and resurrection of Jesus. He wrote every miracle and grace in my life. what reason do I have to fear?

[psalmonesermons]

Six Godly aims of effective Christian Churches Part 2/3.

Aim 1. To show your love for the Lord. (Our Commitment to God).

Aim 2. To produce mature & stable believers. (Our Commitment to God).

The first pair of aims #1 and #2 are to show our love for the Lord and to produce stable and mature Christians. These show our real commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ. And that comes tops. That is the first thing. Remember, please, that we are here for His pleasure. We are here to love Him. We are here to worship him. We are here to adore Him. The head is here to receive from the body all that it ought to receive. Our primary function is that of our first commitment to God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit.

Explanation of the priorities [God-Church-World] of the Aims

You will notice in the Bible that this is the order [God-Church-World] that is given in many places. In John 15 where Jesus spoke about the vine, he said I am the vine. If you read that carefully, You'll notice the first part He deals with abiding in him. It is about being in fellowship with the Lord and really having a strong relationship with him. And after he is dealt with that, he then goes on to talk about our relationships with one another. And then having dealt with our relationships with an another, he then finally goes on to the testimony to the world.

[God] John 15:4 KJV Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. 5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

[Church] John 15:12 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.

[World] John 15:26 “But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me. 27 And you also will bear witness, because you have been with Me from the beginning.

Correct priority order in Colossians

Do you know the first half of the book of Colossians is all about with the person of Christ? It is how glorious he is, how wonderful he is, you know, how everything centred in him, how all our vision has got to be of Him. It goes right through into chapter 3:1 says if you then be risen with Christ, seek those things that are above, get occupied up there. Do not get occupied down here.

He is the head of the body, the church who is the beginning, the first born from the dead, that in all things he might have the pre-eminence. In all things, He has got to have the pre-eminence in everything. Jesus has got to come first. In everything in our lives, He's got to be the first one. He has got to be considered before anyone else.

in Colossians 3:12 that you start dealing with our relationships with one another : Put on, therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, long-suffering for bearing one another, forgiving one another. If any man have a quarrel against you, even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. And what he is saying is in our relationships with one another think about Christ and when you see how Christ works so it will look influence your life .

Then finally in Colossians 4.:3-5, you get testimony to the world. The order here [GOD-Church-World] is in the correct order of priority.

[God] Colossians 3:1 If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

[Church] Colossians 3:12 Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; 13 bearing with one another, and forgiving one another…

[World] Colossians 4:3 meanwhile praying also for us, that God would open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in chains, 4that I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak.5 Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time.

A similar order can also be found in Ephesians.

Q. How do we know the correct order of our aims?

A. We find it in various scriptures.

First and greatest commandment is about how we ought to love the Lord God with our whole beings.

Matthew 22:37 Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

The Shorter Westminster Catechism below shows the chief aim of humankind, which is to glorify God. He is our number one priority.

Westminster shorter catechism:

Q1. What is the chief end of man?

A1. Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him for ever.

Amen

Personal Prayer

In Part 3 we discover two catalysts for Christian maturity.

Acknowledgement

This study is a modified version from the following bible studies.

Roger Price Fellowship Life Series Aims and Vision TaFLS 05.

Roger Price Special Topics Series Christian Maturity STS 141.

[psalmonesermons]

Six Godly Aims of Effective Christian Churches Part 1/3

Many Christian fellowships are not sure what direction that they are travelling. If we aim at nothing, we will hit it every time!

I am sure you will agree that you in your own Christian fellowship will want to be involved in the fulfilment of the aims and vision of your local fellowship.

To help us in our own fellowships we need to get our aims and priorities correct and be working together to bring in God's aims and vision for our local church fellowship.

Aims and Vision definitions.

Aims= in a natural sense these are our goals in life e.g. to get a better job, a better house, or car etc. These are often quite materialistic and even selfish, but the Lord also has godly aims for each of our lives.

Vision = when we mix God’s aims for our lives with faith these aims turn into a vision. We all need a vision to live our best lives for God.

