141130 Knowing Christ

Philippians 3:1-11 Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you is no trouble to me and is safe for you.

² Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh. ³ For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh— ⁴ though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: ⁵ circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; ⁶ as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. ⁷ But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. ⁸ Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ ⁹ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— ¹⁰ that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, ¹¹ that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

The Apostle shows us very clearly the contrast between having confidence in the flesh and having confidence in knowing Christ. As far as the flesh was concerned Paul was born a Jew, of the tribe of Benjamin who was trained as a Pharisee. He was a persecutor of the church and, so far as the law was concerned, he was blameless. Very few people could claim that they have such a high standard. We all need to have the same attitude that the Apostle Paul had. Even though he was very religious, and completely committed to the faith of his fathers, after he met the Lord Jesus Christ on the road to Damascus his entire life focus changed. From that point on everything changed!

Paul had worked very hard on becoming a leading Pharisee. He lived and breathed the Old Testament law and the rabbis’ interpretation of it. If any man could think of himself as having arrived there were none better than Paul. Yet in spite of all that…

Paul counted all his achievements worthless. We are told almost nothing about the apostle before he came to Christ. The only blood family members we know anything about is a sister, and a nephew, who is unnamed. Yet, I can imagine that Paul was very special to his family. He was born in the city of Tarsus and probably grew to manhood there. Tarsus would have been a very cosmopolitan city. Anyone born in Tarsus was automatically Roman citizen. It was the capital city of a region called Cilicia. I can imagine that he was chosen by his parents to be the Rabbi in the family. We do know, from his own statement, that Paul came to Jerusalem to study under Gamaliel, a leading Rabbi. Apparently, Paul’s sister and her family lived in Jerusalem where Paul was held by the Romans. When a plot was devised to take Paul and kill him his nephew heard of it and warned the Romans.

Paul was a rising star in Jewish society but he…

Exchanged his credentials for knowing Christ. Turn with me to Jeremiah 9:23-24. Paul would certainly have been familiar with this teaching in Jeremiah. In fact, Paul might have been directly influenced by passages like this in the Old Testament. Thus says the Lord: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, ²⁴ but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.”

Paul had written to the Corinthians to say that he had decided to know nothing among them except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. (1 Corinthians 2:2-3) He did not come to them with eloquence and human wisdom. He said that he came to them in fleshly weakness but spiritual power. He gave up all his credentials in order…

To be found in Christ. Turn with me to Ephesians 1:3-14.  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, ⁴ even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love ⁵ he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, ⁶ to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. ⁷ In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, ⁸ which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight ⁹ making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ ¹⁰ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

¹¹ In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, ¹² so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. ¹³ In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, ¹⁴ who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.

This is a long passage of Scripture but “in Him” occurs several times. We have been blessed in Christ with every spiritual blessing. Before the world was created, God chose us in Him. God predestined us for adoption through Jesus Christ. In Him we have redemption through his blood. In Christ the Father has a plan to unite all things in heaven and on earth. I pray that he soon will come again to earth and establish that unity. In Him we have already obtained an inheritance. In Him we were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit. Our inheritance is part of that unity found in Him.

We could go on and on citing passages of Scripture that talk about what we have in Christ Jesus. Among the most important things to have is…

To have the righteousness that comes through faith. Turn with me to Romans 1:16-17. Here we find the theme of the book of Romans.  For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. ¹⁷ For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”

Paul gave up all his worldly, as well as religous, human achievements after he met Jesus on the Damascus road. Having come to know Christ I am sure he began to restudy the Scripture that were so familiar to him. Now he approached the Bible with a new understanding of what it was all about.

The good news of Jesus Christ that had come to him with such force confirmed to him the words of Habakkuk, “The righteous shall live by faith.” He knew, of course, the words of Isaiah, “all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment.” (Isaiah 64:6) So he understood that in order to know Christ in that special sense of “knowing” that he desired he had to have the righteousness that comes through faith. It is important for us to note that Paul was not urging us to try harder to be righteous in our own strength but instead was urging us to come to a righteousness from God that depends on faith.

It is by grace that we have been saved through faith and that is a gift from God. (Ephesians 2:8-9) We have just observed Thanksgiving. High on our list of things to thank God for should be the fact that he has given us the faith to believe in Him and release His grace in our life. We cannot earn our salvation and we cannot work up any kind of acceptable “righteousness”. We have to receive it from God. In Christ Jesus we have a righteousness that is approved by God. A part of the work that God is doing in our life should spur our desire…

To know the power of His resurrection. Turn with me to 1 Peter 1:3-5. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, ⁴ to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, ⁵ who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

Apart from the resurrection of Jesus Christ Christianity would be meaningless. Paul wrote to the Corinthians that our faith is futile if Christ has not been raised. (1 Corinthians 15:17) Throughout the New Testament it is affirmed again and again that the power of the resurrection is the key to our salvation. Peter has confirmed that our new birth is through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. (1 Peter 1:3) The primary theme of the preaching of the apostles was giving testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus.

Paul had put aside everything in his life in order to know Christ. Not just to know about Him but to “know Him”. He knew and understood that nothing he could do in his own strength would give him the joyous relationship that he had acquired by the grace of God.

God had given to Paul the faith to believe and that caused him to be spiritually hungry for the righteousness of God. It is absolutely essential that all of us, along with Paul, experience the power of Jesus’ resurrection.

