Galatians 5:22-23
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
I’ve never seen this until today. Never heard it taught until I saw it below in the lesson summary by Dr. Stone. Allow me to state, and then expand the thought. Dr. Stone observes that there are three groups of fruit of the Spirit. I have never heard this taught, but it is clearly in line with scripture. The nine gifts of the Spirit break out into three groups of three: They see, something, say something and do something. In the case of the fruit of the Spirit, there appears to be a similar pattern: three groups of three. Let’s take a closer look.
Romans 14:17
For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit,
Romans 5:1
Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ
Luke 7:47
Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.”
The fruit of redemption:
Love, Joy, Peace: these first three are literally first fruit. When you are freed from the bondage and torment of sin, these three are most likely to be the result: the love of God is shed abroad in our heart, peace and joy begin to redefine our character. In essence, they show something. They reveal images of the Kingdom in you and through you.
Ephesians 4:2
With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love
Ephesians 4:32
Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
Galatians 5:13
For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another
Fruit of service:
The next group of three does something: they minister. Patience, kindness, goodness; these all come to fore as we reach out to others, first, our brothers and sisters in Christ, then to the lost who would have no hope unless someone showed them the way. This group will be important, in that without them, who would put up with you? Spiritual gifts not tempered with spiritual fruit is like sounding brass or tinkling cymbals.
Romans 8:15
For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
Luke 7:47
Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.”
The fruit of worship:
The third group emphasizes this point: Faithfulness, gentleness, self control exemplify someone who is walking in the shadow of the Almighty. They exemplify the growth of worship in the heart of the believer; fruit borne out of an attitude of gratitude and reverence. As we come to a place of worship, our spirits are renewed and we find more love, joy and peace flowing from our hearts, kind of a never ending cycle. To worship is to enter into the very splendor and glory that is the throne room of Heaven.
John 15:5
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
Jeremiah 17:7-8
Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.
May you be fruitful!
Selah
.wb
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Sunday School Lesson for Feb. 19, 2012: Inheriting Abraham’s Promise (Galatians 3:15–5:1)
Romans 7:7
[ The Law and Sin ] What shall we say, then? Is the law sinful? Certainly not! Nevertheless, I would not have known what sin was had it not been for the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.”
I have a close friend who also teaches Sunday school. He contacted me after the last lesson and told me, “Brother Wayne. You need to more clearly delineate the difference between the law and grace, between legalism and faith.” You see, he’d encountered a couple of people in this past week who, even though they were reading and teaching the same lesson he was (Galatians), were demonstrating in their review of the lesson particulars that they just weren’t getting it. He was frustrated and a little exasperated by what he was hearing. In a very gentle way, he entreated me to come a little harder, to press the point a little more firmly. Personally, I thought I was doing OK but, here goes.
The verse above points to the fact the purpose of the law was to be a mirror. A mirror to the human soul and nothing more. Righteousness cannot come by a mirror. Rather, a mirror should bring condemnation. It does for me anyway. After fifty something years, I don’t find much of what I see in the mirror very flattering. That’s the point. The Old Testament law was a mirror to the nation of Israel and to us that reveals the most unflattering things about us. Things God already knows. What’s God’s purpose in giving us this mirror? He wants us to come into agreement with Him about our need for Him. That’s it. I can’t state it any more simply. The law existed in two tiers. One tier was the do’s and don’ts, the laws and rules by which the nation was to be governed corporately and individually. The second tier was the ceremonial system that brought you to before God at various times for the purpose of sacrifice and repentance or for celebratory purposes. In the law of governance, God exposed our sin and our iniquities. In the ceremonial law, He provided the path toward temporary redemption.
Psalm 50:13
Do I eat the flesh of bulls or drink the blood of goats?
Hebrews 10:4
It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.
It was called ‘The Day of Atonement’. Once a year, all the people were gathered together. The high priest would go before the lord with a sacrificial offering to make atonement for the sins of the nation…for the previous year. It did not justify or make righteous. It’s effectiveness before God only lasted for the duration of the ceremony. No longer. After all, the ‘atonement’ part of the process, the part where god wiped away your sin was secondary in God’s eyes. The primary purpose of this ceremony and every other ceremony in this system was to reveal the pre-incarnate personage of Christ. Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. God wanted us to know that. Repeatedly, through His word, His law, His ceremonies, He presented to the nation of Israel the Promise. The Promise of a Savior, a Messiah who would come to repair the breach that sin had wrought
Matthew 5:17
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.
Matthew 5:20
For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 5:48
Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Jesus’ words above cause me to stop and, like Peter, wonder aloud, “Lord, how can I do this? How can I be ‘perfect’? Who can be saved?” The key comes in Jesus’ words to the rich young ruler…
Matthew 19:21
Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
In this one statement Jesus puts forth not one, but two distinct spiritual principles. The first is the law of sowing and reaping. Sell all you have and give to the poor and store up for yourself treasure in Heaven. The second: follow Him. The first principle, applied singularly, has been practiced by philanthropists through out history. There is a blessing associated with giving. It is preached and practiced in every culture, religion and at every level of the economic strata. However, in and of itself, giving has no redemptive power. The second principle: following Christ is unique to and a unique privilege of the Redeemed. This is the focal point for how justification by faith is arrived at. The patriarchs of the Old Testament: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Elijah, Joshua, Isaiah, Daniel, David, Enoch, Noah and many others who make up that great cloud of witnesses mentioned in Hebrews were able to see, by faith, the coming of the Day of the Lord: The Messiah. A day when God would forever remove our guilt and shame, write His law upon our heats and make us one with Him. A day when we could look up at the cross and live. A day where we would be able to behold Jesus, full of grace and truth: the very personification of Love.
Numbers 21:9
So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, they lived.
Is it really this simple? Look up and live? It’s absolutely that simple. If you can simply accept that when Jesus died on the cross, that was enough to make you completely righteous before God, you will be saved. God simply asks that we hold on to that singular ‘belief’ and not add the burden of a performance based system that takes the focus off of His ‘gift’ and puts the focus on us and what we’re doing to earn His favor. Paul warned the Galatians that to do so would be the equivalent of being ‘bewitched’; Paul’s words, not mine’s. In The Book of Hebrews, the writer warns that to rely on performance rather than Jesus alone was to descend into ‘unbelief’. Beloved, Christ alone: our hope of Glory.
