Luke, a gospel writer recorded: "Then He (Jesus) spoke a parable to them, that man always ought to pray and not lose heart" (Luke 18:1, NKJV, emphasis added).
Paul said, "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you" (1 Thess. 5:16 - 18, emphasis added).
Other versions of the Bible say, "pray continually" (NIV) and "keep on praying" (NLT).
To pray without ceasing is the will of God for all Bible-believing Christians. The above Verses of Scripture also imply that if a believer in Christ does not pray without ceasing, he is not walking in the will of God!
Paul also said, "Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, ...." (Eph. 6:18, emphasis added).
Paul also said, "We give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you" (Col. 1:3, emphasis added).
All these terms, "praying always", "pray without ceasing", "Pray continually" and "keep on praying" came from the mouth of Jesus and Paul with the highest authority. Therefore, I believe, the Holy Spirit is endeavoring to teach us that prayer is the most important exercise in a Christian's experience. The Holy Spirit wants us to believe that prayer is the most powerful weapon, the most priceless treasure, the greatest ministry in heaven and on earth, and best of all, prayer, with its potential, is available to us all.
Christians can learn how pray without ceasing, for otherwise why would Jesus and Paul wanted us to pray without ceasing? Why would they want believers to do something which they are not able to do?
The meaning of "Pray without ceasing"
Now, what does it mean to "pray without ceasing" or to "pray continually"?
Does it mean to give up our jobs, leave the responsibility of our families to others, and to go and live in a cave hign in the mountain, away from all people and all civilizations? Does it mean we should become fanatics in the the eyes of non-Christians? And, instead of doing our work properly, pleasing our bosses, and satisfying the needs of our families, freak out in front of them with our apparent supper-spirituality? The answer to all these questions is of couse "No".
By studying the prayer life of many Bible characters, and to see how the Scripture describe their walk with God, we can learn something of "pray without ceasing".
The psalmist said, "In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord; my hand was stretched out in the night without ceasing; my soul refused to be comforted" (Ps. 77:2, emphasis added).
David, the psalmist said, "I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall contnually be in my mouth" (Ps. 34:1, emphasis added).
Psalmist Solomon said, "Prayer also will be made for Him continually, and daily He shall be praised" (Ps. 72:15, emphasis added).
The apostles said, "But we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word" (Acts 6:4, emphasis added).
The writer of Hebrews said, "Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name" (Heb. 13:15, emphasis added).
Paul said, "For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of His Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers" (Romans 1:9, emphasis added).
Paul said, "I thank God, whom I serve with a pure conscience, as my fore-fathers did, as without ceasing I remember you in my prayers night and day" (2 Tim. 1:3, emphasis added).
By studying the prayer life of other great men of God like Moses, Samuel, Elijah and Daniel we will not fail to realize that they had learned the art of praying without ceasing that comes by praying habitually. And we have been able to see mighty accomplishments through their prayers. We, as Christians, too, can do the same and accomplish much through praying habitually.
To pray habitually
From morning until night, hour by hour, minute by minute, the Christians's heart should be so close to the heart of God that that he can learn the art of praying habitually.
Like every other art, prayer needs preparation and preparation and practice for effectiveness. Before you can pray habitually, first, however, you must believe in the importance of prayer; you must believe in the privilege of prayer; you must believe in the purpose of prayer; and you must believe in the power of prayer. We have discussed some of these benefits of prayer in some of my other messages. Therefore we shall just mention some of these benefits here.
The privilege of prayer
James said, "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you" (James 4:8, NKJV).
What a glorious condescension of God's part! What an exiting invitation from God Himself. What a privilege to be children of God! When the children of Israel stood before Mt. Sinai, they were told to stay back, to keep from God's presence lest they should die. But here, through the blood of Jesus Christ, we are brought right up close to our Heavenly Father; so close that we are urged, even implored, to "draw near to God". We can get as close to God as we want. We get close to God through prayer.
When God invites us to come close to Him, He wants us to open our hearts and to commune with Him, to learn more about Him, and to enjoy Him. Then His glory will radiate from us. His abundance of power will flow through us, and His blessed presence will keep us at all times in perfect peace. Then by standing on His many promises we will see how bountifully He provides for us. All of heaven and earth are ours because we are in Him and we are His. We must believe in the privelege of prayer, because that is the only way for any of us to draw near to Him.
The purpose and importance of prayer
Prayer is not only communion with God but is also a part of the Christians's growing process. The Word of God is our spiritual nourishment. The method by which we make use of this nourishment is to pray habitually. You can tell who are the praying Christians because they look like it, and they act like it. They love prayer! We eat (habitually) to produce a strong healthy body. In the same way, spiritually, prayer uses the the Word of God to change us into Christians with strong characters, effective in faith and victorious in service.
Our physical growth is a process "without ceasing"; it never stops, even though age will catch us up. Similarly, our spiritual growth is a "growth without ceasing". The true Christian is continually growing. How? By praying and studying the Word of God without ceasing!
There is nothing you and I will ever do that is as important as prayer. We need to cultivate the desire to pray. When we call upon the Name of the Lord, we will see great changes.
David, the psalmist said, "The poor man cried out, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles" (Ps. 34:6).
The psalmist said, "Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and He saved them out of their distresses" (Ps. 107:19).
Read also Ps. 40:2, 3. You can find many more similar passeges in the Book of Psalms.
The power of prayer
All the power seen in nature, from the first day of creation until now, cannot be compared to the power cantained in one sentence of prayer offered by a penitent soul before the Throne of Grace.
In the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector (Luke 18:9 - 14), Jesus told us about a tax collector who, under deep conviction of his guilt and wrong, went to the temple to seek cleansing and forgiveness. How many years it had taken for the wretched sinner to reach this state Jesus did not say, but we soon learn how long it took for him to receive a brand new heart from God. It took just long enough (only few seconds) to pray this - "God, be merciful to me a sinner!" A lifetime of sin is gone and forgiven and a whole man made righteous and holy in a instant!
Jesus said, "I tell you, this man went down to his house justified" (Verse 14).
That is the power of prayer! Moses used the power of prayer. He used the power of prayer to move the children of Israel out of Pharaoh's slavery, and He used the power of prayer to get them into the Promised Land. Israel was backslidden; Moses' brother had failed him, his leaders had defied him, his sister had dispised him. But Moses prayed on! Moses knew the power of prayer, and he knew the art of praying without ceasing.
Samuel knew and used the power of prayer. He prayed until wicked king Saul was deposed from his throne by God's declaration, and the shepherd boy, David, was promoted into Saul's place. Samuel wanted either his total conversion or his total collapse; he wanted the right man on the throne of Israel, and he put him there through the power of prayer. Sameil knew the art of praying without ceacing.
Elijah used the power of prayer when he prayed to hold back the rain from Israel for three and one-half years. Prayer made wicked Ahab tremble and brought down fire from heaven to consume a water-soak sacrifice. Yet Elijah was not a spiritual giant nor was him a person with special spiritual gifts. But he was a man with "a nature like ours" (James 5:17). What made him different is, he knew the art of praying without ceasing.
Daniel used the power of prayer. In my opinion, next to our Lord Jesus, Daniel may be recognized as the most powerful praying person in the Bible. Daniel prayed in order to obtain what seemed to be absolutely impossible thing. He received the revelation of Nebuchadnezzar's strange dreams (Daniel 2:1 - 45; 4:20 - 27), he stopped the mouths of roaring lions after being thrown into a pit alongside them (Daniel 6:16 - 23). Daniel did these things, and many more, by the power of prayer. He had learned the art of praying without ceasing. He knelt three times a day!
It is beyond the scope of this message to give more examples. But we must not forget to mention our Lord Jesus, the Master and Teacher of prayer. He raised the dead with authoritative prayer. His life was a life of continual prayer. He was up early in the morning to pray, sometimes praying all night, fasting and praying, continually praying. Let us not forget that there were great women of God in the Bible, like Hannah and Esther, who were great in prayer.
The one thing we notice about these prayer warriors is this - they walked with God (like Enoch before them). They wanted to be with God more than they wanted to be with anyone else. God was their reason for being here, living here, working here; and, when the time would come, their reason for going to be with Him forever. Nothing meant more to them than being in the presence of God and always pleasong God, just like Jesus did.
Jesus said, "The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him" (John 8:29, NKJV).
The act of pleasing God, the Father, is a continual act and, therefore, needs the art of praying without ceasing.