Jesus had stated that in the world we would have trouble but, He assured us that He had overcome the world. (John 16:33) In order to know his resurrection we will need…

To share His suffering. Turn with me to James 1:2-4. Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, ³ for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. ⁴ And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

One thing for sure — we will face trials and tribulation. This is, in a way, sharing in Jesus’ suffering. After all, we are part of his body here on earth. When a Christian is persecuted for his faith it is Christ who is being persecuted.

When Paul was on the road to Damascus, as reported in Acts 9, he was on his way to arrest everyone there who claimed the name of Christ. He was going after the followers of Jesus.

But Jesus did not ask him why he was persecuting them he said to him, “Saul, Saul why you persecuting ME?” To persecute the church is to persecute Jesus. Across the world today governments and individuals are persecuting Christians. They may think of themselves as dealing with one individual or a group of people but God sees them as persecuting His Son.

The persecutors are on the wrong side of the issue. They are not just hurting believers they are calling God out. The power that raised Christ from the dead and that stopped Paul on the road to Damascus is the power that will confront the opponents of Christ today.

There are many examples throughout history of efforts to wipe out the Christians only to find that there were more, and more of them. It will be true today also! There will be many new believers in Christ Jesus in the world of Islam. In exactly the same way, there became more and more Christians in the Communist dictatorships. I often cite China for example.

Starting in the 1930s the Communist Party began to rise to power. One of the things they did was to attack missionaries and Chinese believers wherever they went. When the entire country fell under the control of the Communists in 1949 it is estimated that there were about 5 million Christians in China. 30 years later, after severe persecution, the Western world was allowed to look behind the “Bamboo Curtain”, as it was called, to the amazement of almost everyone the number of Christians had increased to 50 million or more. The current growth rate of the Christian church in China will cause that country to have more believers than any other country in the world in a few more years.

Today it is the Islamic countries that are trying to destroy the Christian church. In the short term they seem to be winning because everything is being measured by human standards. But we need to remember to factor in the power of the resurrection of Christ released in the world. In the long run God will raise up believers everywhere they are being killed today.

The Voice of the Martyrs reports on things that are happening in Syria today. In one situation the militants entered the church buildings and destroy everything in sight. They burned Bibles, hymnals, and prayer books. They tore down the crosses on the steeples and used the church buildings as sniper positions.

Although the church buildings were severely damaged many Syrian Christians remain hopeful. They know that the church is not a building but rather consists of all who belong to the body of Christ.

One pastor, who has remained there, fatefully travels each week to nearby villages to conduct services for the Christians there. The other church leaders that were there have either been killed or driven out by the Islamic State militants. This pastor’s wife recently said, “Our family is in danger, but we serve a mighty God.” There are many Christians who have remained behind and continue to bear witness to the Muslim neighbors. One Muslim, in Syria, was heard to say, “If this is what Islam is I don’t want to be a Muslim.” When he observed the Islamists and their cruelty.

Paul was wanting to gain Christ, and be found in Christ’s righteousness, and come to know the power of his resurrection. He came to know that such knowledge would result in…

Becoming like Him in His death. Turn with me to 2 Corinthians 4:8-11. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; ⁹ persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; ¹⁰ always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. ¹¹ For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. ¹² So death is at work in us, but life in you.

Paul is not talking about our being crucified like Jesus was. He’s talking about us following Christ into deadly persecution. I can hardly imagine what the Apostle Paul’s body looked like by the time he came to the end of his life. Use your imagination. In 2 Corinthians 11:23, and following, we find Paul saying he had been beaten so many times he couldn’t count them. He was often near death. Five times he was beaten with 39 lashes of a whip. Three times he was beaten with rods. One time he was stoned. And the list goes on and on!

When one of His people is afflicted it is Christ who is being afflicted. We need to understand that being united to Jesus means that we are always carrying in our body the death of Jesus. The death of Jesus takes away our wrongdoing and releases life in us. In order for us to be comforted, and therefore qualified to comfort others, we have to first be afflicted. And when we are afflicted we share in His suffering and when that is carried to the extreme we become like Him in his death!

Most of us will never go through the kind of suffering that Paul did. But we need to be ready — the day may come, even here. When we gain Christ we get an entire package that includes suffering and also comfort. Praise God we also gain resurrection power over sin!

Above all things we need to be found in Christ Jesus. Our faith in Him should cause us to value everything in comparison to Christ. Nothing we have in our possession, nothing we have earned by the world’s system, no relationship that we have on earth, is of more value than Jesus Christ. It is absolutely essential that we have His opinion on every part of our life. If Jesus is your Lord then He has the right to direct us in our actions and decisions. Remember, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” If you have made that kind of commitment you need to follow through with baptism and church membership. This could be your day. 

All scripture quotes are from: The Holy Bible: English standard version. 2001. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

The Privilege of Giving 130519

2 Corinthians 8:1-9, We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia, 2 for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. 3 For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord, 4 begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints— 5 and this, not as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us. 6 Accordingly, we urged Titus that as he had started, so he should complete among you this act of grace. 7 But as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all earnestness, and in our love for you—see that you excel in this act of grace also. 8 I say this not as a command, but to prove by the earnestness of others that your love also is genuine. 9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.

The apostle wanted the church in Corinth to know about the special attitude the churches of Macedonia had towards giving. Corinth was a wealthy cosmopolitan city while Macedonia was an impoverished rural area. In fact, the contrast exists even today. Poverty was a problem to the people of Macedonia. I suspect that Paul, as he traveled through Macedonia, mentioned the offering he was taking for the saints in Jerusalem without much expectation from the Macedonians. They became an example of generosity to Corinth. They knew the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.