One last thing:
1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
I misunderstood this verse for a good part of my Christian journey. Most Christians have. Most of us believe, at some level, that when we sin, each time we sin, we somehow fall from Grace.. and that we must, before time runs out, get before God and say, “I’m sorry.” To extend this thought to it’s illogical conclusion and to hasten the argument, in essence, we’re only as ‘good’ as our last, “I’m sorry.” Did you catch that? This takes us back to the principle of atonement’ and it’s inevitable insufficiency.
Beloved, this verse is me standing in the mirror and coming to agreement with God about my insufficiency, my ineptness, my shortcomings, my missing the mark. This is me standing in the mirror and agreeing with God (looking over my shoulder in the person of the Holy Spirit) about my need for a Savior: Jesus. When I stand before Him and confess that I am a sinner in need of a Savior, I acknowledge that Jesus was, Is and always will be the single reason why I can stand in the Presence of a Holy God. One word: “Jesus”. That’s my confession. Without Jesus, I am nothing. With Him, I live. While there is a place for the acknowledgement and confession in individual sins, God’s righteousness does not come and go with my ups and downs. He cleansed me when I accepted His Son. That cleansing is both continual and everlasting. And it is constant, just like God. He gives His gifts without repentance. He’s not looking to take it back. Blessed be the Name of the Lord: Jesus.
Blessings,
.wb
(I hope this was clear enough :) )
Romans 10:9
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
Romans 10:10
For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Romans 10:13
For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
[ The Law and Sin ] What shall we say, then? Is the law sinful? Certainly not! Nevertheless, I would not have known what sin was had it not been for the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.”
I have a close friend who also teaches Sunday school. He contacted me after the last lesson and told me, “Brother Wayne. You need to more clearly delineate the difference between the law and grace, between legalism and faith.” You see, he’d encountered a couple of people in this past week who, even though they were reading and teaching the same lesson he was (Galatians), were demonstrating in their review of the lesson particulars that they just weren’t getting it. He was frustrated and a little exasperated by what he was hearing. In a very gentle way, he entreated me to come a little harder, to press the point a little more firmly. Personally, I thought I was doing OK but, here goes.
The verse above points to the fact the purpose of the law was to be a mirror. A mirror to the human soul and nothing more. Righteousness cannot come by a mirror. Rather, a mirror should bring condemnation. It does for me anyway. After fifty something years, I don’t find much of what I see in the mirror very flattering. That’s the point. The Old Testament law was a mirror to the nation of Israel and to us that reveals the most unflattering things about us. Things God already knows. What’s God’s purpose in giving us this mirror? He wants us to come into agreement with Him about our need for Him. That’s it. I can’t state it any more simply. The law existed in two tiers. One tier was the do’s and don’ts, the laws and rules by which the nation was to be governed corporately and individually. The second tier was the ceremonial system that brought you to before God at various times for the purpose of sacrifice and repentance or for celebratory purposes. In the law of governance, God exposed our sin and our iniquities. In the ceremonial law, He provided the path toward temporary redemption.
Psalm 50:13
Do I eat the flesh of bulls or drink the blood of goats?
Hebrews 10:4
It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.
It was called ‘The Day of Atonement’. Once a year, all the people were gathered together. The high priest would go before the lord with a sacrificial offering to make atonement for the sins of the nation…for the previous year. It did not justify or make righteous. It’s effectiveness before God only lasted for the duration of the ceremony. No longer. After all, the ‘atonement’ part of the process, the part where god wiped away your sin was secondary in God’s eyes. The primary purpose of this ceremony and every other ceremony in this system was to reveal the pre-incarnate personage of Christ. Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. God wanted us to know that. Repeatedly, through His word, His law, His ceremonies, He presented to the nation of Israel the Promise. The Promise of a Savior, a Messiah who would come to repair the breach that sin had wrought
Matthew 5:17
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.
Matthew 5:20
For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 5:48
Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Jesus’ words above cause me to stop and, like Peter, wonder aloud, “Lord, how can I do this? How can I be ‘perfect’? Who can be saved?” The key comes in Jesus’ words to the rich young ruler…
Matthew 19:21
Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
In this one statement Jesus puts forth not one, but two distinct spiritual principles. The first is the law of sowing and reaping. Sell all you have and give to the poor and store up for yourself treasure in Heaven. The second: follow Him. The first principle, applied singularly, has been practiced by philanthropists through out history. There is a blessing associated with giving. It is preached and practiced in every culture, religion and at every level of the economic strata. However, in and of itself, giving has no redemptive power. The second principle: following Christ is unique to and a unique privilege of the Redeemed. This is the focal point for how justification by faith is arrived at. The patriarchs of the Old Testament: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Elijah, Joshua, Isaiah, Daniel, David, Enoch, Noah and many others who make up that great cloud of witnesses mentioned in Hebrews were able to see, by faith, the coming of the Day of the Lord: The Messiah. A day when God would forever remove our guilt and shame, write His law upon our heats and make us one with Him. A day when we could look up at the cross and live. A day where we would be able to behold Jesus, full of grace and truth: the very personification of Love.
Numbers 21:9
So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, they lived.
Is it really this simple? Look up and live? It’s absolutely that simple. If you can simply accept that when Jesus died on the cross, that was enough to make you completely righteous before God, you will be saved. God simply asks that we hold on to that singular ‘belief’ and not add the burden of a performance based system that takes the focus off of His ‘gift’ and puts the focus on us and what we’re doing to earn His favor. Paul warned the Galatians that to do so would be the equivalent of being ‘bewitched’; Paul’s words, not mine’s. In The Book of Hebrews, the writer warns that to rely on performance rather than Jesus alone was to descend into ‘unbelief’. Beloved, Christ alone: our hope of Glory.
