Endtime Ministries...
Australian Bible College CourseThe Calvary Bible Fellowship of N.Z. has given permission for an Australian Diploma Course to be constructed along the needs of our Despatch subscribers.
Let's get something straight from the beginning of this unit of studies. We are not speaking together here of EXPERIENCE per se, not experience for experiences' sake. I am speaking of the LORD JESUS CHRIST as the centre of our lives, living in a vital relationship with the Lord Himself, I am not speaking of seeking spiritual experiences. These do come, but these should never be sought as being an end in themselves. Christ Jesus for Himself is our centre. Now some sincere Christians have as their centre DOCTRINE, the BIBLE. Others have EXPERIENCE as the centre. Both of these approaches are replacing the Lord Himself with another hub or midpoint. Yes doctrine is immensely important, yes we do have experiences with the Lord, but these must never replace Christ Jesus Himself. HE is longing for our worship, adoration and loving attention. WE are in reality longing for HIM and His love, HIS constant support and intimate protection and personal supply. No doctrine or experience can ever fill the lonely place in our souls and spirits, God alone can fill that place, because we were created FOR HIM, and we can only be at peace when we love the Lord our God with all our hearts, minds, spirits, strength, and every fibre of our being, and never leave Him as our own environment, our HOME. This is what "abiding" means. as seen in John 15:4-5. Read.
Now this means that we must fulfill the conditions for "abiding" or living in the Presence always of a HOLY GOD.
Tozer, the well-known Christian author, wrote these words: "Here I borrow an illustration to stress the point that Christ is the center of all things. He is, as it were, the hub of a wheel around which everything revolves. Centuries ago someone said that Christ is like the hub and everything that has been created is on the rim of the wheel.
...There is a hub in the middle of each wheel with spokes going out to the rim. Then, in the perfectly shaped wheel, the rim goes around equal distances at all points from the hub. To us, Jesus Christ is that hub and everything else is on the rim. When Jesus Christ has His place as hub, we are all equally close or equally far from Him.
Jesus is in the midst, and because this is true, He is accessible from anywhere in life. This is good news - wonderful good news." (From "Tragedy in the Church", pp. 74-75).
What happens when we make doctrine or experiences our hub? We lose our way and peace, for the wheel becomes out of balance, wobbly!
Let's read from God's Word some of the glorious statements made about our centre, Christ Himself. Col. 1:27; Romans 11:36; Col. 2:10; Romans 8:32; Psalm 25:9; Philippians 1:6; 11 Cor, 4:10-11.
What are we to do to be able to live in Christ Jesus as our home, at home with Jesus Christ every day, every hour every minute? Not that I have always a perfect understanding or a PERFECT walk in this regard, no I am learning every day what it is to grow in my knowledge of living in a vital, obedient relationship with Christ. This Christian walk with Him is a lifetime's surrender and learning process. We will number the following points to keep things clear. In no way is this some sort of dead formula, Christ Jesus is a Living reality, I am only seeking to give you jumping off points that you may move in earnest into a Living relationship with Him. HE is ALL, remember this, the whole gift of God.
1. We must spend the rest of our lives on earth seeking the Lord, not just seeking a doctrinally correct, Biblical head-knowledge. Let's read what the relationship with God was like for Adam and Eve, before the expulsion from the Garden of Eden. Genesis 3:8.Read. Adam and Eve were in the very Presence of God, He spoke to them. This was the beginning of mankind, let's look at the conclusion of the saga of man. Revelation 21:3. Read. God makes His Tabernacle with mankind, and He dwells with them. Revelation 22:3-4. Read. These wonderful verses show us the very glorified Lord Jesus, face to face with the redeemed saints.
What about now? What does the Bible say about us living in close relationship in the Lord NOW? Do you know Him as a living reality? AT YOU AT HOME WITH HIM moment by moment? Song of Solomon 1:4; 2:3-4; Proverbs 3:6; Heb. 13:5; Matthew 22:37. Read and explain. Philippians 3:3. We should worship and adore God, wanting Him for Himself alone, being content in Him, receiving peace and rest from Him, refusing to live away from Him in stubborn independence any more. Letting everything take second place that we might KNOW HIM, that is letting Christ Jesus be the centre.