This passage of Scripture has been very special to me since the early days of our ministry in this area. By God's grace we had been given a church building in the town of Maryland, in Otsego County, and soon after we were given the grace to buy the farm that became the pastor's home for the Maryland Baptist Church and the church camp. In order to make the church building useful a tremendous amount of renovation had to be done. We were dependent on God for our living and extra expenses.

One day I went to the mailbox and found a package that I immediately recognized as being the size of, and having the feel of, a Good News for Modern Man New Testament. Immediately I looked to see where it had come from. The handwritten return address was: Macedonia Principal, 2 Corinthians 8:9. The 4th class stamp on it was canceled in Babylon, Long Island. It was wrapped in brown paper. I was intrigued by this item so I went inside the house, got a knife and slit the wrapping so I could see the edge of the book. On the edge of the pages was written "GIVE" in big bold letters. I am fairly cynical so I assumed that someone had found the book with our address inside it and wanted me to give them something.

I carefully opened the cover to expose the flyleaf and found written there, "Give to others, and God will give to you. Indeed, you will receive a full measure, a generous helping, poured into your hands - all that you can hold. The measure you use for others is the one that God will use for you." Luke 6:38 GNT. This reinforced my belief that someone wanted me to give them something. I ran my thumb along the edge of the book and fanned the pages. In doing that I discovered 10 bookmarks each one marking a verse, or passage, about giving. Each bookmark was a brand-new $100 bill!

I was overwhelmed by the generosity of the gift. At the same time my joy was mixed with shame that I had expected so little from God. I went to the bank and deposited the money and immediately went to the lumber yard for building supplies. God is so good and he has met our needs so many times! I give glory to his name!

We need to remember that God does not need our gifts. The Bible tells us exactly that! God says in his word that every beast of the forest is his and that the cattle on a thousand hills are his. We need to remember that before he came to the earth…

Our Lord was rich. When Jesus came to the earth he was already the Creator God and was recognized as the firstborn of all creation. As such, he was the heir of all things! Let's look at what the Scripture says about Jesus…

As Creator. Listen to Paul's letter to the Colossians. Colossians 1:15-20, He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

By him all things were created. That's an amazing statement and speaks clearly about his ownership. The laws of the United States are based on Judeo-Christian principles. Two collections of laws are of interest as we look at this passage of Scripture. The copyright laws and the patent laws. In these laws we find that the originators, or creators, have the right to protect their creations.

Not only were all things created by him they were also created for him. The God we serve, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, created the universe and owns it outright! Jesus was rich beyond our wildest imagination as the creator of the universe. His rights are more completely established…

As God. There are many passages of Scripture that show that Jesus is God. For our purposes we will use John 1:14-18, And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. 15 (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’”) 16 And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father's side, he has made him known.

“The only Son from the Father” might not establish the truth about Jesus being God but verse 18 is very clear: "No one is ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father's side, he has made him known." In fact, John began his gospel with, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." That last phrase is very interesting. "The Word was God." If it were translated word for word from the Greek it would say, "God was the Word". I'm not scholarly enough to know why all English translations seem to avoid that construction. There might be a reason but I don't know what it is. If I were to say, "Aree is my son." Or, "My son is Aree." In both cases the meaning would be the same. It's very clear that John, in writing his gospel, wanted to affirm the truth that Jesus is the Creator God of the universe. Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever. Jesus has always existed…

As the heir of all things. Look at what the writer of Hebrews had to say to us! Hebrews 1:1-4, Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. 3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.

When Jesus told the story that we call "The Parable of the Tenants" he told of a landowner who created a vineyard and rented it out to tenants. Then he moved far away. When he sent his servants to collect the rent the tenants refused to pay. They not only rejected the rent collectors they also beat some of them and killed some of them! The landowner, last of all, sent his son saying, "Surely they will respect my Son." The tenants, recognizing that the son was the heir, threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. Clearly, Jesus is the Son in the story.

Jesus was, and is, rich. He is the creator. He is God. And he is the heir of all things. But, for our sakes…

He became poor. It's hard to imagine the contrast between the glory of heaven and the gloom of the earth. Jesus, the creator God, the older brother who has the right of primogeniture, chose poverty for our sakes. He was poor…

In his birth. In order to be born in Bethlehem, as the prophecy said he would, he had to be moved, before his birth, from Nazareth. In order to achieve that God had the Roman Empire issue a decree. Let's read about it. Luke 2:1-7, In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 And all went to be registered, each to his own town. 4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed who was with child. 6 And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. 7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

For the wealthy there was plenty of room. I am sure the Inn in Bethlehem had rooms for the wealthy. But for a common carpenter and his pregnant wife there was no room. I can imagine the innkeeper explaining that there was no place for anyone because of the order of the Romans. Those who were well-off had arrived early and secured the available space. Then, I imagine, he told them that they could use part of the stable. At least there would be hay there for them to make a simple bed. And the creator of the universe, the King of kings and Lord of lords was born in a stable not in a palace!

He was born in poverty and he was poor…

In his early life. Listen to Luke's account. Luke 2:22-24, And when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”) 24 and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.”