One last thing:
1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
I misunderstood this verse for a good part of my Christian journey. Most Christians have. Most of us believe, at some level, that when we sin, each time we sin, we somehow fall from Grace.. and that we must, before time runs out, get before God and say, “I’m sorry.” To extend this thought to it’s illogical conclusion and to hasten the argument, in essence, we’re only as ‘good’ as our last, “I’m sorry.” Did you catch that? This takes us back to the principle of atonement’ and it’s inevitable insufficiency.
Beloved, this verse is me standing in the mirror and coming to agreement with God about my insufficiency, my ineptness, my shortcomings, my missing the mark. This is me standing in the mirror and agreeing with God (looking over my shoulder in the person of the Holy Spirit) about my need for a Savior: Jesus. When I stand before Him and confess that I am a sinner in need of a Savior, I acknowledge that Jesus was, Is and always will be the single reason why I can stand in the Presence of a Holy God. One word: “Jesus”. That’s my confession. Without Jesus, I am nothing. With Him, I live. While there is a place for the acknowledgement and confession in individual sins, God’s righteousness does not come and go with my ups and downs. He cleansed me when I accepted His Son. That cleansing is both continual and everlasting. And it is constant, just like God. He gives His gifts without repentance. He’s not looking to take it back. Blessed be the Name of the Lord: Jesus.
Blessings,
.wb
(I hope this was clear enough :) )
Romans 10:9
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
Romans 10:10
For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Romans 10:13
For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Sunday School Lesson for Feb. 12, 2012: Blessed with Abraham - Freed from the Law through Christ (Galatians 3:1-14)
Galatians 5:9
A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.
Matthew 16:12
Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.
Hebrews 10:1
For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.
Hebrews 10:38
Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.
A toxic mix: faith plus the law. I get it. A little law keeping and a little Holy Ghost and, “Wooooo wee!”, you start feeling like ‘Super Christian’: able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, heal the sick, raise the dead, just whatever. But there’s two serious problems. One: you could get puffed up, prideful, “Look at me.”, “See how wonderful I am?”, “You better recognize.” Beloved, the Bible says that God resists the proud. Who wins that wrestling match? God’s glory may not be shared. He’s not looking to share His throne with me. He’s God all by Himself. Or, number two: you could be crushed under the weight of the false expectation that legalism can create. Burdened unnecessarily by a standard that no man can live by. Walking around with so much guilt and shame because we recognize that we just can’t measure up. Beloved a misunderstanding of the Gospel: of what Christ did will burden you with a deeper despair than before you came to Christ.
Or maybe you’re somewhere in between, up one day, down the next. It’s time to get off the emotional roller coaster that a performance based ‘gospel’ can become.
Hebrews 4:9
There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.
“Say What?”
Hebrews 4:10
For he that is entered into His rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from His. (caps mine’s}
“Press your point Preacher.”
Hebrews 4:11
Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.
The point is: Jesus did it all. He freed us from the law of sin and death. Our job now is to work at rest, to hold fast to our confession of…faith! Can you do that? Holding fast to your confession means that you know that you are Blessed! You are Blessed just because. Blessed because of who you are and because of whose you are. Blessed because before you knew Him, He loved you. Blessed because He still loves you …madly. Blessed because.. He saw you from a great distance… and He came running to greet you. To put His robe on your shoulders and His signet upon your hand. Blessed because He’s given you a name; a name that no one knows but Him....and you when He speaks it. Blessed I tell you! You showed up at the Well of Life. Thirsty… and He gave you to drink. Out of your belly flow rivers of living water.. Blessed! You didn’t even know… that He’d marked the doorpost of your heart with His precious blood. Blessed I tell you! Blessed!
And for that, we are grateful. That gratefulness pours itself out over His feet. That gratefulness is a sweet, sweet fragrance that fills the throne room where we kneel in worship. That gratefulness expresses itself in acts of kindness to others. That gratefulness helps us to maintain and attitude of humility before Him and before our fellow travelers. Thank you Lord. Thank you Lord. Truly you are worthy of all of our praise. Honor and Glory and Power abide with You. And You make Your abode in us. Thank you Lord. (Blessed I tell you! Blessed!)
Blessings,
.wb
Matthew 5:6
Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
Romans 11:36
For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.
Titus 2:13
Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;
A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.
Matthew 16:12
Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.
Hebrews 10:1
For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.
Hebrews 10:38
Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.
A toxic mix: faith plus the law. I get it. A little law keeping and a little Holy Ghost and, “Wooooo wee!”, you start feeling like ‘Super Christian’: able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, heal the sick, raise the dead, just whatever. But there’s two serious problems. One: you could get puffed up, prideful, “Look at me.”, “See how wonderful I am?”, “You better recognize.” Beloved, the Bible says that God resists the proud. Who wins that wrestling match? God’s glory may not be shared. He’s not looking to share His throne with me. He’s God all by Himself. Or, number two: you could be crushed under the weight of the false expectation that legalism can create. Burdened unnecessarily by a standard that no man can live by. Walking around with so much guilt and shame because we recognize that we just can’t measure up. Beloved a misunderstanding of the Gospel: of what Christ did will burden you with a deeper despair than before you came to Christ.
Or maybe you’re somewhere in between, up one day, down the next. It’s time to get off the emotional roller coaster that a performance based ‘gospel’ can become.
Hebrews 4:9
There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.
“Say What?”
Hebrews 4:10
For he that is entered into His rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from His. (caps mine’s}
“Press your point Preacher.”
Hebrews 4:11
Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.
The point is: Jesus did it all. He freed us from the law of sin and death. Our job now is to work at rest, to hold fast to our confession of…faith! Can you do that? Holding fast to your confession means that you know that you are Blessed! You are Blessed just because. Blessed because of who you are and because of whose you are. Blessed because before you knew Him, He loved you. Blessed because He still loves you …madly. Blessed because.. He saw you from a great distance… and He came running to greet you. To put His robe on your shoulders and His signet upon your hand. Blessed because He’s given you a name; a name that no one knows but Him....and you when He speaks it. Blessed I tell you! You showed up at the Well of Life. Thirsty… and He gave you to drink. Out of your belly flow rivers of living water.. Blessed! You didn’t even know… that He’d marked the doorpost of your heart with His precious blood. Blessed I tell you! Blessed!