A good lesson from the psalmist
David, the psalmist said, "Evening and morning and at noon I will pray, and cry aloud and He shall hear my voice. He has redeemed my soul in peace from the battle that was against me, for there were many against me" (Ps 55:17, 18).
For David, his battle was physical but for us it can be spiritual. The important thing is, what time we pray is not important, but it is important to learn that we can pray at any time. If we have started the day with God in prayer, we can walk with Him all through the day. We can talk to Him as we walk with Him. We can pray audibly or we can pray with the inner woice of the heart (our spirit). God enjoys them. Any time is prayer time:
The psalmist said, "He who keeps you will not slumber, Behold, He who keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep" (Ps. 121:3, 4, NKJV).
The day and the night are the same with God, so that as we may want to, and as we need to, we can talk to God in prayer. He hears us anytime and He delights in hearing our prayer offered up to Him without ceasing!
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
The Reasons of Unanswered Prayer
This message is an extension of my earlier message, "The Problem of Unanswered Prayer".
There are many promises of God regarding answered prayer. Here are some of them:
Jesus said, "If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes" (Mark 9:23, NKJV),
Jesus said, "Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven" (Matt. 18:18, 19).
Jesus said, "And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive" (Matt. 21:22).
Jesus said, "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you" (John 15:7).
The above are not only just some statements of promises in the Bible, but they are the promises of our Lord Jesus Himself. Many believers might argue that they have fulfilled all the conditions for answered prayers and yet, not many of their prayers are answered. They believed; they agreed concerning what they asked for; they obeyed His Words, but they went on their way disappointed! Why?
The reason is, we cannot take Jesus' sayings out of context. We have to look elsewhere in the Gospels other conditions for answered prayer. It is extremely dangerous to take phrases or statements, albeit the sayings of Jesus, out of context, and set up doctrines around them. I am confident, when we all meet in heaven, there will be no need for contradictory doctrines. For there we will finally see truth, not doctrine. At this time, living on earth, let us look at the inherent danger in restricting God to the confines of our doctrines. Many believers, by demanding that the above promises be absolute and universal, make a sham and mockery of the logic with which God always works. Let us discuss the reasons why many of our prayers are left unanswered.
The question of Christian maturity
God is never unreasonable. He is never irrational. And above all, He is never illogical. The problem is with us. Look at it this way - If God gave every individual believer, young or old, every answer to every prayer that might pop up in his head, the world would be filled almost immediately with anarchy, chaos, and confusion. Therefore even though we stand on every one of the promises of God, God must, in our best interest, see to it that some of our prayers are not answered.
The age, maturity in Christ, basic intelligence, and wisdom of the believer making a request of God are important factors in whether or not God can honor a petition. Some make the statement that God can do anything. Certainly this is true within the context of God's being all-powerful. But He cannot and will not always do anything, because anything can sometimes be harmful to the children He loves and wants to protect. His ability to answer prayer not only hinges on His abilities, but also on our abilities, situations, and relationship with Him.
Without elaborating, a moment of thought will produce a broad collection of ridiculous prayers that God would find impossible to answer. You can see, therefore, where maturity and rationality of desire enter most powerfully into the question of whether or not we are leaving God room in which to answer our prayers.
The question of selfishness
There are times when we go before God in fits of resentment, stamping our feet and demanding God to do something about this or that situation. It never enters our minds that if He did answer those prayers, it might cause harm to someone else. All too often our only thought is, "How does this factor influence my particular situation?" God, on the other hand, must always take the broad view. He can never, in His concern with one individual, lose sight of mankind as a whole. If God were bound to answer every prayer brought before Him, He would not remain the Supreme Being for very long, because we all have the tendency of dictatorship.
The question of pride
The next factor entering into our relationship with God in the area of prayer is pride. The thought of the Almighty God could listen to us and actually hand over to us the things that we asked for can make us feel proud. How easy it is to feel there is something deserving and inherently moral with ourselves. How simple to begin to see answered prayer as an indication of worthiness within us!
The Scripture says that God hears us when we humble ourselves (2 Chron. 7:14). Furthermore, Solomon said, "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall" (Proverbs 16:18). Therefore we must be particularly watchful that we never allow a blessing from God to become the sourse of our downfall. If there is a danger of this, God has no other choice but to deny us our petition.
In my opinion, many believers do not have their prayers answered simply because God has answered prayers for them in the past and they allowed these prayer answers to swell them up spiritually to where they thought it was some inherent merit within themselves. We must always remember that it is by God's grace our prayers are answered.
The question of time factor
Every living person is confined to a time factor. There are twenty-four hours and not twenty-five; twelve months and not thirteen. And God has to consider the time factor He created to determine whether a specific prayer request will be honored or not.
For instance, if a person should come late to salvation and then when feeble and infirm in body, feel a burden to go and serve in the foreign missions. At the same time his fellow Church members also keep on encouraging and persuading him to go because they feel it is a good thing for him to do. And so they commit their prayers to the Lord. Chances are that God would dissuade this party from his cherished goal by denying the honest, well-motivated prayers of the dedicated individual and his friends.
Some might argue with me on this point. They might point out some elderly and feeble missionary who is still doing an effective job for the Lord. I agree with them. The difference is, though, this individual has been in the mission field for years! He is not a novice confronted with all the normal trials and problems, plus the added burden of too advanced in years.
The question of mountain-moving faith
Jesus said, "For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says" (Mark 11:23, NKJV).
"Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray believe that you receive them, and you will have them" (Mark 11:24).
Here are some statements of truth:
1. In the context of the above two verses of Scripture Jesus was speaking to His disciples concerning their need to have "faith in God" (Verse 22). He used the removing of the mountain before them as an illustration of exercising the "faith in God". Therefore the mountain He referred to was not the physical mountain.
2. The "mountain" that Jesus referred to is a mountain of doubt, bitterness, fear, unbelief, wrath, lust, envy, jealousy and the like.
3. Before we can aspire to the great promise of Verse 24, we must first remove the negative mountains within our lives!
4. In Verse 23 Jesus did not say, "If I speak to this mountain," or "If an angel speaks to this mountain," He said, "Whoever says to this mountain". It is our responsibility and initiative to remove the mountain hindering our Christian walk.
Very often we only want the promise of Mark 11:24. Unfortunately, in our mad scramble to get to Mark 11:24, we completely ignore Mark 11:23. And the two verses go together. Jesus gave them both as one thought. It was the Bible translators who broke them into two separate verses.
So next time you pray and claim the promises (healing, miracles, financial blessing etc.) in Mark 11:24 and your prayer is not answered the problem does not lie at the focal point of your thinking. It lies back at the point where you are standing. The frustration of God's desire to answer our prayer is not created at God's end. It is created at our end! Only after we start moving the mountains hindering the fulfillment of Mark 11:24 can the Lord start doing His part and giving us a real mountain-moving demonstration of active faith.
The question of principle versus formula
The Christian Church is full of faith teachers who preach the promises of God in answering all the prayers of the congregation of believers. Thrilling and exciting as all this is, Pastors and Church leaders must be aware that many believers are being led astray by being taught a formula before they understand the principle underlying that formula. And a formula without a principle can be as dangerous as a loaded gun in the hands of a child!
A common faith message goes like this - "It is really very simple. If you have faith, the Lord will give you exactly what you profess with your mouth." Now, in all honesty there is a grain of truth in this statement, but a "grain" of truth misused can be a dangerous as an outright lie.
The truth of the matter is, we can open the door to errors by carelessly repeating something over and over again. To them this is confession of God's Word and by confession, things they want are going to be hatched into reality. This is the "faith" formula many believers learned and used. You will hear common statements like - "By faith, I will be a millionaire", "By faith, I am going to get a better job", "By faith, I am going to be healed". This faith formula is nothing more than wishful thinking.
Believers need to understand that God is not a Santa Claus. And there are no spiritual slot machines. And finally, going around blindly repeating some wish is not going to bring it about. What these misguided faith teachers are really doing is setting the stage for a chronic case of frustration.
There is a story about a divored man wanted God to change the heart of his estranged wife and force her to do exactly what he wanted her to do. Obviously, this is a clear case of spiritual manipulation and God will not answer his prayer. God will never violate a person's free will. And God's whole relationship with man is built on the principle of man's right to do whatever he chooses to do.