Proof of the poverty of the carpenter's family is seen in the sacrifice offered when they presented him to the Lord. The Law of the Lord is more specific than Luke's quote. What Leviticus says is, “And when the days of her purifying are completed, whether for a son or for a daughter, she shall bring to the priest at the entrance of the tent of meeting a lamb a year old for a burnt offering, and a pigeon or a turtledove for a sin offering, and he shall offer it before the Lord and make atonement for her. Then she shall be clean from the flow of her blood. This is the law for her who bears a child, either male or female. And if she cannot afford a lamb, then she shall take two turtledoves or two pigeons, one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering. And the priest shall make atonement for her, and she shall be clean.”

A lamb a year old and a pigeon, or a turtledove, were to be the sacrifices. But if she cannot afford a lamb then two turtledoves or two pigeons would be offered. The Royal Family were uprooted from their home and made to travel some 80 miles. Joseph on foot and Mary on a donkey would have covered 10 or 15 miles a day. The wealthy would have had horses or camels to ride on and cut the time in half. Not only was Jesus born in poverty but he was poor…

During his ministry. So far as we know, except for his triumphal entry into Jerusalem, Jesus walked everywhere he went. Luke tells us about one instance in, Luke 9:57-58, As they were going along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” 58 And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”

Many times people say to Jesus, in the words of Mary Brown, "It may not be on the mountain's height or over the stormy sea; it may not be at the battle's front my Lord will have need of me. But if by a still small voice he calls to paths that I do not know, I'll answer dear Lord with my hand in Thine, "I'll go where you want me to go." I'll go where you want me to go, dear Lord, over a mountain or plain or sea. I'll say what you want me to say, dear Lord. I'll be what you want me to be. And they mean well as did the man who confronted Jesus along the road. I am sure he was ready to join Jesus' band without question. But the implication is he had not counted the cost. If he went with Jesus he would find himself sleeping on the ground beside the road that night. The implication is he turned away and did not follow when he understood the poverty of Jesus. Let's look again at 2 Corinthians 8:9, For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich. Wow, Jesus became poor so…

That believers might become rich!

I remember a pastor in Louisiana telling me about a man whose wife attended his church. The man came to church with his wife one Sunday determined to accept Christ as his Savior. Looking over the order of service he saw a word he didn't know and asked her, "What is 'tithe'?” She answered that it was 10% of income. He asked, "Net or gross?" She said, "Gross." He took out his pay stub and moved the decimal point and counted out his first tithe and put it in the offering plate. At the end of the service he came forward to accept Christ as his personal Lord and Savior. The Scriptures teach that…

God blesses givers. Listen to the prophet Malachi. Malachi 3:8-12, Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ In your tithes and contributions. 9 You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you. 10 Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the LORD of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need. 11 I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of your soil, and your vine in the field shall not fail to bear, says the LORD of hosts. 12 Then all nations will call you blessed, for you will be a land of delight, says the LORD of hosts.

Do you hear the promise? Many years ago I worked with my dad in the construction business. One day a sudden shower caused us to go inside the office. There were four or five men in the group. One of them spoke to my dad and said, "Mr. Bray, why is it that everything you do turns to gold?” Before my dad to answer, an elderly black preacher asked, "Can I tell him?" My dad, not sure what he would say, said, "Go ahead." The old preacher said, "That man is sitting under the window. The Bible says, 'Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.' He's just sitting under the window.”

You might say, "That's Old Testament law and we live under grace."

We need to remember…

Jesus continued the promise. Listen to what Jesus said, Luke 6:38, give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”

The first word in that quote is "give" followed by the promise "it will be given to you". Not just what you gave, but good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap.

Once Jesus rebuked the teachers of the law for tithing the herbs in their garden while leaving out more important things, justice, and the love of God. But he wasn't saying, "Don't tithe." Because he added, "These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others." Not only did Jesus continue the promise…

Paul supported it. Let's go back to 2nd Corinthians chapter 9.

2 Corinthians 9:6-15, The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. 9 As it is written, “He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.” 10 He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. 11 You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God. 12 For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God. 13 By their approval of this service, they will glorify God because of your submission flowing from your confession of the gospel of Christ, and the generosity of your contribution for them and for all others, 14 while they long for you and pray for you, because of the surpassing grace of God upon you. 15 Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!

Two things need to be pointed out in this lengthy passage. First, stingy givers get stingy results and generous givers get generous results. Second, God enriches a person for a reason. And that reason is never so they can live like royalty on earth. We are enriched in every way so that we can be generous in every way. Such generosity causes many thanksgivings to God. God is glorified when people are generous givers. And the result is the gospel is respected by those who receive. God's purpose is very clear. Look back in verse 8, "And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work." Our sufficiency is not for our blessing but in order for us to abound in every good work. "The tithe is the Lord's" the Bible says and when we give it to him we are simply returning that which already belongs to him.

The Macedonian Christians understood that earthly wealth is a transient treasure. They knew that it was only money and, given time, it would be replaced. The needs of the Judean Christians was so great that the Macedonians needed to give what they could, and even more, to meet those needs. We need to remember that the first thing they did was give themselves to the Lord. Then they could comfortably give of their resources for the offering. Because they knew the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. They understood that when you give to the poor you lend to the Lord and he always repays! Have you given yourself to the Lord? He gave his life to set you free only a fool would refuse that gift!

All scripture quotes are from:The Holy Bible : English standard version. 2001. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

Paul's Confidence 130324

Romans 15:14-16 I myself am satisfied about you, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able to instruct one another. 15 But on some points I have written to you very boldly by way of reminder, because of the grace given me by God 16 to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that the offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.