And for that, we are grateful. That gratefulness pours itself out over His feet. That gratefulness is a sweet, sweet fragrance that fills the throne room where we kneel in worship. That gratefulness expresses itself in acts of kindness to others. That gratefulness helps us to maintain and attitude of humility before Him and before our fellow travelers. Thank you Lord. Thank you Lord. Truly you are worthy of all of our praise. Honor and Glory and Power abide with You. And You make Your abode in us. Thank you Lord. (Blessed I tell you! Blessed!)
Blessings,
.wb
Matthew 5:6
Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
Romans 11:36
For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.
Titus 2:13
Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Sunday School Lesson for Feb. 5, 2012: Justified by Faith in Christ (Galatians 2:15-21)
Habakkuk 2:4
“… But the righteous will live by his faith.”
Galatians 2:20
I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
Matthew 7:14
But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
The next four lessons are drawn from Paul’s letter to the Church at Galatia. The Galatian Church had been infiltrated by Judaizers. These were people who were Jewish by birth who had come to faith in Christ, who wrongly clung to the Mosaic law as a means to complete justification. Paul was compelled to defend the true Gospel of Jesus Christ in the strongest terms possible. For you and I, that’s a good thing. Paul’s entreaty to the Galatians brings passion and clarity to the topic of justification by faith…alone. Paul opens the letter by declaring that his calling is of God, not man (Ch.1: v1). He continues by declaring that Jesus rescued us from this evil age (Ch 1: v3). He then flatly chastises the Galatians for having listened to and received ‘another gospel’. He goes on to issue a dire warning: If anyone preaches a message contrary to the message he had delivered to them, they were cursed by God.
Strong stuff. Thankfully. You see, in the clearest terms possible, Paul makes the argument for justification by faith alone, a concept many believers struggle with daily. There is an innate desire within all of us to be liked. Often times, in order to accomplish this, we feel the need to do something or to give something: a gift, a token, a favor, something that will cause those, whose affection we seek to like us, really like us. We can mistakenly approach God in the same way: somehow thinking we have to do something, somehow pay God for His righteousness. This is a mistake, a fatal mistake. Righteousness cannot be acquired by keeping rules or engaging in any number of religious practices. Righteousness can only be had by faith. Faith in what Christ accomplished at the cross. To add anything to what Christ did is to diminish what Christ did. Anything added to the Gospel diminishes it.
That’s good news. What’s left then is simply for the believer to believe. Nothing more. Simple faith in God, the belief that you can trust Him with your very soul: that what Christ accomplished at the cross was enough to catapult you into Glory is what most pleases God. That simple trust acknowledges that His plan for Mankind is perfect and just and holy. With that acknowledgement, we offer the purest kind of worship. We worship Him in Spirit and in Truth. I do not frustrate the Grace of God by trying to be something or do something. I simply am a Christian by faith in what Jesus did for me at Calvary: He bore all my shame and guilt. He nailed it to the cross. He declared that He was finished, that His work was complete, and then He rose from the grave, thus defeating the power of death, hell and the grave. I trust (have faith) that what He did is enough. Thank you Lord. Blessings.
.wb
Philippians 3:3
For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.
2 Corinthians 4:3
But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:
Matthew 11:28
Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest
“… But the righteous will live by his faith.”
Galatians 2:20
I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
Matthew 7:14
But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
The next four lessons are drawn from Paul’s letter to the Church at Galatia. The Galatian Church had been infiltrated by Judaizers. These were people who were Jewish by birth who had come to faith in Christ, who wrongly clung to the Mosaic law as a means to complete justification. Paul was compelled to defend the true Gospel of Jesus Christ in the strongest terms possible. For you and I, that’s a good thing. Paul’s entreaty to the Galatians brings passion and clarity to the topic of justification by faith…alone. Paul opens the letter by declaring that his calling is of God, not man (Ch.1: v1). He continues by declaring that Jesus rescued us from this evil age (Ch 1: v3). He then flatly chastises the Galatians for having listened to and received ‘another gospel’. He goes on to issue a dire warning: If anyone preaches a message contrary to the message he had delivered to them, they were cursed by God.
Strong stuff. Thankfully. You see, in the clearest terms possible, Paul makes the argument for justification by faith alone, a concept many believers struggle with daily. There is an innate desire within all of us to be liked. Often times, in order to accomplish this, we feel the need to do something or to give something: a gift, a token, a favor, something that will cause those, whose affection we seek to like us, really like us. We can mistakenly approach God in the same way: somehow thinking we have to do something, somehow pay God for His righteousness. This is a mistake, a fatal mistake. Righteousness cannot be acquired by keeping rules or engaging in any number of religious practices. Righteousness can only be had by faith. Faith in what Christ accomplished at the cross. To add anything to what Christ did is to diminish what Christ did. Anything added to the Gospel diminishes it.
That’s good news. What’s left then is simply for the believer to believe. Nothing more. Simple faith in God, the belief that you can trust Him with your very soul: that what Christ accomplished at the cross was enough to catapult you into Glory is what most pleases God. That simple trust acknowledges that His plan for Mankind is perfect and just and holy. With that acknowledgement, we offer the purest kind of worship. We worship Him in Spirit and in Truth. I do not frustrate the Grace of God by trying to be something or do something. I simply am a Christian by faith in what Jesus did for me at Calvary: He bore all my shame and guilt. He nailed it to the cross. He declared that He was finished, that His work was complete, and then He rose from the grave, thus defeating the power of death, hell and the grave. I trust (have faith) that what He did is enough. Thank you Lord. Blessings.
.wb
Philippians 3:3
For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.
2 Corinthians 4:3
But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:
Matthew 11:28
Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Sunday School Lesson for Jan. 29, 2012: Israel Is Delivered from Egypt (Exodus 1-15)
Daniel 4:2
It is my pleasure to tell you about the miraculous signs and wonders that the Most High God has performed for me.
Psalm 126:2
Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, “The LORD has done great things for them.”