The question of indiscriminate testimonies
It is a common practice in Charismatic Churches to invite members to come forward to give testimonies on what God has blessed them recently. I believe testifying is a good, moral, spiritually uplifting practice. And we should give God the glory and the credit when He goes out of His way to bless us with answered prayer.
Sound good? It certainly seems to be a moral position and one cannot be faulted. But what does Scripture say about it? If we search the Scripture, we will find that there are many times (e.g. Matt. 8:4; 9:30; 17:9) when Jesus specifically admonished the disciples and others not to give testimony regarding something that happened. Therefore it would appear that once again we are confronted with a situation in which timing is as important as action.
How can witnessing and testimonies be harmful? In many ways. For example, we do not know the status of our neighbor's spiritual temperature on any given moment. We know we have our mountaintops and our valleys. But we do not know the situation of the one sitting next to us in a Church meeting. The very day the Lord has brought us out of the wilderness may be the day when he is being refined by the trials of life. Therefore, when we stand up, indiscriminately and launch into a glowing account of how much God loves us and demonstrates it by showering us with gifts and blessings, we could be plunging our neighbor into the depths of despondency.
Certainly the right thing to do is to be ready to give your testimony. But wait until the Holy Spirit leads you to give that testimony. Indisciminate testifying can be as wrong in the sight of the Lord as refusing to testify. As we are told in Ecclesiastes, there is a time, a season, and a place for almost everything - time to testify God's goodness included. That is why it is so important to attune our spiritual ear to the promptings of God's Spirit.
Conclusion
The subject of unanswered prayer is so vast and so wide-range that it is beyond the scope of this message to write more. In fact what I have shared is only a little more than scratching the surface. I do hope, though, this discussion will yield some food for thought and give some solace perhaps to those who might think they have ingrained qualities that make them unacceptable to God when they come before Him in prayer.
Why do we sometimes pray and see amazing, miraculous healings? And then another time we pray just as fervently, just as honestly, just as much faith, and nothing happens? I don't know and I don't think anyone knows. Only God knows.
James said, "You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, ..." (James 4:3).
Ultimately, I believe, if we could see things with the wisdom of God's eyes, the above verse would cover every case of unanswered prayer.
There are many promises of God regarding answered prayer. Here are some of them:
Jesus said, "If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes" (Mark 9:23, NKJV),
Jesus said, "Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven" (Matt. 18:18, 19).
Jesus said, "And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive" (Matt. 21:22).
Jesus said, "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you" (John 15:7).
The above are not only just some statements of promises in the Bible, but they are the promises of our Lord Jesus Himself. Many believers might argue that they have fulfilled all the conditions for answered prayers and yet, not many of their prayers are answered. They believed; they agreed concerning what they asked for; they obeyed His Words, but they went on their way disappointed! Why?
The reason is, we cannot take Jesus' sayings out of context. We have to look elsewhere in the Gospels other conditions for answered prayer. It is extremely dangerous to take phrases or statements, albeit the sayings of Jesus, out of context, and set up doctrines around them. I am confident, when we all meet in heaven, there will be no need for contradictory doctrines. For there we will finally see truth, not doctrine. At this time, living on earth, let us look at the inherent danger in restricting God to the confines of our doctrines. Many believers, by demanding that the above promises be absolute and universal, make a sham and mockery of the logic with which God always works. Let us discuss the reasons why many of our prayers are left unanswered.
The question of Christian maturity
God is never unreasonable. He is never irrational. And above all, He is never illogical. The problem is with us. Look at it this way - If God gave every individual believer, young or old, every answer to every prayer that might pop up in his head, the world would be filled almost immediately with anarchy, chaos, and confusion. Therefore even though we stand on every one of the promises of God, God must, in our best interest, see to it that some of our prayers are not answered.
The age, maturity in Christ, basic intelligence, and wisdom of the believer making a request of God are important factors in whether or not God can honor a petition. Some make the statement that God can do anything. Certainly this is true within the context of God's being all-powerful. But He cannot and will not always do anything, because anything can sometimes be harmful to the children He loves and wants to protect. His ability to answer prayer not only hinges on His abilities, but also on our abilities, situations, and relationship with Him.
Without elaborating, a moment of thought will produce a broad collection of ridiculous prayers that God would find impossible to answer. You can see, therefore, where maturity and rationality of desire enter most powerfully into the question of whether or not we are leaving God room in which to answer our prayers.
The question of selfishness
There are times when we go before God in fits of resentment, stamping our feet and demanding God to do something about this or that situation. It never enters our minds that if He did answer those prayers, it might cause harm to someone else. All too often our only thought is, "How does this factor influence my particular situation?" God, on the other hand, must always take the broad view. He can never, in His concern with one individual, lose sight of mankind as a whole. If God were bound to answer every prayer brought before Him, He would not remain the Supreme Being for very long, because we all have the tendency of dictatorship.
The question of pride
The next factor entering into our relationship with God in the area of prayer is pride. The thought of the Almighty God could listen to us and actually hand over to us the things that we asked for can make us feel proud. How easy it is to feel there is something deserving and inherently moral with ourselves. How simple to begin to see answered prayer as an indication of worthiness within us!
The Scripture says that God hears us when we humble ourselves (2 Chron. 7:14). Furthermore, Solomon said, "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall" (Proverbs 16:18). Therefore we must be particularly watchful that we never allow a blessing from God to become the sourse of our downfall. If there is a danger of this, God has no other choice but to deny us our petition.
In my opinion, many believers do not have their prayers answered simply because God has answered prayers for them in the past and they allowed these prayer answers to swell them up spiritually to where they thought it was some inherent merit within themselves. We must always remember that it is by God's grace our prayers are answered.
The question of time factor
Every living person is confined to a time factor. There are twenty-four hours and not twenty-five; twelve months and not thirteen. And God has to consider the time factor He created to determine whether a specific prayer request will be honored or not.
For instance, if a person should come late to salvation and then when feeble and infirm in body, feel a burden to go and serve in the foreign missions. At the same time his fellow Church members also keep on encouraging and persuading him to go because they feel it is a good thing for him to do. And so they commit their prayers to the Lord. Chances are that God would dissuade this party from his cherished goal by denying the honest, well-motivated prayers of the dedicated individual and his friends.
Some might argue with me on this point. They might point out some elderly and feeble missionary who is still doing an effective job for the Lord. I agree with them. The difference is, though, this individual has been in the mission field for years! He is not a novice confronted with all the normal trials and problems, plus the added burden of too advanced in years.
The question of mountain-moving faith
Jesus said, "For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says" (Mark 11:23, NKJV).
"Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray believe that you receive them, and you will have them" (Mark 11:24).
Here are some statements of truth:
1. In the context of the above two verses of Scripture Jesus was speaking to His disciples concerning their need to have "faith in God" (Verse 22). He used the removing of the mountain before them as an illustration of exercising the "faith in God". Therefore the mountain He referred to was not the physical mountain.
2. The "mountain" that Jesus referred to is a mountain of doubt, bitterness, fear, unbelief, wrath, lust, envy, jealousy and the like.
3. Before we can aspire to the great promise of Verse 24, we must first remove the negative mountains within our lives!
4. In Verse 23 Jesus did not say, "If I speak to this mountain," or "If an angel speaks to this mountain," He said, "Whoever says to this mountain". It is our responsibility and initiative to remove the mountain hindering our Christian walk.
Very often we only want the promise of Mark 11:24. Unfortunately, in our mad scramble to get to Mark 11:24, we completely ignore Mark 11:23. And the two verses go together. Jesus gave them both as one thought. It was the Bible translators who broke them into two separate verses.
So next time you pray and claim the promises (healing, miracles, financial blessing etc.) in Mark 11:24 and your prayer is not answered the problem does not lie at the focal point of your thinking. It lies back at the point where you are standing. The frustration of God's desire to answer our prayer is not created at God's end. It is created at our end! Only after we start moving the mountains hindering the fulfillment of Mark 11:24 can the Lord start doing His part and giving us a real mountain-moving demonstration of active faith.
The question of principle versus formula
The Christian Church is full of faith teachers who preach the promises of God in answering all the prayers of the congregation of believers. Thrilling and exciting as all this is, Pastors and Church leaders must be aware that many believers are being led astray by being taught a formula before they understand the principle underlying that formula. And a formula without a principle can be as dangerous as a loaded gun in the hands of a child!
A common faith message goes like this - "It is really very simple. If you have faith, the Lord will give you exactly what you profess with your mouth." Now, in all honesty there is a grain of truth in this statement, but a "grain" of truth misused can be a dangerous as an outright lie.