2. What else must we do to be at home in Christ Jesus? Understand that Christianity is not like the cults or the religions, it is a Relationship with God as a Person. We can go to church, say our prayers, have exotic experiences, do good works and be truly born-again, yet NEVER seek GOD for Himself, and so never become vitally alive to HIM. We have to spend time alone just with Him, communing with Him. This not a time to be making endless requests. although we need Him to supply all our needs of course. Just let go of everything and adore God, love God, let Him supply peace and rest and joy in His Presence.
DYING TO SELF enables us to be ALIVE TO GOD. What do I mean "dying to self"? The term means different things to different people. Some see this as merely a theological way of saying "being unselfish". But this is NOT the Biblical meaning of dying to self. God has begun a NEW CREATION altogether in Christ Jesus, the Second Man and the Last Adam. He has begun this new creation not only under His headship, but it is also formed in HIS IMAGE. The old creation must not enter into this creation in Christ. Your old nature is your OWN natural life! If you are to walk in victory over sin, and know God in your daily walk in a vital relationship, then it is only your shared Life in Christ which will enable such a glory! We believers have actually been "baptised into His death" and we are to "put on Christ".
Read Romans 6:1-10. Here we have the way of victory over the SIN NATURE. In 1 John 1:9 we see the way of CLEANSING FROM SINS committed in our every day walk, so that we can keep in fellowship with our Holy God. These two are NOT one and the same, THE CROSS is the answer for the SIN NATURE and the BLOOD is the answer to sins committed AFTER salvation, as well as for salvation itself. "Sins" are manifestations of the "sin nature".
There are many wonderful passages in Scripture that teach of the way of victory over the nature "man". POSITIONALLY, that is in the reckoning of God, the old man is already crucified with Christ, and we are exhorted to make good this finished work in EXPERIENCE. We are to "reckon" it so by definitely "putting off the old man" and "putting on the new". Read Colossians 3:8-14. Notice all the manifestations of the sin nature in this passage? We are to utterly trust that the Cross has crucified OUR old nature, our SELF life, put off the manifestations of it, and trust that Jesus Christ has provided ALL the Righteousness we need, and let Him do everything or us. Read Ephesians 4:24.
This "new man" is a Partaker of the NATURE DIVINE and the LIFE OF CHRIST, and in no way is just the old man made over or reformed. 11 Peter 1:4. This "new man" is CHRIST formed in the believer, HE is progressively being formed in YOU, and how quickly you grow in Christ spiritually depends on you knowing the Word and acting upon it. Gal.2:20; 4:19; Col.1:27.
3. We must be open before God, completely transparent. He knows all things, therefore He knows all about your thoughts and actions, nothing is hid from Him. You have a great privilege, you have been bought by the Blood of Christ, you are the Heavenly Father's child now, tell Him everything. This will give peace and relief, take away stress and anxiety. Relax, don't strain, draw near to Him and He will draw near to you. Confess and depart from your sin. Be still before Him and quiet sometimes, and rest before Him like a plant rests in the sunlight. Psalm 46:10.
4. Walk in the Light. This following passage gives the believer instructions in how to fulfill the conditions of fellowship with God. FELLOWSHIP with the Lord Himself! How wonderful this is, don't miss it by confusing doctrine with GOD. How do we walk in the light? A urgent question. 1 John 1:5-10 Read.
Walking in the light is explained in 1 John 1:8-10. Now if we draw close to God and His true light, we find His presence brings the consciousness of sin in our natures and sins in our lives. Ephesian 5:13-15 tells us about God's light showing up all things; v8 of 1 John shows us the sin nature even after we are born again; and v 9-10 of the same passage shows us SINS in the life.
Do not run away from the presence of God because you see you are not a "spiritually deep" and "marvelous Christian". You are needy and little, weak and small, given to sin and failure. He alone is strong and Holy Perfect, fear not to let God show you this. The Blood of Christ Jesus is the divine provision for the cleansing of sins committed during the day. Ask God to cleanse you from these. Sin in a redeemed person interrupts fellowship with God, not relationship. If you are born-again, you are God's child, you can never be cast away from Him forever. John 10:27-30; Ephesians 1:3-6.