Psalm 9:1
I will praise thee, O LORD, with my whole heart; I will show forth all thy marvelous works.
Psalm 22:3
But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.
Luke 19:40
“I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”
Every living thing was created for the praise of God’s glorious grace. In fact, I’ll go one further and state that everything was created for the praise of God’s glorious grace. Everything. The Bible says “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.” This was God’s intent from the beginning. Worship of God of our own free will is a privilege and a gift given to every person, but worked out in the life of every believer. Every believer has a song of Salvation, a song of worship to the Lord. Oh that all of mankind would praise the Lord. As I write this, I must acknowledge that this blog is three weeks behind. I have a desire to catch up, just not the time. Subsequently for the last several weeks, my challenge has been, “do I write based on my leanings from the time the lesson was dated or do I write in ‘the present moment?” Though this lesson is three weeks old, just last week America and the world lost a great singer with a great voice: Whitney Houston. She’s not the first entertainer to die so tragically, nor will she be the last if Jesus tarries. But I have a short testimony about Whitney I’d like to share.
The year was 1996. I got home late on a Saturday night from our church’s Christmas concert. It was right before midnight and I’m flipping through the channels. I catch the last few minutes of ‘Saturday Night Live’. Penny Marshall of ‘Laverne and Shirley’ fame is closing the show. She thanks everybody for watching, and then she introduces Whitney Houston. I’m caught a little off guard, but I notice right away that as the band is warming up, there is a Mass Choir warming up as well. I would later find out that this was Georgia Mass and that Whitney was promoting her new movie: “The Preacher’s Wife’ and its accompanying sound track. Immediately I sensed ‘the anointing’, the very essence, the very Presence of God as these sisters in the choir warmed up. I was transfixed. Whitney started singing ‘I go to the Rock’ with Georgia Mass filling in the chorus. It was a moment. A moment I’m sure that secular TV had not planned for. Whitney didn’t make through the entire song with her composure intact. By the end of the song, both she and the choir were ‘caught up’ in the Spirit. The broadcast cut away to commercial, and when they returned, Penney bid the audience good night, then she bid Whitney good night. The cameras panned over to the stage. The band is still playing, the choir is jumping and Whitney is just standing there with her face inclined toward heaven, with both hands up in the air and tears streaming down her face. Completely silent, she didn’t acknowledge Penney or the audience. She just stood there, eyes closed, tears streaming down. She was all in, completely overwhelmed by the Spirit of God, the anointing.
True worship exposes our vulnerabilities, our weaknesses before God. In true worship, we are unguarded and unashamed. In true worship, we come ‘just as we are’ into the presence of a Holy, Holy God. One of the marks of true worship is that in a very public place, we can have a very private, very intimate encounter with a very loving God in the person of Jesus Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit. Whitney was having that moment. I was privileged to be a witness to it. I’m honored to be able to share it with you. I don’t have a heaven or hell to put Whitney in. Her personal, very public struggles have given all of us much to ponder over the last several years and especially over the last week. I thank God that He gave me this single moment of her life to remember. I will always cherish it. As tortured as the end of her life had become, I hope that she has re-discovered her voice…before our Father in heaven. May she rest in Peace.
Shalom,
.wb
p.s. Thank you for all of your prayers and kind thoughts. My wife, Patsy completed her last chemotherapy treatment about a week and a half ago and she is slowly regaining her strength. Keep her in your prayers.
Isaiah 26:1
In that day shall this song be sung in the land of Judah; We have a strong city; salvation will God appoint for walls and bulwarks.
Job 5:9
He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted.
Isaiah 12:2
Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation.
1 Corinthians 14:15
What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also.
Psalm 150:6
Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.
It is my pleasure to tell you about the miraculous signs and wonders that the Most High God has performed for me.
Psalm 126:2
Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, “The LORD has done great things for them.”
Psalm 9:1
I will praise thee, O LORD, with my whole heart; I will show forth all thy marvelous works.
Psalm 22:3
But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.
Luke 19:40
“I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”
Every living thing was created for the praise of God’s glorious grace. In fact, I’ll go one further and state that everything was created for the praise of God’s glorious grace. Everything. The Bible says “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.” This was God’s intent from the beginning. Worship of God of our own free will is a privilege and a gift given to every person, but worked out in the life of every believer. Every believer has a song of Salvation, a song of worship to the Lord. Oh that all of mankind would praise the Lord. As I write this, I must acknowledge that this blog is three weeks behind. I have a desire to catch up, just not the time. Subsequently for the last several weeks, my challenge has been, “do I write based on my leanings from the time the lesson was dated or do I write in ‘the present moment?” Though this lesson is three weeks old, just last week America and the world lost a great singer with a great voice: Whitney Houston. She’s not the first entertainer to die so tragically, nor will she be the last if Jesus tarries. But I have a short testimony about Whitney I’d like to share.
The year was 1996. I got home late on a Saturday night from our church’s Christmas concert. It was right before midnight and I’m flipping through the channels. I catch the last few minutes of ‘Saturday Night Live’. Penny Marshall of ‘Laverne and Shirley’ fame is closing the show. She thanks everybody for watching, and then she introduces Whitney Houston. I’m caught a little off guard, but I notice right away that as the band is warming up, there is a Mass Choir warming up as well. I would later find out that this was Georgia Mass and that Whitney was promoting her new movie: “The Preacher’s Wife’ and its accompanying sound track. Immediately I sensed ‘the anointing’, the very essence, the very Presence of God as these sisters in the choir warmed up. I was transfixed. Whitney started singing ‘I go to the Rock’ with Georgia Mass filling in the chorus. It was a moment. A moment I’m sure that secular TV had not planned for. Whitney didn’t make through the entire song with her composure intact. By the end of the song, both she and the choir were ‘caught up’ in the Spirit. The broadcast cut away to commercial, and when they returned, Penney bid the audience good night, then she bid Whitney good night. The cameras panned over to the stage. The band is still playing, the choir is jumping and Whitney is just standing there with her face inclined toward heaven, with both hands up in the air and tears streaming down her face. Completely silent, she didn’t acknowledge Penney or the audience. She just stood there, eyes closed, tears streaming down. She was all in, completely overwhelmed by the Spirit of God, the anointing.