God will empower your faith-filled vision and bring it into being eventually.

Most people have some natural life aims but often fail to fulfil them which can lead to disappointment.

Proverbs 29:18 KJV “Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keeps the law, happy is he.”

Without a long-term plan—without a vision—people are doomed to wander aimlessly.

This is talking about a prophetic message from the Lord that causes us to add faith to our God given aims and produces that prophetic vision.

This verse emphasizes the extraordinary value of God's Word and the revelation of God and His law as given to us. It is talking about the importance of having a vision and a revelation of God's will, which was communicated to the people through prophets before the Bible was complete.

Six Godly aims of effective Christian Churches

1.To show your love for the Lord. (Our Commitment to God).

2. To produce mature & stable believers. (Our Commitment to God).

3. To incite Christians to love and good works.(Our commitment to one another).

4. To care for the poor members. Widows, orphans & poor. (Our commitment to one another).

5. Preach the Gospel. (Our Commitment to the World, Jesus Died to save).

6. To do good in the world. (Our Commitment to the World, Jesus Died to save).

God has his aims for every Christian church; these aims help us form God’s vision for our local church > In time God will make sure that your vision comes to pass if we stay faithful.

These six aims can be neatly split into 3 pairs (numbers 1 and 2, numbers 3 and 4, and 5 and 6. The split into three pairs is performed on a strict priority basis .

In other words, we must be doing aims 1 and 2 , before we can progress onto 3 and 4, and then move onto 5 and 6 when the first four are working.

Churches that function outside the given order (above) by say putting evangelism as their top priority will usually fail.

Achieving our aims/visions in the correct order is vital.

Amen

Personal Prayer

In Part 2 of this study we explore our top two aims in order of priority

Acknowledgement

This study is a modified version collated from the following bible studies.

Roger Price Fellowship Life Series Aims and Vision TaFLS 05.

Roger Price Special Topics Series Christian Maturity STS 141.

[psalmonesermons]

An apologetic letter in reply to a sceptical friend who raised the issue of ‘’I don’t think anyone can be sure about God’s existence’’.

By Staff Blogger Steve Green

Dear Kenny,

Thanks for your letter and your honesty, when you shared “I don’t think anyone can be sure about God’s existence.”

I can relate to this; there was a time in my life when I had doubts about God’s existence. During this period, I experienced a series of significant personal setbacks. Things I held dearly, were slipping away from me. When I was at my lowest ebb and in considerable pain, I cried out to God, wondering if anyone would hear my cry.

God heard my cry and responded. Why on that particular day did God heard my cry ? . CS Lewis says, “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world” (1). With the chaos and pain in my life, God was able to speak directly to me, certainly that was how it felt.

I felt God say, I should read John 3, a well-known chapter in the Bible, which speaks of having an entirely fresh start in life, once you accept Jesus as your saviour. Jesus says in John 3:17 “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” The words of Jesus became real and alive to me, from that moment on, my belief in God was unshakable.

Whilst my belief is based on my personal experience and relationship with God, I take comfort in the fact the Bible contains no scientifically incorrect statements. There are also numerous examples of the Bible referencing science thousands of years before man understood the science.

Pleiades

In Job 38:31, God is talking to Job about his creation and omnipotence, he says: “Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades? Can you loosen Orion’s belt? .” At the time, this statement would have made little sense. Pleiades also known as the Seven Sisters is a gravitationally bound star cluster, which means, the stars of Pleiades move through space together due to their mutual gravitational influence. Galileo Galilei was the first man to view Pleiades using a telescope and commented “the galaxy is nothing else, but a mass of innumerable stars planted together in clusters” (2). However, God knew the stars in Pleiades were held together by gravity or as God described it at the time “Chains.”

Unlike Galileo, God knew exactly how many stars are in the sky, as God made a promise to Abraham that his dependents would be as numerous as the stars in the sky (3). Orion’s belt is an unbound asterism, a group of stars with no gravitational attraction or as God put it, “loosened Orion’s belt” as the stars freely move apart. God documented this scientific phenomenon in the Bible, thousands of years before Scientist became aware of the same phenomena. I am unable to explain how the Bible documented the movement of Pleiades, thousands of years before humans became aware that Pleiades was a bounded system, without reference to God and his omniscience.