Confession and cleansing restores lost fellowship. v.9. Some of us have never opened up to God fully at all, and may need a good clean up before the Lord in order to have fellowship with Him restored. Out with it, be honest, let God break down all barriers, let Him melt your hard stubborn heart. ASK God to show you where you have sinned. If you have lost real peace then there is something wrong between you and God. You cannot decide what your sin is yourself, because you will always be biased on your own side. We have all heard a description of some quarrel or disagreement from two opponents who only see things from their point of view. One will say, "she was awful to me, out of control in a violent temper, I kept calm and explained that I had done the right thing!" The other person involved will say, "he shouted at me, it was terrible, and I had to tell him a thing or two because he was so wrong!" The Holy Spirit is the only one who can show we stubborn, self-righteous humans our own sin. But do not keep delving and seeking to be shown sin, on the other hand. Your heart should be at peace when all is confessed, if there is no sins being revealed by the Holy Spirit, rest in God. Psalm 51:6; Psalm 139:23-24. Read each one.
5. Let God make you dependent on Him, and allow Him to remove the independent rebellion. What is our natural way of reacting to life? Mankind as a whole tends towards pride in themselves, their own strengths, their own ability to cope. "Stand up like a man and don't look to any props", "I'm not a wimp, I don't need any man or God"; "getting your own way is the answer to happiness, looking after numero ono", that is the cry of the Godless world. In spiritual matters it is the opposite to the world's proud attitude. God wants you to be humble, depending on Him, ready to admit you are needy and sinful. ASK GOD to make you humble, dependent, and honest enough to admit your need of Him. Psalm 14:1. Read.
6. Understand that God wants to work in and through you far more than you want Him to! He wants to conform you to the image of Christ Jesus, this is why you were saved. He wants you to bear MUCH FRUIT, to His glory. God wants you to so walk with Him that Christ will be manifested to you - that is revealed to you in your day to day life. Not a mighty vision, most unlikely to be, but a Reality through the Holy Spirit, a gentle awareness that He is there. Not "felt" in the body or seen by the eyes, not a tingling, jerking, shaking spirit, or the face of "Christ" appearing on the wall, or blood coming from a figure on a crucifix! Rather the fullness of peace and calm, gentle happiness in the soul. Something in the heart that KNOWS the Lord never leaves you, an awareness that you can walk in the Shadow of the Almighty through any danger, even the valley of the shadow of death! This is REAL manifestation, beloved of God. If you do not know of such realities yet, then you are either not born-again or you have never been taught by man to seek such realities, or have you not yet been enlightened by the Holy Spirit, that a life with the Living Lord is your own privilege. John 15:16; John 14: 21-23; Romans 8:29; 11 Cor. 3:18.
7. Absolute surrender to God, absolute submission. Now this is impossible for a human being to Imagestain! Come to God and simply tell Him you want absolute surrender into His hands, will and keeping, and let God give to you absolute surrender. Let God bring you there, tell Him you need Him to work it in you.
8. Don't just turn from deeply immoral sin or overt sinful actions, but also from RESPONSES that do not please God and are unacceptable to Him, or are destructive to your own spiritual life or the lives of other people. Let God show you what these are in a living fellowship with the Lord God who is in the light, not in darkness. Even the world knows that people cannot live in stress without becoming sick physically eventually. New Age practitioners claim to be able to deliver people from stress, and teach them relaxation. They use occult meditation and spirit guide possession to do so! Other stress and tension reliefs in the world are valium and alcohol, even the television is used to stop stress. Why then should a child of God allow the destructive responses of the old nature to drag them down, when GOD has provided everything for His beloved child?
What are some of the these responses that we must repeatedly reject? How can we learn to let Jesus Christ set us free from these?