The truth of the matter is, we can open the door to errors by carelessly repeating something over and over again. To them this is confession of God's Word and by confession, things they want are going to be hatched into reality. This is the "faith" formula many believers learned and used. You will hear common statements like - "By faith, I will be a millionaire", "By faith, I am going to get a better job", "By faith, I am going to be healed". This faith formula is nothing more than wishful thinking.
Believers need to understand that God is not a Santa Claus. And there are no spiritual slot machines. And finally, going around blindly repeating some wish is not going to bring it about. What these misguided faith teachers are really doing is setting the stage for a chronic case of frustration.
There is a story about a divored man wanted God to change the heart of his estranged wife and force her to do exactly what he wanted her to do. Obviously, this is a clear case of spiritual manipulation and God will not answer his prayer. God will never violate a person's free will. And God's whole relationship with man is built on the principle of man's right to do whatever he chooses to do.
The question of indiscriminate testimonies
It is a common practice in Charismatic Churches to invite members to come forward to give testimonies on what God has blessed them recently. I believe testifying is a good, moral, spiritually uplifting practice. And we should give God the glory and the credit when He goes out of His way to bless us with answered prayer.
Sound good? It certainly seems to be a moral position and one cannot be faulted. But what does Scripture say about it? If we search the Scripture, we will find that there are many times (e.g. Matt. 8:4; 9:30; 17:9) when Jesus specifically admonished the disciples and others not to give testimony regarding something that happened. Therefore it would appear that once again we are confronted with a situation in which timing is as important as action.
How can witnessing and testimonies be harmful? In many ways. For example, we do not know the status of our neighbor's spiritual temperature on any given moment. We know we have our mountaintops and our valleys. But we do not know the situation of the one sitting next to us in a Church meeting. The very day the Lord has brought us out of the wilderness may be the day when he is being refined by the trials of life. Therefore, when we stand up, indiscriminately and launch into a glowing account of how much God loves us and demonstrates it by showering us with gifts and blessings, we could be plunging our neighbor into the depths of despondency.
Certainly the right thing to do is to be ready to give your testimony. But wait until the Holy Spirit leads you to give that testimony. Indisciminate testifying can be as wrong in the sight of the Lord as refusing to testify. As we are told in Ecclesiastes, there is a time, a season, and a place for almost everything - time to testify God's goodness included. That is why it is so important to attune our spiritual ear to the promptings of God's Spirit.
Conclusion
The subject of unanswered prayer is so vast and so wide-range that it is beyond the scope of this message to write more. In fact what I have shared is only a little more than scratching the surface. I do hope, though, this discussion will yield some food for thought and give some solace perhaps to those who might think they have ingrained qualities that make them unacceptable to God when they come before Him in prayer.
Why do we sometimes pray and see amazing, miraculous healings? And then another time we pray just as fervently, just as honestly, just as much faith, and nothing happens? I don't know and I don't think anyone knows. Only God knows.
James said, "You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, ..." (James 4:3).
Ultimately, I believe, if we could see things with the wisdom of God's eyes, the above verse would cover every case of unanswered prayer.
Tuesday, April 07, 2009
The Lord's Prayer
The Lord's Prayer is part of Christ's Sermon on the Mount. He was teaching His disciples how not to pray like the hypocrites (Matt. 6:6) or like the heathen (Matt. 6:7) did. The reason why they should not pray like them is because "the Father knows the things they have need of before they ask Him" (Matt. 6:8). And so He gave them a Model Prayer in the form of worship and petition.
"After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen" (Matt. 6:9 - 13, KJV, emphasis added).
The Lord's Prayer is meant to be Christians' "model" prayer. It was given to us as an example to express the way or manner in which we are to pray. It was not some "flowery" prayer for God to hear to impress Him. It is a simple prayer from the heart of those who fear God. This prayer shows us the way God would have us approach Him when we come before the Throne of grace seeking answers to our petitions. Let us study the contents of the Lord's Prayer.
We should always approach God in Praise and Worship
"Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name"
If the entire "Lord's Prayer" is to serve as an example for us, then we should take particular notice of this most important first lesson offered. That is, whenever we approach the throne of the all-powerful and Almighty God, we should approach it with words of praise and worship on our lips.
"Our Father" is a very intimate term. It means we can know this God personally and intimately enough to address Him as Father (or Abba Father). That means we can have an intimate relationship with the God of the Bible. And we have the assurance that He wants us to know Him in this personal and intimate way.
The phrase, "which art in heaven" indicates His location. The presence of His glory is manifested in heaven. One day, His glory is going to manifest throughout the whole earth:
"For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea" (Habakkuk 2:14, NKJV).
Notice that there is a mediator between God and man (1 Tim. 2:5) and the mediator is Jesus Christ. We can come boldly into God's presence becaus of Jesus Christ.
The phrase, "Hallowed be thy name" means "Let thy name be holy". The word "hallowed" means to render or to pronounce holy. God's name needs to be held in reverence, and treated as absolutely holy. If we can only catch a glimpse of God's holiness and awesomeness we are going to fall flat on our face to worship Him!
Let God's will be done
"Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven"
After we have come before God with praise and worship, the next step in our praying should be determining the will of God. And this is tremendously important. How many times we get into trouble because we don't first seek God's will before we go ahead and do what we like.
The phrase, "Thy kingdom come" means "Thy reign be everywhere". The word "kingdom", comes from the Greek word, "basileia" which means "reign" or "rule". This petition is the expression of the wish that God may reign everywhere, that His laws may be obeyed; and especially that the Gospel of Jesus Christ may be advanced everywhere, until the world shall be filled with His glory.
I believe every Christian should pray for God's will be done in his life, in his family and in his ministry, knowing that every believer has a ministry given by God. God's will be done in earth, as it is in heaven because in heaven God's perfect will is being accomplished.
Far too often, because of our carnal nature, our desire and wants are not in line with God's will for us. The only thing that fills our consciousness is our desire for the object or result. It really does not matter if it is what God wants or not. We want it and that's all that matters. It may not be good for us at the time, or it may be something diametrically contrary to God's plan for our life. As long as we want it, nothing else matters. But God knows that in our hearts we are not really committed to the thought that we do not want it if He does not want it.
A classic example comes to mind concerning Israel's demand for a king. It was outside God's will and plan for His people. But they were not to be put off. They demanded a king so they could be like the other nations surrounding them. And God gave them a king (Saul), to their eternal hurt. Saul was not God's choice for them as their king and He forewarned them through Samuel (1 Samuel 8:11 - 18). But they would not listen and they would not be deterred from their self-appointed path of folly.
How much trouble would we avoid if we would honestly seek the face of the Lord before we go before Him with a request? How much better in many cases if we would merely take our problems before Him ask for a solution to them, rather than going before Him with the solution we have determined as the proper one, and ask for His "rubber-stamp" approval?
Our daily bread
"Give us this day our daily bread"
At first glance this appears to be a petition for food, or for the money to buy the food. We should be ever aware that we are dependent upon the Lord's generosity for everything we need to survive in this world. Without air to breathe, water to drink, food to eat, a roof over out heads, and clothes for our back, life would not last long. In short, we should petition this ("Give us this day our daily bread") before God, on a daily basis, to give us life's provision to meet our need. But not our greed!
Jesus Himself said that He is the "bread of life" (John 6:35, 48). Everything we seek and search for in life can be found only through Him. He is to be our model, our guide, our provider, our strength, our hope and our life. And we need Him (the Bread of Life) daily and that is the reason we must seek His face daily - in prayer.
Forgiveness
"And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors"
Note the qualification (the condition attached) of the above statement - God forgives us on the condition that we forgive others. "Forgiveness" is in the heart of God for Jesus continued with His Sermon on the Mount on "forgiveness" immediately after teaching His disciples the Lord's Prayer:
Jesus said, "For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses" (Matt. 6:14, 15, NKJV).
Unforgiveness can be found in everyday life: A husband will refuse to forgive his wife. The wife will "hold it against" her husband. Children and parents keep a screen of unforgiveness between them. The Pastor will not forgive a Church member or one of the elders or leaders. The list is endless and there are very few people (including Christians) walking around who do not carry some area of resentment in their hearts.
I believe the two most destructive human emotions are guilt and resentment (revenge). They will eat up your physical health; they will upset your mental stability and you will lose the Lord's presence in you life. Your family life, your working life and your ministry will be severely affected.