True worship exposes our vulnerabilities, our weaknesses before God. In true worship, we are unguarded and unashamed. In true worship, we come ‘just as we are’ into the presence of a Holy, Holy God. One of the marks of true worship is that in a very public place, we can have a very private, very intimate encounter with a very loving God in the person of Jesus Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit. Whitney was having that moment. I was privileged to be a witness to it. I’m honored to be able to share it with you. I don’t have a heaven or hell to put Whitney in. Her personal, very public struggles have given all of us much to ponder over the last several years and especially over the last week. I thank God that He gave me this single moment of her life to remember. I will always cherish it. As tortured as the end of her life had become, I hope that she has re-discovered her voice…before our Father in heaven. May she rest in Peace.
Shalom,
.wb
p.s. Thank you for all of your prayers and kind thoughts. My wife, Patsy completed her last chemotherapy treatment about a week and a half ago and she is slowly regaining her strength. Keep her in your prayers.
Isaiah 26:1
In that day shall this song be sung in the land of Judah; We have a strong city; salvation will God appoint for walls and bulwarks.
Job 5:9
He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted.
Isaiah 12:2
Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation.
1 Corinthians 14:15
What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also.
Psalm 150:6
Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.
Sunday School Lesson for Jan. 22, 2012: Joseph Transmits Abraham’s Promise (Genesis 50:15-26)
Genesis 50:19
And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God?
Genesis 50:20
You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.
Romans 2:4
Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?
2 Timothy 3:17
so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
In my teen years I took Karate and I boxed a little bit. The Karate was fun and I pursued it for a few years. The boxing was difficult. I’m blind (by birth) in one eye, and I could never see the overhand right coming. However, I remained a fan, and when I’m watching a fight I can pretty quickly see what each fighter has brought to the ring. A good fighter works on his strengths and his weaknesses. He may bring certain natural physical gifts or abilities into the ring: height, speed, leverage, a good jab or a really naturally good right hand, but he’ll need to bring more than that in order to dominate in the sport. That’s where time in the gym is important. Foot work doesn’t come naturally to most. Neither does the uppercut or the left hook. They normally have to be added to a fighter’s repertoire through a lot of training and hard work. When the lights come up and the opening bell sounds it can become apparent pretty quickly what ‘tools’ a fighter brings with him into the ring. Styles make fights. If a fighter ends up in the ring with an opponent who nullifies some of his natural strengths, he will need to reach into his ‘toolbox’ and find the right tools to persevere.
The journey for the believer can be compared similarly. The various trials, tests and temptations that we face on a day to day basis can serve to help us to become the ‘over comers’, the ‘super conquerors’ that God intends for us to become. If we’ll do the hard work and add the tools that God offers to our tool box, we position ourselves for victorious living. This is where Joseph was. He had some very natural spiritual gifts that were apparent from his youth. Those gifts eventually brought him before Pharaoh. Years in slavery and prison developed in him many of the tools required to lead Egypt in the time of famine. The time involved also allowed him to add the spiritual tools he would need to reconcile himself to his family and reconcile his family to the promise of God.
Beloved, do not underestimate the power of forgiveness. In the same way that a bomb squad defuses a dangerous bomb, the ability to forgive will heal relationships, repairing them in such a way that they can be stronger than they were when first broken. God was building a nation: one nation, not twelve. God intended that the rift between brothers be healed in such a way that they would cohere to one another to form the nation of Israel. There was not this same kind of healing between Isaac and Ishmael or between Jacob and Esau (even though Jacob and Esau eventually forgave one another). Subsequently, neither Ishmael nor Esau received the blessing of God’s promise to Abraham. Forgiveness created a nation and set the foundation for the Church. Then Jesus…
Jesus gave Himself for us then, He forgave us. In doing so, He rescued us from eternal death (not an oxymoron) and reconciled us to God eternally. Isn’t that good news? Once we’ve been ‘redeemed’, God begins to equip us for service. HE does this in two ways: the renewing of our minds through the study of His Word and through the testing of our faith which brings out His character in us. If we can allow trials to make us better, not bitter, God will use those trials to add the spiritual tools to our toolbox that will allow us to further his redemptive work within our sphere of influence. Be encouraged. Where ever you are in the Lord, He’s not done with you yet. What ever it is you’re going through, God can allow it to work to your benefit. Keep your focus on Jesus. He’ll see you through.
Blessings,
.wb
James 1:2
[ Trials and Temptations ] Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds,
Romans 8:28
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God?
Genesis 50:20
You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.
Romans 2:4
Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?
2 Timothy 3:17
so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
In my teen years I took Karate and I boxed a little bit. The Karate was fun and I pursued it for a few years. The boxing was difficult. I’m blind (by birth) in one eye, and I could never see the overhand right coming. However, I remained a fan, and when I’m watching a fight I can pretty quickly see what each fighter has brought to the ring. A good fighter works on his strengths and his weaknesses. He may bring certain natural physical gifts or abilities into the ring: height, speed, leverage, a good jab or a really naturally good right hand, but he’ll need to bring more than that in order to dominate in the sport. That’s where time in the gym is important. Foot work doesn’t come naturally to most. Neither does the uppercut or the left hook. They normally have to be added to a fighter’s repertoire through a lot of training and hard work. When the lights come up and the opening bell sounds it can become apparent pretty quickly what ‘tools’ a fighter brings with him into the ring. Styles make fights. If a fighter ends up in the ring with an opponent who nullifies some of his natural strengths, he will need to reach into his ‘toolbox’ and find the right tools to persevere.
The journey for the believer can be compared similarly. The various trials, tests and temptations that we face on a day to day basis can serve to help us to become the ‘over comers’, the ‘super conquerors’ that God intends for us to become. If we’ll do the hard work and add the tools that God offers to our tool box, we position ourselves for victorious living. This is where Joseph was. He had some very natural spiritual gifts that were apparent from his youth. Those gifts eventually brought him before Pharaoh. Years in slavery and prison developed in him many of the tools required to lead Egypt in the time of famine. The time involved also allowed him to add the spiritual tools he would need to reconcile himself to his family and reconcile his family to the promise of God.