The water cycle is the process by which water is continuously transferred between the surface of the earth and the atmosphere. The Met Office describe the Water Cycle (4) as: The sun warms the water on the surface of the planet; the water then vaporises and rises into the Earth’s atmosphere. The Water vapour will then return to liquid water or some variation (snow, ice, hail, or sleet) and fall to the Earth, where the water will gather in rivers and be transferred back to the sea. I have in very simplistic terms described the Water Cycle, which was first documented by Bernard Palissy in 1580 (5). Yet thousands of years before this, God wrote in the book of Ecclesiastes “All streams flow into the sea, yet the sea is never full. To the place the streams come from, there they return again.” (6), How could the book of Ecclesiastes give a very brief overview of the Water Cycle, thousands of years before Bernard Palissy first documented the process? I believe that only God had this knowledge at this time.

I find the Scientific discoveries referenced in the Bible fascinating and interesting discussion points; However, they may not be the conclusive proof you require. You have doubts about the very existence of God and that can only be addressed by communication between you and God. If you will get down on your knees and pray words to the effect of “God, you know my heart, you know the doubts I have, if you do exist then I want you in my life. God, please come and change my heart and lead me on a path where I can learn more about you. The Bible says you are “Gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love.” Lord be gracious and have compassion on me and change my life forever.”

If sincerely prayed, your request will determine the issue. If God does not exist, your prayer is a sincere request to the atmosphere and heard by no one else. However, if God does exist, you are about to begin the most wonderful life transforming journey, beyond your wildest expectations. As Jesus comes into your heart, the same promises he made in the Bible chapter John 3, will become available to you. A new start full of hope, a love that changes you and a true purpose in your life.

My friend, take your doubts to God in prayer and let him reassure you, as a loving Father would do with a doubting child.

You will remain in my prayers daily.

Your friend

Steve

Citations

(1) C.S. Lewis, The problem with pain. “We can ignore even pleasure. But pain insists upon being attended to. God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world....No doubt pain as God's megaphone is a terrible instrument; it may lead to final and unrepented rebellion. But it gives the only opportunity the bad man can have for amendment. it removes the veil; it plants the flag of truth within the fortress of the rebel soul.”

(2)– Galileo Galilei, Sidereus Nuncius 1610.

(3) Genesis 15:5 He took him outside and said, “Look up at the sky and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”

(4) Met Office Website - https://weather.metoffice.gov.uk/learn-about/weather/how-weather-works/water-cycle

(5) Bernard Palissy, Discours Admirables (1580).

(6) Ecclesiastes 1:7

[psalmonesermons]

Our identity is in Christ Part 5

Leaving the old identity and the old life behind

I remember well the joy of my own experience of being born again, the burden of my sin lifting off my shoulders, being cleansed in my heart, it felt like a sauna in that every pore of my heart was cleansed. Being delivered from swearing and bad language. My new life in Christ had begun. The selfishness, pride, greed and pleasing only myself had to come off under the water of baptism. Yet we need to keep the old man of the flesh crucified. He would like to get down of that cross, but we do not need to let him.

John 3:7 You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So, it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” 9 “How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.

Nicodemus was around 60-70 years old and had a lifetime of personal failures and character flaws behind him. Yet here was Jesus offering him a fresh start free from the old life of bondage. The picture here to a Jew like Nicodemus, is that of the Exodus, where the wind dried up the Red Sea allowing the Israelites to pass over on dry ground. The main point is that we need to leave the old life of bondage behind in Egypt and the old life of being under the circumstances. Being born again is the only way we can turn back the clock of our lives.

Summary

When we are born again, we are brought into all the victories of Jesus Christ

All our blessings and spiritual riches are In Christ

In Him we have a higher ranking than the angels

In Him we are more than conquerors

In Him we ought to be living in victory

In Him we ought to be behaving like overcomers

In Him we do not have to be under the circumstances

Final Thoughts

But you say sometimes God does require his people to go through suffering, and yes that is true sometimes. But the question is ‘What kind of suffering does God require us to go through?’