Deliverance
"And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil"
At first glance, it would seem the Lord sometimes leads us into temptation. Actually, though, this statement has a double meaning. It means first, help us to avoid wandering into temptation, and then protect us from being overcome by evil by delivering us from the evil one.
A petition similar to this is offered by the psalmist, David:
"Do not incline my heart to any evil thing, to practice wicked works with men who work iniquity; and do not let me eat of their delicacies" (Psalm 141:4, NKJV).
It is important to realize that the Lord can never tempt us to evil. He will test us and sometimes allow temptation to come but He will give us the spiritual strength to overcome temptation.
James said, "Let no one say when he is tempted, 'I am tempted by God'; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed" (James 1:13, 14).
The world is full of vast array of demon spirits who are committed to hinder our walk with God. They use myraid tricks to bring about our destruction. Paul confirms this when he said:
"For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places" (Eph. 6:12, emphasis added).
Notice the word "against" appears 5 times in just one verse of Scripture and out of which 4 times are against demon spirits of various hierarchy. And we are not against people (flesh and blood) because they are not our problem - but the demons in them or behind them are!
John said our faith in the Lord Jesus overcomes the world: "For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world - our faith. Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God" (1 John 5:4, 5)?
John was talking about believers who are "born of God" can, by faith, overcome the world - world system influenced by the evil one.
His Kingdom
"For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen"
This is what theologians said, a doxology.
Here ar some statements of facts:
1. The Kingdom is His - reign or dominion is His. He alone controls everything in His Kingdom.
2. The Power is His - He has the power to accomplish what we ask if what we asked is according to His will for us. We are weak and we cannot do many things. But He is the Almighty and all things are possible with Him.
3. The Glory is His - All Glory and Praise belongs to Him and He will not give His Glory to another (Isaiah 48:11). The Lord wants us to behold His Glory (John 17:24).
We should all praise and glorify God just as David did:
"Blessed are You, Lord God of Israel, our Father, forever and ever. Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power and the glory, the victory and the majesty; for all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours; Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and You are exalted as head over all. Both riches and honor come from You, and You reign over all. In Your hand is power and might; in Your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all" (1 Chron. 29:10 - 12, NKJV).
"After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen" (Matt. 6:9 - 13, KJV, emphasis added).
The Lord's Prayer is meant to be Christians' "model" prayer. It was given to us as an example to express the way or manner in which we are to pray. It was not some "flowery" prayer for God to hear to impress Him. It is a simple prayer from the heart of those who fear God. This prayer shows us the way God would have us approach Him when we come before the Throne of grace seeking answers to our petitions. Let us study the contents of the Lord's Prayer.
We should always approach God in Praise and Worship
"Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name"
If the entire "Lord's Prayer" is to serve as an example for us, then we should take particular notice of this most important first lesson offered. That is, whenever we approach the throne of the all-powerful and Almighty God, we should approach it with words of praise and worship on our lips.
"Our Father" is a very intimate term. It means we can know this God personally and intimately enough to address Him as Father (or Abba Father). That means we can have an intimate relationship with the God of the Bible. And we have the assurance that He wants us to know Him in this personal and intimate way.
The phrase, "which art in heaven" indicates His location. The presence of His glory is manifested in heaven. One day, His glory is going to manifest throughout the whole earth:
"For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea" (Habakkuk 2:14, NKJV).
Notice that there is a mediator between God and man (1 Tim. 2:5) and the mediator is Jesus Christ. We can come boldly into God's presence becaus of Jesus Christ.
The phrase, "Hallowed be thy name" means "Let thy name be holy". The word "hallowed" means to render or to pronounce holy. God's name needs to be held in reverence, and treated as absolutely holy. If we can only catch a glimpse of God's holiness and awesomeness we are going to fall flat on our face to worship Him!
Let God's will be done
"Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven"
After we have come before God with praise and worship, the next step in our praying should be determining the will of God. And this is tremendously important. How many times we get into trouble because we don't first seek God's will before we go ahead and do what we like.
The phrase, "Thy kingdom come" means "Thy reign be everywhere". The word "kingdom", comes from the Greek word, "basileia" which means "reign" or "rule". This petition is the expression of the wish that God may reign everywhere, that His laws may be obeyed; and especially that the Gospel of Jesus Christ may be advanced everywhere, until the world shall be filled with His glory.
I believe every Christian should pray for God's will be done in his life, in his family and in his ministry, knowing that every believer has a ministry given by God. God's will be done in earth, as it is in heaven because in heaven God's perfect will is being accomplished.
Far too often, because of our carnal nature, our desire and wants are not in line with God's will for us. The only thing that fills our consciousness is our desire for the object or result. It really does not matter if it is what God wants or not. We want it and that's all that matters. It may not be good for us at the time, or it may be something diametrically contrary to God's plan for our life. As long as we want it, nothing else matters. But God knows that in our hearts we are not really committed to the thought that we do not want it if He does not want it.
A classic example comes to mind concerning Israel's demand for a king. It was outside God's will and plan for His people. But they were not to be put off. They demanded a king so they could be like the other nations surrounding them. And God gave them a king (Saul), to their eternal hurt. Saul was not God's choice for them as their king and He forewarned them through Samuel (1 Samuel 8:11 - 18). But they would not listen and they would not be deterred from their self-appointed path of folly.
How much trouble would we avoid if we would honestly seek the face of the Lord before we go before Him with a request? How much better in many cases if we would merely take our problems before Him ask for a solution to them, rather than going before Him with the solution we have determined as the proper one, and ask for His "rubber-stamp" approval?
Our daily bread
"Give us this day our daily bread"
At first glance this appears to be a petition for food, or for the money to buy the food. We should be ever aware that we are dependent upon the Lord's generosity for everything we need to survive in this world. Without air to breathe, water to drink, food to eat, a roof over out heads, and clothes for our back, life would not last long. In short, we should petition this ("Give us this day our daily bread") before God, on a daily basis, to give us life's provision to meet our need. But not our greed!
Jesus Himself said that He is the "bread of life" (John 6:35, 48). Everything we seek and search for in life can be found only through Him. He is to be our model, our guide, our provider, our strength, our hope and our life. And we need Him (the Bread of Life) daily and that is the reason we must seek His face daily - in prayer.
Forgiveness
"And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors"
Note the qualification (the condition attached) of the above statement - God forgives us on the condition that we forgive others. "Forgiveness" is in the heart of God for Jesus continued with His Sermon on the Mount on "forgiveness" immediately after teaching His disciples the Lord's Prayer:
Jesus said, "For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses" (Matt. 6:14, 15, NKJV).
Unforgiveness can be found in everyday life: A husband will refuse to forgive his wife. The wife will "hold it against" her husband. Children and parents keep a screen of unforgiveness between them. The Pastor will not forgive a Church member or one of the elders or leaders. The list is endless and there are very few people (including Christians) walking around who do not carry some area of resentment in their hearts.
I believe the two most destructive human emotions are guilt and resentment (revenge). They will eat up your physical health; they will upset your mental stability and you will lose the Lord's presence in you life. Your family life, your working life and your ministry will be severely affected.
Deliverance
"And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil"
At first glance, it would seem the Lord sometimes leads us into temptation. Actually, though, this statement has a double meaning. It means first, help us to avoid wandering into temptation, and then protect us from being overcome by evil by delivering us from the evil one.
A petition similar to this is offered by the psalmist, David:
"Do not incline my heart to any evil thing, to practice wicked works with men who work iniquity; and do not let me eat of their delicacies" (Psalm 141:4, NKJV).
It is important to realize that the Lord can never tempt us to evil. He will test us and sometimes allow temptation to come but He will give us the spiritual strength to overcome temptation.
James said, "Let no one say when he is tempted, 'I am tempted by God'; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed" (James 1:13, 14).
The world is full of vast array of demon spirits who are committed to hinder our walk with God. They use myraid tricks to bring about our destruction. Paul confirms this when he said:
"For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places" (Eph. 6:12, emphasis added).
Notice the word "against" appears 5 times in just one verse of Scripture and out of which 4 times are against demon spirits of various hierarchy. And we are not against people (flesh and blood) because they are not our problem - but the demons in them or behind them are!
John said our faith in the Lord Jesus overcomes the world: "For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world - our faith. Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God" (1 John 5:4, 5)?