Paul encourages the church in Rome with these words. You are full of goodness. You are filled with all knowledge. You are able to instruct one another. He was confident that the spiritual needs of the church there was being met by the people. He only needed to remind them of their needs and abilities. He was able to do this because his gift was to be a minister to the Gentiles concerning the gospel of God. Isaiah had prophesied that the glory of God would be declared among the nations. He said the time would come when believers from all nations would come as an offering to the Lord.(Isaiah 66:19b-20) That process began while Jesus was on earth and has been expanded by the ministry of his disciples and the church through the ages.

Hebrews, Chapter 11, shows us that God has always related to mankind the same way. By grace, through faith. In that rollcall of the faithful God begins with Able who, by faith, offered a more excellent sacrifice than his brother, Cain. And the list goes on: by faith Enoch; by faith Noah; by faith Abraham; by faith Sarah… Etc. All of these were people chosen by God to maintain a faithful lineage from which Christ was born. They were not chosen because of their works of righteousness. And neither were we! However, once chosen they, and we, were qualified by God. Paul states his satisfaction that the Christians in Rome were full of goodness, full of knowledge and able to instruct one another. Let's look at each one of these qualities. Paul said that they were…

Full of goodness.

We know, from Scripture, that he was not talking about human goodness. A thousand years before Christ, David, inspired by the Holy Spirit, penned these words: Psalm 14:1-3, The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds, there is none who does good. 2 The LORD looks down from heaven on the children of man, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. 3 They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one.

First, David refers to the atheist as a fool. Then he goes on to say that there is none who does good. Apart from the work of the Spirit of God in a person's life, there is no goodness.

All humans are born dead in trespasses and sins. Only the great mercy of God gives us any hope of attaining to life and goodness. Human goodness will not measure up to the standard set by the word of God. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. The standard is nothing less than God's glory, and friends, we do not measure up! Jesus made it very clear…

There is none good but God. Listen to the story of the rich young man as presented in Mark's gospel. Jesus was walking along the road when he was confronted by a young man. Listen while I read, Mark 10:17-22, And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 18 And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. 19 You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’” 20 And he said to him, “Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth.” 21 And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” 22 Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

Jesus' response to the young man might seem out of place to us in our society. "Good Teacher" might have been answered with, "Thank you for recognizing that I'm good." Instead, Jesus said to him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone." I think Jesus was calling for a confession of faith. In essence, he was asking if the young man recognized that he was God. But Jesus knew the man's heart and pushed on to challenge him. "You know the commandments," he said, and went on to list some of the commandments that involve our relationship with people. The young man asserted that he had kept these from his youth. And so Jesus said to him, "sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come follow me."

Mark then notes that the young man went away in sorrow because he had great possessions. In reality great possessions had him.

There is none good but God and…

He gifts us with his goodness. When Paul listed the fruit of the spirit he showed us that a part of that fruit is goodness. Listen while I read Galatians 5:22-23, But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

Because of the presence of the Spirit of God in the life of the believer we are full of goodness and should make every effort to display and exercise the goodness that God gifts us with. We are not just full of goodness we are also…

Full of knowledge.

Remember, it is God who gives us everything we need to live the Christian life. We have been…

Enriched by grace. Listen while I read, 1 Corinthians 1:4-5, I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, 5 that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge…

The grace of God given to the Christians in Corinth is the same grace released in the church today. "In every way" includes all that we have need of in life. We are "enriched" by the grace of God in speech and knowledge. The problem that we have is that we forget that our speech should be seasoned with grace. We forget that we don't gain the knowledge we need through education. Our speech and our knowledge is a grace gift of God.

When a person accepts Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior Holy Spirit comes to live in them and goodness and knowledge are…

Gifted by Holy Spirit. Let's look at two passages of Scripture. They're short and to the point. The first is found in, 1 John 2:20, But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and you all have knowledge.

Wow, John, the elderly apostle, doesn't say, "You should have been anointed by the Holy One and therefore should have knowledge". He says, with great confidence, "you have been anointed By the Holy One, and you all have knowledge.” All have knowledge? Can that really be true? There are many things I do not have knowledge of. By the way, there are many things I don't want to have knowledge of. But the important things — the things of the Spirit of God — I do want to have knowledge of. Is it possible that we really do have the knowledge we need? Let's look at our second passage of Scripture. Remember, these are the words of Jesus spoken during his last days on earth.

John 14:25-26, “These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.

These words were spoken by Jesus in the last week of his life on earth. He had many things he wanted his disciples to know. He knew that his disciples really didn't "get it". Many of the things he taught them had to be repeated again and again and still they did not grasp the truth.

There is a school of thought that says that Christ taught his disciples all that he could in the time that he had and then finally left them on their own to carry on the work. Nothing could be further from the truth! He did not leave his disciples on their own operating with the world's values. He himself said, "I am with you always even to the end of the age." You see, our goodness and knowledge are…

Not according to the world. Let's return to first Corinthians and see what Paul had to say to them. 1 Corinthians 1:26-31, …consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, 29 so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. 30 And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, 31 so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

Not many of the Christian church are wise according to worldly standards. In fact, when Jesus set out to choose his disciples he walked past the Bible school and the seminary and went along the seashore to choose some fishermen, a tax collector, a rebel and one who would betray him. In fact, Paul himself was the only one that we know of who had formal training. He might, by the world's standards, be considered "qualified" to serve as a Bible teacher.