The humbling of our pride or reputation, or putting under our fleshly desires?

But does God require us to go through depression or live in constant defeat or fear, downtrodden, always be the tail and not the head?

The answer is an emphatic No!

Prayer and ministry

Brothers and Sisters, it is now time to reclaim your identity in Christ. Let us do it.

Let us pray and ask the Lord to help us leave our old identities behind

and move into our new victorious identities.

False identity/ vs True Identity in Christ

Defeated /Victorious

Depressed or Downtrodden/ Uplifted

Cursed or hate your life/Blessed/ or love your life

Lonely/ Part of his family

Sleepless/ Resting in Him

Empty/ Full

Worried or anxious/ Faith filled

Poor or lack/ Rich or plentiful

Hopeless or a Loser/ Hopeful or a Winner

Oppressed or addicted/ Set free

Panic attacks or under unhealthy pressure/ Peace of mind

Personal prayer

Amen

Footnotes from Parts 1-5

[1] From Ephesians 1:18

[2] Roger Price, Special Topic Series no. 11: The Glorified Man [mp3]. See Additional resources menu on last dropdown menu.

[3] Roger Price, Basic Bible Study no. 102: 37 Things which accompany salvation [mp3].

[4] Greek: metamorphoo (metamorphosis) same word as used in Jesus’ transfiguration, coal to diamond, caterpillar to butterfly etc.

[psalmonesermons]

Our identity is in Christ Part 4

The new birth-right

Jesus marvellous victory purchased us our new birth right.

What does the bible say about the birth-right of new believers?

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: [a] the old has gone, the new is here!

Another translation puts it like this 2 Corinthians 5:17 … that person is a new creation.

So many wonderful things happen to us when we are born-again, and we become a new creation. According to my favourite bible teacher (the late Roger Price [3]) there are at least 37 wonderful things that happen at the point of the new birth). Our victories are all in Christ; here are a few examples from the 37.

All Christians have reconciled to God Rom 5:10 Eph 2:14-17

All Christians have been brought near to God Lk 10:20 Eph 2:13+19

The sins of all Christians have been judged in Christ Rom 4:25 Eph 1:7

All Christians have been forgiven their trespasses Eph 1:7 Col 1:14

All Christians have been justified (declared righteous) Rom 3:24 1 Cor 6:11

All Christians have been redeemed Rom 3:24 Col 1:14

All Christians have a new status; citizens of heaven Phil 3:20 seated in heavenly places Eph 2:6 higher rank than angels Eph 1:20-21 Heb 1:14 Rom 16:19-20.

In Christ new birth realities

Ephesians 1:11 In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, 12 in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. 13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit,

Romans 14:7 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit

Does your day-to-day life reflect the above, living in right standing with God, experiencing heart peace and joy in the Holy Spirit? Are you sleeping well and know that whatever is going on in your life, it is going to be OK, because you are in Christ?

There is an example in scripture of born-again Christians who had forgotten their born-again identities and were acting like spiritual babies.

1 Corinthians 3:1 Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly—mere infants in Christ. 2 I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. 3 You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarrelling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans? 4 For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not mere human beings?

God wants us to be mature believers who know who we are in Christ, not babies always squabbling.

To maintain our true identities in Christ we must take control of our thinking…

Romans 12:1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed [4] by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing, and perfect will.

The world wants to squeeze us into its mould and form worldly identities in us. But God has given us new identities and wants us to fully embrace them, and we find them in the bible. Do you think people will notice your new identity in Christ? How are you doing with your identity in Christ today, do you recognize the desired changes?

Amen

Personal prayer

In Part 5 we will find out how to ensure that we leave the old identity and life behind.

[psalmonesermons]

Our identity is in Christ Part 3

Victories through Jesus Christ the glorified man

1 Corinthians 15:20 But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first-fruits, of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. 22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. 23 But each in turn: Christ, the first fruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him.