Bitterness and resentment, anger, self-pity, envy, jealousy, fear, anxiety, carrying our own problems, and living in self-dependence- these are the sort of responses that the Lord wants us to be free from. These are NOT the fruit of the Spirit, they actually displace God's spiritual fruit. We should confess them as SIN, and let the Blood of Jesus cleanse them away. 1 John 1:9. Ephesians 4:31-32.
What happens when these responses begin in our lives? Recognise them as being able to destroy your peace, your witness for Christ, the harmony of others around you, make you ill inside, hurt you and your loved ones emotionally. In your spirit turn immediately to God, give HIM control, Allow Him to provide you with the fruit of the Spirit from Christ, do not try to overcome yourself or produce your own righteousness.
No one can make you yield to God and make you face up to destructive behaviour patterns, YOU are responsible. Your blood can run hot and before you know it, you are angry and aggressive with someone. Ask God to cleanse you then, confess your sin, seek God's power to turn from these more and more each day. Galatians 5:22-24.
9. To walk with God means not being a fake or making up extenuating circumstances. Many Christians will not walk in God's light about their own behaviour, they prefer to live in unreality. Or they say that there are excuses for their sinful ways. The excuses for temper, unkindness, selfishness, irritability, snappiness, nagging, constant criticism and peevishness are many. I am going through change of life, it was a terrible day at work, so-and-so worked me up, I am tired and have a headache - and so on. Or the light of God is ignored, and the Christian covers up, is dishonest before God and others, pretends they HAVE NOT SINNED, blames everyone else but themselves for their behaviour. And failure, depression, lack of fellowship with God is the result. A BIG PRICE TO PAY for living in unreality in a world that is a figment of the sinning ones' own imagination. YOU should have victory over these things every day, surrender to God and let Jesus Christ be your life. Without HIM you can do NOTHING. 1 Cor. 1:30-31.
10. Stay at home with the Lord. Talk to God, live conscious of His Presence, depend on Him for everything, love Him, rejoice in Him, be grateful to Him, share your thoughts with Him, don't cut out the One who loves you from any area of your life. It is TRUE that He is in you and you are in Him. Later in this unit we will see the seven petitions of Christ shown in John 17. This was the Lord's prayer FOR YOU, His intercession for all redeemed ones of the ages. God IS in control of ALL your circumstances, do not be afraid, He is working out everything for your good. His unfailing purpose through the Gospel, for YOU, is shown in Romans 8:28-34. Read.
11. Let the peace of God be the umpire. When an umpire sees a foul play in the game, he blows his whistle and stops the play. When the Holy Spirit, in the Christian life, sees unconfessed sin in the life, He blows a whistle to warn and exhort the believer, that is, He removes PEACE in the heart! When we lose our inner peace, something is wrong between God and ourselves, and it isn't on God's side either! You must learn day by day to recognise that peace and contentment in the Lord Himself are monitors of your true response to Him. Lay down your arms, throw your troubles onto Him, accept the truth that God wants you to live in happiness, without striving and stress. Hold back nothing in confession that would rob you of a delight of living at peace with the Lord. Jesus Christ has given you a gift of peace, don't let sin rob you of this unspeakably precious gift. John 14:27. Colossians 3:15.
12. Accept fully that there is no good thing in you yourself, your own nature is fallen and depraved. Many try to live out a lie, pretending great spirituality at church, never admitting to God or man that they are needy, failures, guilty, tired and shams. Let God release you, you have no need to ever pretend again. We become emotionally disturbed when you live trying to be what we can never be. Just bow before God in repentance and simply be His child, with all your failure and shame. He loves you, and He will transform you. I am weak but He is strong.
God has provided all the righteousness you need in Christ Jesus Himself, let Him provide everything for you and relax.
Galatians 2:20-21. The REAL Christian life is the out-living of the inliving Christ, as Scofield's Study Bible notes put it. Galatians 5:16; Rom. 8:2. Philippians 4:19; 11 Cor. 12:9-10.