Now he writes to the Corinthians and says that God choose the foolish and the weak, the lowly and despised, the "nothings" to carry out his work. One thing Scripture is very clear on, none of us have anything, in our selves, to boast about. Our goodness is not our own and our knowledge is found only in Christ Jesus who became to us "wisdom from God". So that we can boast only in the Lord.

The apostle Paul had to unlearn a vast amount of knowledge in order to know only Christ crucified, buried and raised again. Once we recognize the source of our goodness and knowledge then we are…

Able to instruct one another.

One of the gifts given to the first century church was a man named Barnabas. "Barnabas" means "son of encouragement". The church today is in great need of Barnabases. Paul was in great need of a Barnabas when he came to Jerusalem some three years after his salvation experience. Remember, we are able to instruct one another because we are full of goodness and full of knowledge. Each of us needs to…

Be a Barnabas. Let me read about him from, Acts 9:26-28, And when he (Paul) had come to Jerusalem, he attempted to join the disciples. And they were all afraid of him, for they did not believe that he was a disciple. 27 But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles and declared to them how on the road he had seen the Lord, who spoke to him, and how at Damascus he had preached boldly in the name of Jesus. 28 So he (Paul) went in and out among them at Jerusalem, preaching boldly in the name of the Lord.

Barnabas was a man of courage. He was willing to approach this man who was known in Jerusalem as Saul of Tarsus. He was a persecutor of the church and for all they knew was pretending to be a disciple in order to infiltrate their ranks and betray them.

Barnabas put that aside and went to Saul, who would soon be Paul the apostle, determined that he really was a disciple of Christ and brought him to the apostles. The apostles were those chosen to lead the church but they needed instruction and encouragement from a Barnabas. In the same manner we need to…

Encourage one another. In order to be an instructor one has to be an encourager. Let's look at, Hebrews 10:24-25, And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

"Stir up one another" is a phrase that might describe how some Christians operate but the things they stir another up to is not necessarily "love and good works".

"Consider" implies a need to create a plan. To think through what needs to be done before beginning the process of instructing. "Stir up one another" is more than preparing a lesson plan and presenting it. We need to stir the desires and emotions of one another. This is not just "head knowledge" this is "heart knowledge". We are full of goodness and full of knowledge and therefore, able to instruct one another. We need to meet together and encourage each other day by day. The strength of the early church was found in close fellowship. Take the time to read the second chapter of Acts and see how the first church operated.

Today, there is very little close fellowship in any church I know of. This local church included! We need to focus more on helping each other and encouraging each other to build the strength this church needs for the days that lie ahead. We need to instruct one another…

In every way. Paul wrote to Timothy the following words 2 Timothy 4:1-2, I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: 2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.

Preach the word! Not someone's opinion or philosophy but the word of God. We are to reprove, rebuke and exhort and it can come across as very harsh. Many Christians have never learned how to reprove, rebuke and exhort in a manner that will be listened to. If you approach a person with a severe tone in your voice, you're words very likely will be rejected and good advice may be lost. Sometimes it's necessary to reprove a person but it should be done in a manner that will be listened to.

So, if we are to reprove, rebuke and exhort, we must do it with patience. More than that, "with complete patience" and that should be accompanied by teaching. Jesus was not harsh in his treatment of people. Oh yes, he did go into the temple courtyard and overturn the money changer's tables and drive their livestock out of the house of prayer. But we must remember that in his day-to-day activities Jesus was often approached by people who were rejected by others and therefore very conscious of any feelings of rejection. Also, much to the displeasure of his disciples, he was approached by little children. Little children are attracted to people who are not harsh disciplinarians. So, when we have to reprove, rebuke and/or exhort we should always do it with complete patience and accompany it with teaching.

Peter said you must always be “prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,”. Our instruction should always be done with patience, gentleness and respect. It has taken me many years to grasp this concept and is not easy to put into practice. I pray that these qualities will always characterize my ministry.

Every believer in the Lord Jesus Christ has the ability to instruct others. The problem is we often think that such ability only comes after Bible school or seminary. Bible school and seminary are important. In fact, every method of improvement of our understanding of the word of God is important. But the truth is the ability to instruct, encourage, preach and exhort is given by God not by education. No one, in their own strength, is qualified to minister in the name of Christ. Anyone, in the power of the Holy Spirit, is qualified and capable. God does not call the qualified. He qualifies the called! Paul's satisfaction is not based on the high quality humans in the church in Rome, or in today's church, it is based on the high quality God that we serve. Is he your Lord? Have you put your faith in him? If not, do so now!

All scripture quotes from:The Holy Bible : English standard version. 2001. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

Walking the Walk Not Just Talking the Talk 121202

Romans 12:14-21, Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.

Paul begins this section back in verses one and two with a commitment to present our bodies a living sacrifice linked to a refusal to be conformed to this world, instead, we are to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. The renewed mind lives a different kind of life than the mind of the flesh we are born with. We are to bless; rejoice; weep with the sad; live in harmony; be humble; avoid arrogance; live honorably; be peaceful; never seek revenge; treat our enemies well and overcome evil with good! That's a pretty heavy dose of responsibility and a very large guilt trip for many of us. Thank God, we don't have to do it in our own strength.

Every believer needs to understand that Christianity is not just a club to join. Nor is it simply that we have a lot of new rules to learn. Both those positions leads to some kind of legalism. When a person is saved by the power of God changes start happening. When we are born into this world we are born sons and daughters of Adam and Eve and as such we inherit sin and rebellion. We also have a lot of growing up to do. Some of us actually do grow up! Being saved and becoming a Christian leads a person to new birth, in a new family, with new strengths and new relationships.