Since death came through a man (Adam), the resurrection of the dead also comes through a man. All men will die but believers in Christ will be made alive again.

Victory with the devil under our feet

Your identity in Christ gives you various rights, privileges, and authority.

Psalm 110 1The Lord says to my lord: “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.”

If Satan and his forces are under Jesus' feet, we are so identified with Jesus' Christ, that we must realise that Satan and his forces are also under our feet.

Victory over demons

Colossians 1:15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him.

Do you remember your first encounter with the demonic? As a young Christian I recall that a man at a worship service began to manifest demons. The senior pastor, pastor and an elder invited me to join them to minister to this man in a cloakroom. There was something in the man’s eyes that moved independently of his pupils I felt the hair on the back of my neck stand on end. The man locked eyes with each of the ministers trying to psyche them, but he was the one who had to break his gaze. Then he came to me the least experienced Christian, when he locked eyes on me, I felt the power of the Holy Spirit flood through me, and I knew for sure that ‘’Greater is he that is in me than he that is in the world’’!

Needless to say, the demonized man broke off his gaze.

Victory over sin and the ability to pull down strongholds

2 Corinthians 10:4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds. 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

Our mighty weapons through God are used in the context of our righteous living (armour of God) and include the Word of God (that Rhema living word), prayer, the name of Jesus Christ, and the Blood of Jesus Christ.

Victory over our circumstances

1 John 5:4 for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God. Do you believe?

Pray for God’s will, his good, and pleasing and perfect will in your life not what is gratifying to your fleshly desires.

Amen

Personal Prayer

In Part 4 we consider your new birth right.

[psalmonesermons]

Our Identity is in Christ Part 2

Identity crisis

Many believers today seem to be experiencing an identity crisis. What I mean by this is that the life they are leading does not match up the life of the believer that is found in scripture. The identity crisis leads to them being defeated, dejected, downtrodden and beaten up by life whereas the scriptures tell us we should be living in victory and that we are more than conquerors, we are the head and not the tail, we are the winners and not losers etc. We are being conditioned to believe we are less than God says we are, conditioned to believe we have nothing to offer in the Kingdom, conditioned to only see the natural instead of the supernatural.

Satan seeks to steel our identity in Christ.

We must remember that we are no longer under the circumstances, but we are overcomers through Jesus Christ. The basis for victory in the believer's life comes from the magnificent victory of Jesus Christ.

The magnificent victory of Jesus Christ

God expects us to live victoriously in and through Jesus Christ. Jesus' victory was achieved via the cross and resurrection but especially in his ascension to the Father’s right hand. In this way Jesus who was 100% man and 100% God, took his humanity on to the level that increased our ranking to above the angels and fallen angels.[2]

John 20:16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”).

17 Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”

Ephesians 1:19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength 20 he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms,21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.

All things are under Jesus' feet.

Jesus is head over all things pertaining to the church.

Ephesians 4:8 This is why it says: “When he ascended on high, he took many captives

and gave gifts to his people.” 9 (What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions? 10 He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.)

When Jesus Christ won the victory over sin and death at the cross and then ascended into heaven and sat at the right hand of the Father, he gave us victory in every area of life; we are completely identified with Jesus Christ. The picture here is like a victorious general returning to Rome, with his legions, and fierce captives, in Jesus' case he defeated the fallen angels.

When we become born again, we move from the old creation into the wonderful new creation.

Old creation vs New creation

God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit

I

Born again believers

Old Creation Order New Creation Order

Angels (Elect and fallen) Angels (Elect and fallen)

OT believers Unbelievers

OT unbelievers Animals

Animals

Hebrews 2:5 It is not to angels that he has subjected the world to come, about which we are speaking. 6 But there is a place where someone has testified:

“What is mankind that you are mindful of them,

a son of man that you care for him?

7 You made them a little lower than the angels;

you crowned them with glory and honour

8 and put everything under their feet.”