John was talking about believers who are "born of God" can, by faith, overcome the world - world system influenced by the evil one.
His Kingdom
"For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen"
This is what theologians said, a doxology.
Here ar some statements of facts:
1. The Kingdom is His - reign or dominion is His. He alone controls everything in His Kingdom.
2. The Power is His - He has the power to accomplish what we ask if what we asked is according to His will for us. We are weak and we cannot do many things. But He is the Almighty and all things are possible with Him.
3. The Glory is His - All Glory and Praise belongs to Him and He will not give His Glory to another (Isaiah 48:11). The Lord wants us to behold His Glory (John 17:24).
We should all praise and glorify God just as David did:
"Blessed are You, Lord God of Israel, our Father, forever and ever. Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power and the glory, the victory and the majesty; for all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours; Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and You are exalted as head over all. Both riches and honor come from You, and You reign over all. In Your hand is power and might; in Your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all" (1 Chron. 29:10 - 12, NKJV).
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Judgment of the Gentile Nations
In order to understand the "Judgment of the Gentile Nations" we need first to understand some basic Biblical facts concerning the total Judgment of God which consists of two stages - Judgment in time (present time and in history) and God's eternal judgment (Please refer to my earlier posting entitled - "Total Judgments of God).
This message is about eternal judgment with emphasis on the Judgment of the Gentile nations. The writer of Hebrews says this is one of the 6 foundation doctrines of Christ (Hebrews 6:1, 2).
Here are some statements of truth concerning the human race and God's eternal judgment:
1. The human race is divided into three different categories.
Paul said, "Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God" (1 Cor. 10:32, KJV).
The 3 categories are:
The Jews - a special nation, separated by God for purpose of His own, from all other nations.
The Gentiles (Greek) - all other nations of the world, except Israel.
The Church of God - all true believers (Jews and Gentile) who have been born again through faith in Jesus Christ.
2. The eternal judgments of God will be carried out in four sucessive scenes:
Notice that the eternal judgments of God, with the exception of the Jews, will be carried out before Christ at different judgment seat or throne.
Judgment of true Christians - this will be carried out before the judgment seat of Christ.
Judgment of the Jews - this will be carried out during the Great Tribulation. In fact the Great Tribulation is their judgment.
Judgment of the Gentile nations - this will be carried out before the throne of Christ's glory.
Judgment of the remaining dead - this will be carried out before a great white throne.
Judgment of true Christians
I will just mention it briefly because I have already posted the full message earlier - "Judgment of true Christians"
1. Only true Christians will be judged first (1 Peter 4:17, 18).
2. The Lord will take vengeance on those who do not know God (unbelievers) and those who do not obey the Gospel (disobedient believers) (2 Thess. 1:7, 8).
3. The so-called Christians who failed to enter the Narrow Gate (Luke 13:24 - 17) will not be judged as true Christians. Consequently they will not be judged first.
4. True Christians are not condemned. The Lord Himself gave us the assurance (John 3:18; 5:24). Paul gave the same assurance of freedom from condemnation (Romans 8:1).
5. God's judgment is without partiality (1 Peter 1:17).
6. The things which will be brought up for judgment will be "the things done in the body". These are the acts, service, attitude and behavior of every Christians during his life here on earth (2 Cor. 5:10).
7. The same Verse (2 Cor. 5:10) also indicates that the judgment of Christians will be to assess their rewards. Every act or service performed by a Christian during his earthly life must fall into one of two categories - either good or bad. Every act that is not performed in faith and obedience, for the glory of God, is unacceptable to God and therefore bad. There is no neutrality or grey area.
8. The main purpose of our salvation is to bear fruit for Christ (John 15:16). Read the two parables - the parable of the talents (Matt. 25:14 - 30) and the parable of the minas (Luke 19:11 - 17).
Judgment of the Jews
In considering the special judgment of Israel, it is observed that there are two principles God uses to deal with the human race:
1. In blessing - God normally blesses the Gentiles through the Jews, but He blesses the Jews directly.
2. In punishment - God normally punishes the Jew through the Gentiles, but He punishes the Gentiles directly.
These two principles will direct God's dealings with the human race at the close of the present age.
In the closing stages of the Great Tribulations, God will judge and punish Israel for the last time as a nation, through the instrumentality of the Gentiles. When this final judgment of Israel is complete, God Himself will intervene directly in judgment upon the Gentiles.
Jeremiah 30:3 - 9 describes this final judgment upon Israel after they have return as a nation to their own land. Here is the order of events foretold by Jeremiah:
1. God will bring Israel back to their own land.
2. There will be for Israel a time of national peril and distress, more terrible than any that they have previously passed through.
3. The Lord Himself will eventually intervene against the foreigners - the Gentile enermies of Israel - and will save Israel from them.
4. The national kingdom of Israel will again be restored upon the throne of David, under the supreme government of the Lord Himself. The period of the restored kingdom will be the millennium.
Zechariah's prophecy
The end-time gatherings of the Gentile nations against Israel, and the direct intervention of the Lord on behalf of Israel, are further described in Zechariah:
"And it shall happen in that day that I will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone for all peoples; all who would heave it away will surely be cut in pieces, though all nations gathered against it. It shall be in that day that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they have pierced; they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn" (Zechariah 12:3; 12:9, 10, NKJV, emphasis added).
The phrase: "They will look on Me whom they have pierced ...." indicates how accurate is the prophecy concerning Israel's rejection and crucifixion of Christ. At this point Israel will at last acknowledge their terrible error, and in great mourning and repentance they will be reconciled with their Messiah, whom they have long rejected.
Paul, in describing the final reconciliation of Israel to God, said: "And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: 'The Deliverer will come out of Zion, and He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob'" (Romans 11:16).
After Israel has thus passed through the fires of the Great Tribulation and been reconciled again to God through Jesus Christ, there will be no further need for God to judge them. Thereafter, when Christ sets up His earthly Kingdom and takes His seat upon the throne of His glory, He will need only to judge the Gentile nations remaining alive on earth at the close of the Great Tribulation.
Judgment of Gentile Nations
In order to understand Matt. 25:31 - 46, it is helpsul to look at the following parallel passage of Scripture:
The Lord spoke through Joel: "For behold, in those days and at that time, whin I bring back the captives of Judah and Jerusalem, I will also gather all nations, and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; and I will enter into judgment with them there on account of My people, My heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations; they have also divided up My land" (Joel 3:1, 2, NKJV, emphasis added).
God declares that He will first bring back the scattered Jewish people in their own land. Then He will gather all the Gentile nations and bring judgment upon them in Person "on account to His people". This is after the Second coming Jesus Christ. This is not the rapture of the true Church, the Bride of Christ. The Second coming is for the Judgment of the Gentile Nations.
The basis of the judgment is the same as that described by Jesus in Matthew 25. God said He is going to enter into judgment with the Gentile nations "on accout of My people Israel".
The purpose of the judgment that follows is to separate the sheep (those whom God accepts) from the goats (those whom God rejects). The sheep will be received into the Kingdom God has prepared for them - Christ's Millennial Kingdom. The goats will have final, irrevocable judgment pronounced upon them, by which they will be banished into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
Unlike the rich man (Luke 16:22, 23) these rejected Gentiles (goats) will be sent forth, not to Hades, but directly to the place of final punishment of all rebels - the lake of fire. Into this lake the Antichrist (the beast) and his false prophet already will have been cast.
The separation between the sheep and goats is based upon one decisive issue - the way in which those being judged have treated the brothers of Jesus, the Jewish people (Matt. 25:34 - 46).
Even at the present moment anti- Semitism is becoming continually more widespread and more aggressive and all nations will be judged by God on the basis of their treatment of the Jewish people. Once the sheep have been separated from the goats, the judgment of the Gentile nations will be complete.
In this so-called parable (actually there is no suggestion that it is a parable) of the sheep and goats Jesus meant individual persons in all Gentile nations. This is completely logical. Each person is responsible to his own sins and the "soul who sins shall die" (Ezek. 18:29) and therefore God will judge each individual person in all Gentile nations. The Lord will decide whether his is a sheep or a goat.
What follows?
After the completion of the judgment of the Gentile Nations those who are accounted worthy to enter into the period of Christ Millennial Kingdom will have passed through the refining judgemt of God. First, Israel will be purged in the fires of the Great Tribulation. Then at the close of the Tribulation, the Gentiles will be purged by Christ own direct intervention and judgment.