In fact…

We have a new mind. Because…

A Christian has put on a new self. Listen to what Paul wrote to the Colossian church in Colossians 3:9-10, Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.

I think it's very interesting that Paul begins this with, "Do not lie to one another". One of the attributes of God is that he does not lie. And when the Spirit of God comes to live in us lying should become a thing of the past. I was blessed by being able to come to the Lord as young boy. I got into enough trouble after that, even as a believer, no telling how much trouble I would have gotten into had I not known the Lord. However, one of my big problems as child was the problem of lying. It was almost a game with me and I had to really work at becoming a truth teller.

John tells us in the first chapter of his gospel that as many as receive Christ, those who believe in his name, are given the power to become children of God. If we are children of God we take on the family characteristics of God. We have put off the old man who is in the image of Adam, our natural forefather, and we have put on the new man who is in the image of our heavenly Father. As a result we are now being renewed in knowledge after the image of God. The believer is not perfect but is being perfected. I used to have a little badge that, I sometimes wore, that said, "PBPWMGIFWMY". Those letters stand for, "Please be patient with me, God isn't finished with me yet", leaving me to make the explanation. Since our ultimate goal is to be like Jesus — God certainly isn't finished with me yet! If I'm to be like Jesus, I will outlive Methuselah! Remember, upon salvation we take on a new nature the new nature has a new set of values.

With a new set of values. Listen while I read from Ephesians 4:20-24, But that is not the way you learned Christ!— assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

Every family has values! They may be good or they may be bad, but they are values. During my childhood I often heard my mother and father say, "That's not what we do in this family!" And I knew that our family values would be enforced strictly. Today, the shapers of influence, representing a small minority of the population, are continually presenting a "new normal" that has a definite set of values. Those values are like the ones mentioned by the Apostle in writing to the Ephesians when he said that their former manner of life was corrupt through deceitful desires. The so-called "new normal" accepts homosexuality as a natural lifestyle, promiscuous sex as being normal, and same-sex marriage as being correct. I could go on and on but don't choose to.

Well, those values are not the ones that I grew up with. Nor are they the family values presented in the Bible. This past week on Facebook one of my male friends posted a picture of his male "fiancé". I challenged him to think about God's view of such a relationship. His answer was, "Well there is no right or wrong if I'm a child of God because are we not made in his image?"

I copied for him several verses from Romans chapter 1. He responded by saying that's not the way he interpreted God's word. Obviously, he had bought into the "new normal". I am grieved to see the path our culture is on. As Christians we must stand in opposition to those things that do not glorify God. We're not to be hateful but we are to be forceful. As for me, I'm tired of pussyfooting around. At the same time, I know that we are to witness respectfully and gently. When the Bible is clear on the subject we need to take our stand on the word of God, while remembering that God's goodness brings men to repentance.

We have a new mind with a new set of values and…

With the ability to grow spiritually. Listen while I read these earlier verses in Ephesians 4:15-16, Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

Peter closed his second epistle with the admonition to grow in grace and the knowledge of the Lord. We are designed physically to mature over a period of time. God also designed us to spiritually mature over a period of time. We are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ! Our natural condition at birth is "all have sinned and come short of the glory of God". The glory of God is none other than Jesus Christ himself! And we are naturally far short of that goal. However, when Christ comes to live in our lives the Holy Spirit enables us to mature spiritually. We will be built up in love and we will reflect that love to those around us.

Spiritual growth involves all of our being. We need to read the Bible, fellowship with other believers, offer our prayers to God in the name of Jesus and listen for the voice of God in the midst of all the chaos around us.

We have a new mind, with a new set of values, with the ability to grow spiritually and we have…

A new way of living. Since we have been born again we are to be…

Living according to the Spirit. Listen while I read, Galatians 5:16-17, But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.

We are to live in the Spirit and not fulfill the lusts of the flesh! The problem many Christians deal with is trying to suppress or defeat the flesh. The old adamic nature will always be with us. You can't tame the flesh because it is always trying to revert to our adamic nature. Everybody has a method for the way they live their lives. Most of us have never thought out the method. That means, simply put, that our method is pretty much the way of the flesh.

Really, we should not focus on the habits of the past or the struggle that we have in the flesh. We should focus on living according to the Spirit. Don't even allow the desires of the flesh any time in your mind. It's your mind you should determine, by choice, what has space in it. There are only two choices: being Spirit-dependent or or, being flesh-dependent. Where are you at in this process? Is your method Spirit-dependent , or is it flesh-dependent? The Holy Spirit is to be the fountain of our life. And if we are led by the spirit we will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh!

We have a new mind, with a new set of values, and the ability to grow spiritually.

We have a new way of living and it is according to the Spirit! Now we are to be living…

No longer in the flesh. Listen while I read from Galatians 5:18-21, But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Upon presenting a similar list in First Corinthians 12, the apostle adds these words that could be shocking to some, "And such were some of you."! In other words, the Corinthian church had members who had, in the past, openly acted out "the works of the flesh". Every church, everywhere, has such members in their ranks. I would go further. I would not say, "And such were some of you." Instead I would say, "And such were ALL of you!" All of us once walked after the works of the flesh. And the flesh is still with us! Usually in the Bible the word "flesh" refers to our old nature. The flesh that we were born with is no longer our way, but it is certainly our "old way". Over the years I've gotten lots of help from Bill & Anabel Gillam, especially in the area of the flesh. I quote Brother Bill, "Indwelling Sin will continually seek to mislead you with first-person-singular-pronoun logic that his way is the true way". (Bill Gillham, Lifetime Guarantee) The voice you hear in your head almost always speaks in the first-person-singular to make you think it's your own idea. Or, Satan will use a voice that we are naturally afraid of. That's the old habits of the past, the flesh, trying to drag us back into a false way of living. Having been born again we are no longer to live according to the flesh. We have a new life and a new way of living.