Although mankind was created a little lower than the angels when we become born again through Jesus Christ, we are so identified with Jesus that we receive his ranking which is now above the angels and this includes fallen angels/demons.

Amen

Personal Prayer

In Part 3 we consider Jesus as the glorified man

[psalmonesermons]

Our identity is in Christ Part 1

Identity theft in believers

Marriage brings changes to our natural identities. How much more should our identities change when we become born-again through Jesus Christ?

Opening Prayer (from Ephesians 1:16-21)

Father of glory, we come to you in the name of Jesus Christ, give us this day the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Jesus, 18 that the eyes of our understanding be enlightened; that we may know what is the hope of Your calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the exceeding greatness of your power toward us who believe, according to the working of Your mighty power 20 which You worked in Christ when you raised Him from the dead and seated Him at Your right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far 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. Amen

There is a story about a young Christian who bumped into an experienced Christian whilst out for a walk one day. The older man asked the younger man, how are you? The younger man replied that under the circumstances, I am a bit depressed. The older man was shocked and said to the younger man, well if you are born again, you should not be under the circumstances but, in Christ you ought to be on top of them. It was as though the younger man’s identity as a born-again believer had been taken from him.

Identity Theft

Where do you take your sense of identity from today?

Many Christians today gain their identity more from their family background, work, or human relationships than from their biblical identity in Christ.

Are you one of them?

Or did you start out taking your identity from the bible, but someone diverted you?

Identity theft can happen not only at the level of the individual believer but to whole churches.

A church that God has called to be holy and pure , a beacon to the lost, can also have its identity stolen, becoming involved in hyper-grace, wrong theology, including the wrong prosperity message (i.e. the best definition of prosperity it for God to meet any given need at any given time- or what about John Wesley who gave to the poor everything he earned over the £30 he needed per year to keep his family). Churches may also become morally permissive, willing to bend the scriptures to accommodate people.

If the salt has lost its savour, then it is no use to the lost.

In modern society, it is becoming increasingly common for thieves to steal someone’s identity so that they can plunder their bank accounts, credit cards etc. There is no doubt about it that this is a wicked crime in taking what belongs to an honest citizen and giving to a thief. Yet we do not seem to realize that this very problem is rampant in the church of Jesus Christ, where Satan is robbing many true believers of their birth right, your identity and your true riches in Christ.

Identity theft can lead us to an identity crisis see 'Our identity is in Christ Part 2'.

Personal prayer

Amen

[psalmonesermons]

The Resurrection is God’s solemn Amen to all Christ’s claims Part 2/2

Jesus was declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.

1 Corinthians 15:29 “What will they do who are baptized for the dead, if the dead do not rise at all? Why then are they baptized for the dead?”

Derek Prince says that there is no absolutely guaranteed explanation of this verse, but his understanding of this is a situation in which a person is saved through faith in Jesus but cannot be baptized, as for instance a criminal awaiting execution. The man is led to the Lord in the execution area, but he cannot be baptized so another person can, by proxy, be baptized for him. Prince says that is his theory.

But Paul says, “If there is no resurrection, why do we bother about this man that has been executed. Just let him be die.”

This verse causes me to think of the practice of the LDS (Mormon) faith who routinely are baptised for countless dead people over many years.

1 Corinthians 15:30 “And why do we stand in danger every hour? I affirm, by the boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.”

The Apostle Paul did not unduly worry about all the many dangers constantly in his life because he was certain that after death he would be resurrected.

1 Corinthians 15:35 “But someone will say, ‘How are the dead raised up? And with what body do they come?’” 36 “Foolish one, what you sow is not made alive unless it dies. And what you sow, you do not sow the body that shall be, but mere grain—perhaps wheat or some other grain. But God gives it a body as He pleases, and to each seed its own body.”

So, the resurrection is like putting a grain of wheat or other seed into the ground. The body that you bury is not the body that is going to come up. There is a relationship but there is more difference than there is similarity. And when you put that precious form into the earth, you are sowing it, but it is going to come up altogether different, something glorious!