13. Understand what the Bible has to say about the old Adamic nature, and the way of victory over sin in Christ Jesus.
Romans 7:15-17. The Bible makes it plain that we still retain the old Adamic nature AFTER we are born-again, but we now share the Life of Christ which was received through the new birth. 1 Peter 1 :23; 11 Peter 1:4; Gal.2:20; Col. 1 :27. Saul became Paul, but he STILL has the strife of that which is of the old nature warring against that which is of the Life of Christ, given to us by the Holy Spirit. This is strife is taken up for us by the Holy Spirit who will give us victory - if we yield to God. Romans 8:2; Gal. 5:16-17; Eph. 6:12.
14. God wants us to have the proper motives. Some want to grow as Christians so that they can shine in Christian circles, maybe have a big ministry, become a great and honoured preacher or teacher or singer. Others want to obey the law, they want to be doctrinally correct, they want to do the right thing, they are sincere. But God wants us to love HIM, to please HIM, to realise what great love it was that sent His Son to die on the Cross of Calvary for our sin. You are not to respond out of a legalistic desire to obey the law's demands, you are a Christian. Our motive for obedience is not legal, it is to be the attitude of a loving child pleasing it's dear Dad. We obey to please HIM, our heavenly Father who loves us so much. 1 John 4:9-10; 5:1-4.
15. Learn now that really God is ALL. You were born-again to belong fully to God. The great purpose of your life is to praise, worship, adore, enjoy, glorify and please Him. Satan will tell you this all sounds rather pious, religious and dull. Nothing could be further from the truth. Being deeply in love with a human being is but a mere shadow of what loving God is all about, who ever found a love affair "dull"? Don't be robbed of your Heavenly Lover by any lies of Satan's. Sing praises to Him, seek Him alone, and let all "idols" which replace Him go. Your "idol" could be love for a denomination which is greater than your love for God. A love for doctrine, or for Christian service, or for a certain group of Christian brothers or sisters may be greater than your love for God. These days many have made idols of world famous preachers and teachers, so that they speak of nothing but these persons. Copeland said this, or Hinn said that! Franklin Graham is coming, the Pope is in Australia - and so on. Away with any such idols, God is a jealous God who wants His saved ones for HIMSELF. Exodus 34:14.
16. Know that the Lord God is to be trusted. He has taken you to Himself, IF you have been saved. He is all powerful and has All knowledge, and we must trust Him that what is said in Romans 8:28 is TRUE! Hard to sometimes, but never the less it is TRUE. Read Rom. 8:28. Once a woman asked the Lord how could He be in control over her various circumstances when there were others involved. She could not see the First Cause, God, only the Second Cause, people. Suppose there has been a nasty, untrue gossipy story spread about you by a spiteful person, people believe it and you suffer rejection because of it. How can God be in this, how can it work for your good, and how can God control as First Cause when a spiteful person has done their own work? This was the kind of question a woman asked God, as recorded in the old book by Hannah Whitall Smith, "A Christian's Secret to a Happy Life." This was God's answer so long ago, and it is your answer today in your set of circumstances in the 1990s.
"She said she had great difficulty in living the life of faith, on account of the second causes that seemed to her to control nearly everything that concerned her. Her perplexity became so great that at last she began to ask God to teach her the truth about it, whether He really was in everything or not. After praying this for a few days, she had what she described as a vision. She thought she was in a perfectly dark place, and that there advanced toward her, from a distance, a body of light which gradually surrounded and enveloped her and everything around her. As it approached, a voice seemed to say, "This is the presence of God! This is the presence of God!" While surrounded with this presence, all the great and awful things in life seemed to pass before her,- fighting armies, wicked men, raging beasts, storms and pestilences, sin and suffering of every kind. She shrank back at first in terror; but she soon saw that the presence of God so surrounded and enveloped herself and each one of these things that not a lion could reach out its paw, nor a bullet fly through the air, except as the presence of God moved out of the way to permit it. And she saw that if these were ever so thin a film, as it were, of this glorious Presence between herself and the most terrible violence, not a hair of her head could be ruffled, nor anything touch her, except as the Presence divided to let the evil through. Then all the small and annoying things of life passed her before her; And equally she saw that there also she was so enveloped in this presence of God that not a cross look, nor a harsh word, nor petty trial of any kind could affect her, unless God's encircling presence moved out of the way to let it." End of quote.