Beloved, do not underestimate the power of forgiveness. In the same way that a bomb squad defuses a dangerous bomb, the ability to forgive will heal relationships, repairing them in such a way that they can be stronger than they were when first broken. God was building a nation: one nation, not twelve. God intended that the rift between brothers be healed in such a way that they would cohere to one another to form the nation of Israel. There was not this same kind of healing between Isaac and Ishmael or between Jacob and Esau (even though Jacob and Esau eventually forgave one another). Subsequently, neither Ishmael nor Esau received the blessing of God’s promise to Abraham. Forgiveness created a nation and set the foundation for the Church. Then Jesus…
Jesus gave Himself for us then, He forgave us. In doing so, He rescued us from eternal death (not an oxymoron) and reconciled us to God eternally. Isn’t that good news? Once we’ve been ‘redeemed’, God begins to equip us for service. HE does this in two ways: the renewing of our minds through the study of His Word and through the testing of our faith which brings out His character in us. If we can allow trials to make us better, not bitter, God will use those trials to add the spiritual tools to our toolbox that will allow us to further his redemptive work within our sphere of influence. Be encouraged. Where ever you are in the Lord, He’s not done with you yet. What ever it is you’re going through, God can allow it to work to your benefit. Keep your focus on Jesus. He’ll see you through.
Blessings,
.wb
James 1:2
[ Trials and Temptations ] Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds,
Romans 8:28
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Sunday School Lesson for Jan. 15, 2012: God Preserves a Remnant (Genesis 42:1—46:7)
Genesis 7:1
The LORD then said to Noah, “Go into the ark, you and your whole family, because I have found you righteous in this generation.
Genesis 18:19
For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing what is right and just, so that the LORD will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him.”
Romans 8:28
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
“God preserves.” Yes, God preserves. He preserved the children of Israel, according to His promise to Abraham. He preserved Himself, His Character in the spirit and soul of Joseph. He wasn’t finished with either party, Joseph or his brothers. For the family of Jacob, God’s promise to make them a great nation was four hundred years from fruition. God does not allow His Word to go out from His mouth without power. His Word will be fulfilled in the face of the most dire circumstances or conditions. Isn’t that good news? What He promises, He performs. There has been a whole movement of Christianity for about the last one hundred and fifty years that has brought attention to that fact. While many may disagree about the particulars of the ’Heaven on Earth’ movement in it’s various forms, it has served a greater purpose in awakening the Church to the fact that God is an ever present help in time of need. We may not all believe in a ‘prosperity gospel’, but we all believe that God is near. He’s near, He’s able, He’s willing. Willing and able to do exceedingly and abundantly above all that we can ask or think. Does God still deliver from the worst of circumstances? Yes He does. Does He still heal, deliver, set free? Yes He does. Does He still break chains of bondage, destroy yokes of oppression and despair? To the uttermost. God still cares about and cares for His people: the Church. He has prepared a place for us. He will personally see to it that we are preserved for His good purpose, here in the earth and into Eternity. Be encouraged. God is working on your behalf. He never fails. Am I laying it on too thick? Not to worry… I’m not preaching ‘easy street’.
There are no loose ends with God. Nothing happens outside His ability to work His purpose out through it. After nine years of freedom from slavery and prison, I’m sure Joseph felt ‘healed’, ‘delivered’, ‘free’. Whatever it was that brought him to the eventuality that was Pharaoh’s prison, no matter how seemingly unjust, surely nine years of ‘freedom’ would have healed all wounds. But, when Joseph’s brothers showed up, begging for food, Joseph discovered that… somewhere on the inside of himself… there was some stuff. You know…..stuff; feelings, emotions, unseemly and ungodly. Stuff that still needed to be dealt with. After all, wherever that place was on Joseph’s inside, where he was feeling this stuff, isn’t that where God was? As a believer, isn’t He somewhere on the inside of you, right in the middle of all your stuff? Yes I’m meddling. But you know what? It’s hitting me first. I can’t speak for everyone else, but I do know about me. God is not through with me yet. He is continually working to get my stuff; my sin, my iniquity dealt with. And often times He uses people. Family, friends, loved ones, Church members, strangers, whoever so that I can externalize (confess) some stuff I’ve internalized. Halleluiah! Isn’t that good news? It is to me. God’s Word tells me that He doesn’t want to dwell in an unclean temple: a junky place, filled with a lot of ‘stuff’. (Am I belaboring the point?) Sure, He’s sanctifies His new place (my inner man) by the shed blood of Jesus, but then it’s time to remodel, redecorate, refresh and renew (I hear some stirring in the audience. I’m almost at the hoop). Beloved, thirteen years of slavery and prison, trials and tribulation surely had worked some stuff out of Joseph, but maybe Joseph had held onto some stuff as well. Maybe he was holding onto a little vindictiveness, a little self righteousness? Might there have been some misplaced pride in there? Whatever it was, God was interested in getting it out to the curb. Where stuff; unwanted stuff belongs. Beloved, God gives his gifts without repentance. He gives them so that a world shrouded in darkness will testify to His power. But, more than power, God desires to display His character. He desires to display His character in you. What is God’s character? God is love. That great love manifests itself in a variety of ways: love, joy, peace, mercy, patience, faithfulness, sometimes just plain goodness, meekness and self control. People who display or demonstrate these character traits are magnets for the lost. Puppies, small children and lost people will be drawn to the living well from all life flows. Jesus said that men would know you by the fruit that you bear. Joseph great gifts preserved the nation of Egypt, but when he allowed God to kick some of his stuff to the curb and put His (God’s) character on display; when he embraced his brothers and forgave them, he reconciled himself, not only to his family, but to the promise that God had given Abraham. In a moment of forgiveness, God’s plan for the Church to come (You and I) was put back on track. Talk about power. At the cross, Jesus forgave…us. Talk about power. What about you? What opportunity might you have to demonstrate God’s love, the power of His love? How might it change someone’s eternal destiny? Selah.