1 Corinthians 15:38 “But God gives it a body as He pleases, and to each seed its own body. 39 All flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one kind of flesh of men, and another flesh of beasts, another of fish, and another of birds.”

40 “There are also heavenly bodies and earthly bodies; but the glory of the heavenly is one, and the glory of the earthly is another. 41 There is one glory of the sun, another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for one star differs from another star in glory.”

Daniel 12:2 And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, Some to everlasting life, Some to shame and everlasting contempt. 3 Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament, And those who turn many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever.

v.38 So there are different kinds of flesh. We are buried with one kind of flesh. We are raised with a different kind of body. And Paul says there are different kinds of bodies.

So, in the resurrection there are going to be many different kinds of stars. Some will be brighter and more glorious than others. The resurrection predicted in Daniel chapter 12:2-3.

So, Paul is referring to that when he says, “As stars different from one another in magnitude and glory and brightness, so will be the resurrection.” Every one of us will have glory, but those who have turned many to righteousness will shine as the stars forever and ever.

One thing we need to bear in mind is God is a Rewarder. We do not work for rewards, but there is a reward. We are not working for the sake of what we get but what we get will be in exact proportion to our faithfulness in this life; every one of us including you and me.

The resurrection body shows 5 major changes.

1 Corinthians 15:42 “So also, is the resurrection of the dead.

1]The body is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption.”

2] v43 “It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory.”

3] “It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power.”

4] v44 “It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body.”

v53 “For this corruptible must put on incorruption, [we have already seen that]

5] and this mortal must put on immortality.”

Change 1: Corruption means it is perishable. It decays. The body that is buried is a decaying body. The body that will be resurrected does not decay. It is incapable of decay. It will last for eternity.

Change 2: Really there is nothing honourable about a human corpse. Let us be honest. It is not something we want to think about or dwell on. It is the result of human sin. It is sown in dishonour but praise God it is raised how? in glory! Amen. What a change from dishonour to glory. Change 3: How weak we are. The strongest of us is so weak. And when we pay our last debt to sin, we die, that is the ultimate expression of weakness. There is nothing weaker than a dead body. “It is sown in weakness, but it is raised in power.”

Change 4: There is a natural body and there is a spiritual body. Now unfortunately the English translation is misleading. The word that is translated natural is directly derived from the Greek word for soul. It is sown a soulish body; it is raised a spiritual body. Natural does not tell us anything. Soulish is what we need to know. It is sown a soulish body; it is raised a spiritual body.

Change 5: That is a change from mortal which is subject to death to immortal which is not subject to death. When we are resurrected - no more death.

Moving on from 1 Corinthians Chapter 15 we now turn to Romans.

Romans 1:1 Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God 2 which He promised before through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures, 3 concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, 4 and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.

v.3 Jesus Christ naturally speaking was the son of David or the son of Man but after the resurrection the Father calls him the Son of God. God sent his son Jesus Christ into the world born of a woman with a natural family tree of the seed of David and was born under the Law. This Jesus Christ was obedient to Father God through all his short life even unto his sacrificial death on the cross but when God raised him from the dead, he was declared to be the Son of God. v.3+4 show the hypostatic union, Jesus is both man and God. v.4 At the moment of resurrection, God the Father and God the Holy Spirit fully endorsed him as the only begotten Son of the Father giving Jesus Christ a unique status and hence mighty power.

The Resurrection is God’s solemn ‘Amen’ to the tremendous claims which Christ had made (McLaren’s Commentary).

And now moving to 1 Thessalonians

1Thessalonians 4:13 But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.

Paul is reassuring the Thessalonian Christians about what happens to believers who die before the return of Jesus Christ. Unlike the unbelievers, who have no hope of seeing their loved ones again, those who trust in Christ are only temporarily separated (1 Thessalonians 4:13). The hope of life beyond the grave rests firmly upon the belief that Jesus conquered death by rising from the dead.

Amen

Personal Prayer

Materials Consulted

Alexander McLaren’s Commentary

Derek Prince The Resurrection YouTube