There is an old chorus that we used to sing it goes like this:

I have a new way of living, I have a new life divine,

I have the fruit of the Spirit, I'm abiding, abiding in the vine.

Abiding in the vine, Abiding in the vine, love, joy, health, peace,

He has made them mine. I have prosperity, power and victory

Abiding, abiding, in the vine!

Our new way of living does involve prosperity, but it may not mean money. Jesus said the thief comes to steal, kill and destroy. But he went on to say that he had come so we may have life and have it abundantly. Abundant life is so much more than material things. Abundant life is the life of Christ in us and that is our hope of glory.

We have a new mind, with a new set of values, and the ability to grow spiritually.

We have a new way of living and it is according to the Spirit; no longer according to the flesh! It is…

A blessed way. Let's hear the words of the shepherd boy who became a King, Psalm 1:1-3, Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.

The person who does not live by the flesh but instead delights in the things of the Lord is going to be blessed. Several years ago I was going through some of the things my mother had left behind. One of them was a study outline that she had prepared to teach her Sunday School class and the text was Psalm one. She had listed a number of the characteristics of a godly man that are found in this passage and then she had written in the margin beside that list, "My darling husband". I was blessed to be raised by man and a woman who honored God with their lives.

Yes, we have a new mind, with a new set of values, and the ability to grow spiritually. We have a new way of living and it is according to the Spirit and no longer according to the flesh! It is a blessed way with…

A new strength. We often excuse ourselves, or even complain, by saying, "I am just not strong enough for this." We need to remember that…

Our weakness is not a problem. Read what Paul discovered about his weakness. He was struggling with some kind of problem that he called a "thorn in the flesh" and he had asked God three times to take it away. Listen to God's answer.

2 Corinthians 12:9-10, But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Paul, who had struggled with his weaknesses, could now say that he could boast in his weaknesses! Only in weakness do we really recognize our need for God. The Apostle Paul had good flesh credentials. He was circumcised the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews, etc. etc. God had to bring him down, not just a notch, but all the way down. You see, God is not interested in how able we are he is interested in our understanding, and demonstrating, how able he is!

Sometimes when a person is first saved they might think, "This is easy." But, as time goes by, we begin to discover the Christian life is not easy! In fact, it is hard! After more time, and struggle in our own strength, we finally throw up our hands and say, "This life is impossible!" We did not learn, or we soon forget, that only one person has ever lived the Christian life and that person is Jesus Christ!

Yes, we have a new mind, with a new set of values, and the ability to grow spiritually. We have a new way of living and it is according to the Spirit; no longer according to the flesh! That is a blessed way with a new strength. Our weakness is not a problem because…

He does the work. Listen while I read from 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24, Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.

I want to be completely holy. I want my entire being to be acceptable to God. I try, and I try, but I fail again, and again. I find soon that I can do nothing of any lasting value on my own. And then I find this wonderful prayer from the apostle Paul to the church in Thessalonica. He prays for them what I would pray for myself. "May your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ". WOW! How can that be? What can I do? What great work does he demand that I can be totally sanctified? And that's the way we would be left, if the apostle ended this passage at the end of verse 23. But he didn't. He went on to say that he who calls you is faithful; HE WILL SURELY DO IT! He will do it? I thought WE had to do it and I knew that I could not and I suspect that you can't either. So life seemed hopeless. This passage speaks to my needs as does Philippians 1:6, And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. He will bring it to completion! Not, "We will bring it to completion." Or, "You will bring it to completion." He who called you is faithful; he will do it. Praise God! I can't do it and I know that I can't; but he can do it, and I believe he can do it! You see…

His strength is ours. Remember the words of Paul in Philippians 4:13? I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

Yes, we have a new mind, with a new set of values, and the ability to grow spiritually. We have a new way of living and it is according to the Spirit; no longer according to the flesh! It is a blessed way with a new strength that ignores our weakness because it is in His strength, not oursl

Paul prayed for the Ephesian church: Ephesians 3:14-19, For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

What an awesome prayer! That prayer fills all my needs. Remember, this is not strengthening me in my own strength. It is being strengthened with power through the Holy Spirit. Our faith will grow and we will be foundationed in love. Then, and only then, we will know the love of Christ and be filled with the fullness of God!

When a believer looks at the demands of the Christian life the view can be very discouraging! The values we grew up with are often in direct opposition to the values of Christ. With all the hustle and bustle of the world around us and the pessimism shown by most people it is easy to forget that we have the mind of Christ. We know we can't live the Christian life in our own strength. We struggle along and get weaker and weaker. But the day will come, I promise you, when we finally give up. And when we give up, the Spirit of God within us, in one way or another, will press home the truth that he who began a good work in us will bring it to completion. He who calls us is faithful even when we are faithless. HE WILL DO IT! Have you trusted him? Is he your Lord and Savior? If you feel the tug in your heart to come to him he will not turn you away.

All scripture quotes from:The Holy Bible : English standard version. 2001. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.