.wb
Galatians 5:19 (The Message)
It is obvious what kind of life develops out of trying to get your own way all the time: repetitive, loveless, cheap sex; a stinking accumulation of mental and emotional garbage; frenzied and joyless grabs for happiness; trinket gods; magic-show religion; paranoid loneliness; cutthroat competition; all-consuming-yet-never-satisfied wants; a brutal temper; an impotence to love or be loved; divided homes and divided lives; small-minded and lopsided pursuits; the vicious habit of depersonalizing everyone into a rival; uncontrolled and uncontrollable addictions; ugly parodies of community. I could go on. This isn't the first time I have warned you, you know. If you use your freedom this way, you will not inherit God's kingdom.
Galatians 5:22 (The Message)
But what happens when we live God's way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely.
The LORD then said to Noah, “Go into the ark, you and your whole family, because I have found you righteous in this generation.
Genesis 18:19
For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing what is right and just, so that the LORD will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him.”
Romans 8:28
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
“God preserves.” Yes, God preserves. He preserved the children of Israel, according to His promise to Abraham. He preserved Himself, His Character in the spirit and soul of Joseph. He wasn’t finished with either party, Joseph or his brothers. For the family of Jacob, God’s promise to make them a great nation was four hundred years from fruition. God does not allow His Word to go out from His mouth without power. His Word will be fulfilled in the face of the most dire circumstances or conditions. Isn’t that good news? What He promises, He performs. There has been a whole movement of Christianity for about the last one hundred and fifty years that has brought attention to that fact. While many may disagree about the particulars of the ’Heaven on Earth’ movement in it’s various forms, it has served a greater purpose in awakening the Church to the fact that God is an ever present help in time of need. We may not all believe in a ‘prosperity gospel’, but we all believe that God is near. He’s near, He’s able, He’s willing. Willing and able to do exceedingly and abundantly above all that we can ask or think. Does God still deliver from the worst of circumstances? Yes He does. Does He still heal, deliver, set free? Yes He does. Does He still break chains of bondage, destroy yokes of oppression and despair? To the uttermost. God still cares about and cares for His people: the Church. He has prepared a place for us. He will personally see to it that we are preserved for His good purpose, here in the earth and into Eternity. Be encouraged. God is working on your behalf. He never fails. Am I laying it on too thick? Not to worry… I’m not preaching ‘easy street’.
There are no loose ends with God. Nothing happens outside His ability to work His purpose out through it. After nine years of freedom from slavery and prison, I’m sure Joseph felt ‘healed’, ‘delivered’, ‘free’. Whatever it was that brought him to the eventuality that was Pharaoh’s prison, no matter how seemingly unjust, surely nine years of ‘freedom’ would have healed all wounds. But, when Joseph’s brothers showed up, begging for food, Joseph discovered that… somewhere on the inside of himself… there was some stuff. You know…..stuff; feelings, emotions, unseemly and ungodly. Stuff that still needed to be dealt with. After all, wherever that place was on Joseph’s inside, where he was feeling this stuff, isn’t that where God was? As a believer, isn’t He somewhere on the inside of you, right in the middle of all your stuff? Yes I’m meddling. But you know what? It’s hitting me first. I can’t speak for everyone else, but I do know about me. God is not through with me yet. He is continually working to get my stuff; my sin, my iniquity dealt with. And often times He uses people. Family, friends, loved ones, Church members, strangers, whoever so that I can externalize (confess) some stuff I’ve internalized. Halleluiah! Isn’t that good news? It is to me. God’s Word tells me that He doesn’t want to dwell in an unclean temple: a junky place, filled with a lot of ‘stuff’. (Am I belaboring the point?) Sure, He’s sanctifies His new place (my inner man) by the shed blood of Jesus, but then it’s time to remodel, redecorate, refresh and renew (I hear some stirring in the audience. I’m almost at the hoop). Beloved, thirteen years of slavery and prison, trials and tribulation surely had worked some stuff out of Joseph, but maybe Joseph had held onto some stuff as well. Maybe he was holding onto a little vindictiveness, a little self righteousness? Might there have been some misplaced pride in there? Whatever it was, God was interested in getting it out to the curb. Where stuff; unwanted stuff belongs. Beloved, God gives his gifts without repentance. He gives them so that a world shrouded in darkness will testify to His power. But, more than power, God desires to display His character. He desires to display His character in you. What is God’s character? God is love. That great love manifests itself in a variety of ways: love, joy, peace, mercy, patience, faithfulness, sometimes just plain goodness, meekness and self control. People who display or demonstrate these character traits are magnets for the lost. Puppies, small children and lost people will be drawn to the living well from all life flows. Jesus said that men would know you by the fruit that you bear. Joseph great gifts preserved the nation of Egypt, but when he allowed God to kick some of his stuff to the curb and put His (God’s) character on display; when he embraced his brothers and forgave them, he reconciled himself, not only to his family, but to the promise that God had given Abraham. In a moment of forgiveness, God’s plan for the Church to come (You and I) was put back on track. Talk about power. At the cross, Jesus forgave…us. Talk about power. What about you? What opportunity might you have to demonstrate God’s love, the power of His love? How might it change someone’s eternal destiny? Selah.
.wb
Galatians 5:19 (The Message)
It is obvious what kind of life develops out of trying to get your own way all the time: repetitive, loveless, cheap sex; a stinking accumulation of mental and emotional garbage; frenzied and joyless grabs for happiness; trinket gods; magic-show religion; paranoid loneliness; cutthroat competition; all-consuming-yet-never-satisfied wants; a brutal temper; an impotence to love or be loved; divided homes and divided lives; small-minded and lopsided pursuits; the vicious habit of depersonalizing everyone into a rival; uncontrolled and uncontrollable addictions; ugly parodies of community. I could go on. This isn't the first time I have warned you, you know. If you use your freedom this way, you will not inherit God's kingdom.
Galatians 5:22 (The Message)
But what happens when we live God's way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely.
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