After these purging judgments upon both Jews and Gentiles, Satan will be bound for 1000 years (Rev. 20:2) and there will be a thounsand years of peace and prosperity, with Christ ruling as King over all the earth.
When the 1000 years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison (Rev. 20:7) and he will make one final attempt to organize the Gentile nations in rebellion against Christ and His Kingdom, but this rebellion will be brought to nought by the direct intervention of God.
At this time Satan himself will at last be banished forever from earth and will be cast into the lake of fire, to join the Antichrist and the false prophet who will already be there.
The Great White Throne Judgment
With the defeat of Satan's final uprising, all the rebellious among those living at that time upon the earth will be purged out, and it will then remain to judge the dead of all previous ages. For this purpose, all the dead who have not previously been resurrected will at this time be called for judgment. In this way the stage will be set for the final scene of God's eternal judgment called the Great White Throne Judgment:
"Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each according to his works. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire" (Rev. 20:11 - 15).
Here is the ultimate end of all sins and rebellion against the Almight God (all unbelievers) - to be cast forever into the lake of everlasting fire. Only those whose names are written in the Book of Life will escape this final judgment.
Names recorded in the Book of Life
The names recorded in the Book of Life are of those who during their life on earth availed themselves, through faith, of God's mercy and grace.
The Scripture reveals two categories:
1. All true Christians (the Bride of Christ) - all those who put their faith in Christ's atoning sacrifice on behave of mankind. They will already have been resurrected (rapture) just before the commencement of the Millennium. They will have passed through their Judgment (Judgment of true Christians) before the judgment seat of Christ, not for condemnation, but to assess their reward.
2. All those who died in faith during the Millennium.
Conclusion
Will there be others to whom God will extend mercy from His Great White Throne? The answer to this is locked up within the omniscience of God. For us, with our limited knowledge and narrow perspective, it is therefore foolish to speculate. One thing we do know is that the Judge of all the earth is always right (Gen 18:25)!
Paul, who fully understood the unsearchable wisdom and knowledge of God, said:
"Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out" (Romans 11:33, NKJV)!
This message is about eternal judgment with emphasis on the Judgment of the Gentile nations. The writer of Hebrews says this is one of the 6 foundation doctrines of Christ (Hebrews 6:1, 2).
Here are some statements of truth concerning the human race and God's eternal judgment:
1. The human race is divided into three different categories.
Paul said, "Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God" (1 Cor. 10:32, KJV).
The 3 categories are:
The Jews - a special nation, separated by God for purpose of His own, from all other nations.
The Gentiles (Greek) - all other nations of the world, except Israel.
The Church of God - all true believers (Jews and Gentile) who have been born again through faith in Jesus Christ.
2. The eternal judgments of God will be carried out in four sucessive scenes:
Notice that the eternal judgments of God, with the exception of the Jews, will be carried out before Christ at different judgment seat or throne.
Judgment of true Christians - this will be carried out before the judgment seat of Christ.
Judgment of the Jews - this will be carried out during the Great Tribulation. In fact the Great Tribulation is their judgment.
Judgment of the Gentile nations - this will be carried out before the throne of Christ's glory.
Judgment of the remaining dead - this will be carried out before a great white throne.
Judgment of true Christians
I will just mention it briefly because I have already posted the full message earlier - "Judgment of true Christians"
1. Only true Christians will be judged first (1 Peter 4:17, 18).
2. The Lord will take vengeance on those who do not know God (unbelievers) and those who do not obey the Gospel (disobedient believers) (2 Thess. 1:7, 8).
3. The so-called Christians who failed to enter the Narrow Gate (Luke 13:24 - 17) will not be judged as true Christians. Consequently they will not be judged first.
4. True Christians are not condemned. The Lord Himself gave us the assurance (John 3:18; 5:24). Paul gave the same assurance of freedom from condemnation (Romans 8:1).
5. God's judgment is without partiality (1 Peter 1:17).
6. The things which will be brought up for judgment will be "the things done in the body". These are the acts, service, attitude and behavior of every Christians during his life here on earth (2 Cor. 5:10).
7. The same Verse (2 Cor. 5:10) also indicates that the judgment of Christians will be to assess their rewards. Every act or service performed by a Christian during his earthly life must fall into one of two categories - either good or bad. Every act that is not performed in faith and obedience, for the glory of God, is unacceptable to God and therefore bad. There is no neutrality or grey area.
8. The main purpose of our salvation is to bear fruit for Christ (John 15:16). Read the two parables - the parable of the talents (Matt. 25:14 - 30) and the parable of the minas (Luke 19:11 - 17).
Judgment of the Jews
In considering the special judgment of Israel, it is observed that there are two principles God uses to deal with the human race:
1. In blessing - God normally blesses the Gentiles through the Jews, but He blesses the Jews directly.
2. In punishment - God normally punishes the Jew through the Gentiles, but He punishes the Gentiles directly.
These two principles will direct God's dealings with the human race at the close of the present age.
In the closing stages of the Great Tribulations, God will judge and punish Israel for the last time as a nation, through the instrumentality of the Gentiles. When this final judgment of Israel is complete, God Himself will intervene directly in judgment upon the Gentiles.
Jeremiah 30:3 - 9 describes this final judgment upon Israel after they have return as a nation to their own land. Here is the order of events foretold by Jeremiah:
1. God will bring Israel back to their own land.
2. There will be for Israel a time of national peril and distress, more terrible than any that they have previously passed through.
3. The Lord Himself will eventually intervene against the foreigners - the Gentile enermies of Israel - and will save Israel from them.
4. The national kingdom of Israel will again be restored upon the throne of David, under the supreme government of the Lord Himself. The period of the restored kingdom will be the millennium.
Zechariah's prophecy
The end-time gatherings of the Gentile nations against Israel, and the direct intervention of the Lord on behalf of Israel, are further described in Zechariah:
"And it shall happen in that day that I will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone for all peoples; all who would heave it away will surely be cut in pieces, though all nations gathered against it. It shall be in that day that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they have pierced; they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn" (Zechariah 12:3; 12:9, 10, NKJV, emphasis added).
The phrase: "They will look on Me whom they have pierced ...." indicates how accurate is the prophecy concerning Israel's rejection and crucifixion of Christ. At this point Israel will at last acknowledge their terrible error, and in great mourning and repentance they will be reconciled with their Messiah, whom they have long rejected.
Paul, in describing the final reconciliation of Israel to God, said: "And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: 'The Deliverer will come out of Zion, and He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob'" (Romans 11:16).
After Israel has thus passed through the fires of the Great Tribulation and been reconciled again to God through Jesus Christ, there will be no further need for God to judge them. Thereafter, when Christ sets up His earthly Kingdom and takes His seat upon the throne of His glory, He will need only to judge the Gentile nations remaining alive on earth at the close of the Great Tribulation.
Judgment of Gentile Nations
In order to understand Matt. 25:31 - 46, it is helpsul to look at the following parallel passage of Scripture:
The Lord spoke through Joel: "For behold, in those days and at that time, whin I bring back the captives of Judah and Jerusalem, I will also gather all nations, and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; and I will enter into judgment with them there on account of My people, My heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations; they have also divided up My land" (Joel 3:1, 2, NKJV, emphasis added).
God declares that He will first bring back the scattered Jewish people in their own land. Then He will gather all the Gentile nations and bring judgment upon them in Person "on account to His people". This is after the Second coming Jesus Christ. This is not the rapture of the true Church, the Bride of Christ. The Second coming is for the Judgment of the Gentile Nations.
The basis of the judgment is the same as that described by Jesus in Matthew 25. God said He is going to enter into judgment with the Gentile nations "on accout of My people Israel".
The purpose of the judgment that follows is to separate the sheep (those whom God accepts) from the goats (those whom God rejects). The sheep will be received into the Kingdom God has prepared for them - Christ's Millennial Kingdom. The goats will have final, irrevocable judgment pronounced upon them, by which they will be banished into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
Unlike the rich man (Luke 16:22, 23) these rejected Gentiles (goats) will be sent forth, not to Hades, but directly to the place of final punishment of all rebels - the lake of fire. Into this lake the Antichrist (the beast) and his false prophet already will have been cast.
The separation between the sheep and goats is based upon one decisive issue - the way in which those being judged have treated the brothers of Jesus, the Jewish people (Matt. 25:34 - 46).