Can you see that all things can indeed work for your good, despite the second cause? With this exception, we can hardly call the EVIL things we might do a part of God's First Cause dealings with us! The second cause is NOT the first cause to the surrendered Christian. Do you understand here? Only the surrendered Christian living in obedience can expect all things to work together for their good, in the here and now. Now you and I may backslide and be disobedient and self-willed, we may willfully get ourselves into hot water! Satan can have ground in our lives then, and HE can bring in his nasty works. I believe that even then, when we repent and seek cleansing and forgiveness, that God can still work those failures into good for His child. Remember when Jesus Christ put back the ear that His disciple cut off? I have often been less than I should have been, but take comfort in the fact that God has been putting back the "ears" I have cut off in the past! Repairing the damage I have caused, in answer to my prayers. Let's read about that in the Word, Matt. 26:51; Luke 22:50-51.
In Eternity ALL THINGS will have been conformed to the Will of God, but even some of our works we thought were for Him, but were indeed only for our own glory, will be burned up. 1 Cor. 3:10-16.
17. Accept suffering and distress as the gifts of God! This might astound you, as there are so many voices today that say that all suffering, illness, poverty and persecution are from the devil. What is the balance here? God has designed difficulties in life to come your way. These have been designed as God's operation knives to cut away and free you from the things of the world and the flesh, to get you into a place where you have needs that can only be met by God Himself! We humans will NEVER trust, seek and depend on God if we have NO NEEDS. The opposite side of the coin is, that we must not give Satan ground in our lives so that HE can cause his own brand of demonic suffering. We should resist the devil each morning and tell him to flee, tell him to take his evil spirits away from your life and your family life. The Holy Spirit will lead you into ALL TRUTH about your trials, if you ASK GOD. James 1:2-8.
18. Be content in God and His will for your life. The modern churches are filled with discontented, covetous people, who want better houses, larger cars, greater honour in the fellowships - and they will even try to manipulate God to get these things by visualising themselves as having their own greedy desires! AND call this the will of God! The Bible tells us something which I believe is the secret of happy living on this earth, at least one of the most precious ones among many jewels. 1 Timothy 6:5-11.
We must learn more and more to be content and not to RESENT the very blessings of God which abound around us. Be thankful for the small but comfortable home, the humble position you have in life, the gentle ministry you might have, hidden from the majority of men, but known of God and the angels. Never resent these, and long for what others SEEM to have received from God! Many of the "fat cats" of Christendom are not in the centre of God's will at all, and many are not even saved, sad to say! The sparkle of the large ministry with its material goodies thrown in is in reality a trap! We must learn to walk with God and be content with anything and everything He permits to come into our lives.
This quote from Pastor Ron Marr is so true: "...be content with anything and everything HE permits to come into our lives. To do other wise is to turn our backs to Him and not our faces. When we rush, we run ahead of Him, and our backs are to Him, not our faces. We mistrust Him and His will in the timing, His competence to see that everything that should be done can be done in peace. This destroys not only the peace and the rest of heart, the contentment, but also the freedom and joy. To live on the positive side of this line with our faces to Jesus is to abide in Christ. (From the Book, "A Christianity that really Works”, pp . 282-283).
19. Live in accord with your conscience, and be prompt in admitting that you have been wrong! We do not only have to live in harmony with GOD in order to abide in Christ, to live at home with Him always. We have to live in the light with OTHERS, and be humble enough to apologise and seek to restore broken human fellowship, when we are in the wrong. I know that Christians often would find enormous healing, health of body, relief and so much more just by admitting to God and to man that they were or are WRONG! Be big hearted in God, don't pretend or defend yourself! I know of one particular person who has left a long trail of troubles behind, just because he is never, in his mind, ever wrong.
Our consciences cannot stand alone, we need the enlightenment of the Word of God and the conviction of the Holy Spirit. But the enlightened conscience tells us many things that make us guilty if we do not yield. It is pretty obvious to us when we are wrong, we really know! We feel WRONG about our actions and thoughts.
20. FORGIVE!!! How many Christians' lives are dark and sad because they have bitterness and resentment in their hearts, and cannot or will not forgive. The Lord God is the only One who can cause you to forgive those who have done wrong and hurtful things to you. You dare not refuse to let God give you a forgiving heart, or pretend before Him that you have forgiven when you have not! WE all need genuine forgiveness provided by God. God has forgiven you your sin, do so for others, or you cannot live at peace abiding in Christ! To forgive is the fruit of the Holy Spirit. The ugly personality, the unlovely human being, the one who has continually treated you unjustly, AND accused YOU of being ungodly into the bargain, these are the ones God wants, no orders, you to forgive. God's love for you and in you is sufficient for them as well as for yourself.
I looked after a person for a short while who greeted my every kindness with a sneer and a complaint, often an insult as well! "That toast is not crisp; the orange juice is sour; the egg is too soft." "You are a fool, a fat fool at that." My natural reaction was to feel resentment, anger and to declare, "you are not worthy of my love and care!" IN GOD, however, it is obvious that I TOO am not worthy of HIS love. In GOD I an enabled to love the ungrateful and abusive, not to say their ugliness is not real, but to forgive because I am forgiven fully and freely in Christ Jesus my Saviour. 1 John 4:7-11. 1 Cor. 13:12-14:1a.
21. We end this section on the number 21, which is three sevens, a Trinity of the prefect number, seven. How better could we conclude than in the words of Pastor Ron Marr again, and the precious words of the Scriptures.
A quote from Marr, page 286 of the same book:
"I may suggest things that you can do to find a Christianity that really works. But, in reality, it is HE alone who instructs, initiates, and empowers anything that is of spiritual benefit. To try to do anything without coming to Him, looking to Him, depending on Him, resting in Him, or receiving of Him is to turn that supposedly beneficial activity into emptiness, vanity, frustration, and futility. In fact, there is no Christianity that works. God alone works. In all things it's not so much what we do as what we let HIM do."
11 Corinthians 4:10-11. We will now pass on to the Lord's Intercession for us all, YOU included. This includes SEVEN PETITIONS, which you would benefit by reading quietly before the Lord who abides with you in the 1990s. These express so much about your Beloved Saviour, and reveal His Person vividly. Pray before you do this section, asking God to reveal Christ Jesus to you in His love, glory and beauty.
There are SEVEN PETITIONS asked of God the Father:
1. That He, Jesus Christ, might be glorified as the Son who has glorified the Father. Read verse one and Phil. 2:9-11.
2. Christ prayed for his restoration to the eternal glory. read verse 5.
3. Christ prayed for the safety of believers from the world, verse 11; and evil one verse 15
4. He prayed for the sanctification (the Holiness of believers, and that they might be set aside for the use of God alone). v.17.
5. & 6. He prayed for the SPIRITUAL UNITY of believers, not the ecumenical movement here, which is a mixture of truth and fearful error, a false worldly unity only. Why? That the world may BELIEVE. The world believes that they have found genuine Christianity when we are in union and love one with another in TRUTH. verse 21.
7.Christ Jesus prayed that believers may be with Him in heaven to behold
and share His glory. Verse 24. John 14:1-3.
SEVEN TIMES CHRIST speaks of believers as having been GIVEN TO
HIM by the Father. HE CHOSE YOU, beloved of God! Verses 2;6;9; 11;12;;24.
Seven is the number of perfection, we are those who are given
perfectly unto the Son. Jesus Christ is our love-gift from the father,
and we are the Father's love-gift to the Son. Jesus Christ has actually
committed you as a believer to the Father, and your safety and security
rests perfectly upon, not YOUR worthiness, but upon the Father's FAITHFULNESS
TO HIS SON, the Lord Jesus Christ!
JESUS CHRIST RELATES TO THE FATHER in His intercession that He has given gifts to believers. If you are a born-again one, then this means YOU! To those whom the Father gave Him, Christ gifts are as follows:
Let
us finish the unit with prayer, our prayer of thanks.
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