Even at the present moment anti- Semitism is becoming continually more widespread and more aggressive and all nations will be judged by God on the basis of their treatment of the Jewish people. Once the sheep have been separated from the goats, the judgment of the Gentile nations will be complete.
In this so-called parable (actually there is no suggestion that it is a parable) of the sheep and goats Jesus meant individual persons in all Gentile nations. This is completely logical. Each person is responsible to his own sins and the "soul who sins shall die" (Ezek. 18:29) and therefore God will judge each individual person in all Gentile nations. The Lord will decide whether his is a sheep or a goat.
What follows?
After the completion of the judgment of the Gentile Nations those who are accounted worthy to enter into the period of Christ Millennial Kingdom will have passed through the refining judgemt of God. First, Israel will be purged in the fires of the Great Tribulation. Then at the close of the Tribulation, the Gentiles will be purged by Christ own direct intervention and judgment.
After these purging judgments upon both Jews and Gentiles, Satan will be bound for 1000 years (Rev. 20:2) and there will be a thounsand years of peace and prosperity, with Christ ruling as King over all the earth.
When the 1000 years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison (Rev. 20:7) and he will make one final attempt to organize the Gentile nations in rebellion against Christ and His Kingdom, but this rebellion will be brought to nought by the direct intervention of God.
At this time Satan himself will at last be banished forever from earth and will be cast into the lake of fire, to join the Antichrist and the false prophet who will already be there.
The Great White Throne Judgment
With the defeat of Satan's final uprising, all the rebellious among those living at that time upon the earth will be purged out, and it will then remain to judge the dead of all previous ages. For this purpose, all the dead who have not previously been resurrected will at this time be called for judgment. In this way the stage will be set for the final scene of God's eternal judgment called the Great White Throne Judgment:
"Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each according to his works. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire" (Rev. 20:11 - 15).
Here is the ultimate end of all sins and rebellion against the Almight God (all unbelievers) - to be cast forever into the lake of everlasting fire. Only those whose names are written in the Book of Life will escape this final judgment.
Names recorded in the Book of Life
The names recorded in the Book of Life are of those who during their life on earth availed themselves, through faith, of God's mercy and grace.
The Scripture reveals two categories:
1. All true Christians (the Bride of Christ) - all those who put their faith in Christ's atoning sacrifice on behave of mankind. They will already have been resurrected (rapture) just before the commencement of the Millennium. They will have passed through their Judgment (Judgment of true Christians) before the judgment seat of Christ, not for condemnation, but to assess their reward.
2. All those who died in faith during the Millennium.
Conclusion
Will there be others to whom God will extend mercy from His Great White Throne? The answer to this is locked up within the omniscience of God. For us, with our limited knowledge and narrow perspective, it is therefore foolish to speculate. One thing we do know is that the Judge of all the earth is always right (Gen 18:25)!
Paul, who fully understood the unsearchable wisdom and knowledge of God, said:
"Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out" (Romans 11:33, NKJV)!
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Some Biblical Facts about the Future
If you are going to ask a few unbelievers concerning the future you are likely to get either one of two views. The first, known as the 'futurologist' view, will tell you that unless you plan for the future, therE simply will not be one. Yet, there is no point planning because we are living in a world of swiftly accelerating change. In every walk of life the effects of change are felt. Knowledge doubles every ten years. Discovery treads on the heels of dicovery. We have broken irretrievably with the past, and are racing headlong into the future. Our only hope, according to the futurologists, is to try to keep on moving ahead.
The other view comes from the pessimists who reject the futurologist's view entirely. As the future is in such doubt, they would argue, we may as well live life to the full now, and let the future takes care of itself. As doomsday is just around the corner, they believed, we might as well turn our backs on the future and concentrate on the present - or even the past.
The Christian's View
Whether we think we can foresee our planet's future, or whether we believe it does not have one, the important thing for the Bible-believing Christian to realize is that the world is not out of control, nor is it under man's control. God is in control of events, as He has always been. History, as someone has said, is 'His Story'. He determines the direction and speed of world events and one day He will bring human history to an end.
So, if we are tempted to feel that things have got out of hand, or if the pace of change causes us anxiety, we need to be reminded that God not only knows what lies ahead, but He has told us in His Word. It is believed that over a quarter of the Bible is predictive, and nearly 90% of those predictions have already come true. Indeed, not many predictions remain to be fulfilled before this Age (the Church Age) ends. It is without doubt that God knows the future. God plans the future and God tells the future, so that we may live the present correctly by relating ourselves to what is going to happen. God wants us to know what lies ahead, because it affects how we conduct ourselves now.
This message concerns what God has revealed to me about the future and I believe many Bible-believing Christians do have different opinions. But generally, those who believe that the Bible reveals God's Truth to man, agree about the following general outline of events that lies ahead of us.
The immediate future
The immediate future is concerned with what the Bible calls "this present evil age" (Galatians 1:4, NKJV). The King James Version calls "this present evil world". Both 'age' and 'world' are translated from the Greek word 'aion'. The picture of the world in the final days is depressingly familiar and it covers every aspect of life today - social, polical, ecclesiastical, natural and even spiritual.
In the social sphere
In the social sphere, the 'last days' will see an emphasis on pleasure for its own sake (2 Tim. 3:1 - 5). Alongside this there will be a repudiation of authority and a growth in lawlessness (Matt. 24:12). Violence will flourish. So will immorality of every kind (Jude 7; Romans 1:29). Family life will break up and there will be conflict between social groups and conflict between parents and children.
Jesus said, "Now brother will deliver up brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death" (Matt. 10:21).
The result of all this will be wide-spread, almost universal fear. All of this is quite specifically predicted in the words of Jesus Himself.
In the political realm
In the political realm, there will be a decline of democracy and an increase in dictatorship, as frightened people, perplexed by "wars and rumors of wars" (Matt. 24:6; Mark 13:7; Luke 21:9), turn to the 'strong men' to solve the problems of the nations by force. Great efforts for peace and security will fail, increasing the "distress of nations with perplexity" (Luke 21:25), as foretold by the Lord Himself. You will find at least a dozen examples of exactly what is happening in many nations of the world. Have you ever wondered why a tiny wealthy Asian country trusts their leaders to rule their country with an authoritarian government? They also spent billions to build up a 'powerful' air force. Or have you noticed why many Western countries are in the midst of electing new government? They hope their new leaders will solve their problems - especially in finance, economic downturn and in problems due to religious differences.
In all this turmoil, I believe that Israel has a vital role. The Jewish return to their homeland and the re-establishment of Israel seem to me events of enormous significance. All eyes of the world are focusing on Israel now. There are a few books written about the rebirth of Israel and what follows.
In the ecclesiastical area
In the ecclesiastical area, the 'last days' will be marked by compromise and weakness, both in the world and in the Church. In many cases, ministers will become deceivers, false peophets, even setting themselves up as Messiahs. The cults (Christian cults) will multiply; fables and fancies will lead men astray.
The New Testament Scripture has much to say about false prophets, false teachers and other false ministers of the Gospel. Let me just mention few examples:
Jesus said, "Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect" (Matt. 24:11, 24, NKJV).
Peter said, "But there are also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction" (2 Peter 2:1).
These false prophets and false teachers even denied "the Lord who bought them". In other words, they denied the redemption through (or purchased by) the blood of Jesus.
John said, "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world" (1 John 4:1).
Paul said to the Ephesian elders: "For I know this after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves" (Acts 20:29, 30).
Now we can understand why so many churches have been started by many so-called Christians to "draw away disciples after themselves"!
In the natural realm
In the natural realm, disasters like earthquakes, landslides, mudslides, floods and pestilence (just to name a few) will testify to the delicate relationship between man and the physical world he inhabits. There seems to be a kind of psychosomatic connection between man and nature. When man is disordered, nature is disordered, too.
Isaiah painted a vivid picture of the judgment on the earth:
"Behold, the Lord makes the earth empty and makes it waste, distorts its surface and scatters abroad its inhabitants. The land shall be intirely emptied and utterly plundered, for the Lord has spoken this word. The earth mourns and fades away. The world languishes and fades away; the haughty people of the earth languish. The earth is also defied under its inhabitants, because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore the curse has devoured the earth, and those who dwell in it are desolate. Therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men are left" (Isaiah 24:1, 3 - 6, NKJV).
Ultimately, the sun, moon and stars will also be affected.
In the spiritual sphere
In the spiritual sphere, world-wide evangelism will mark the last of the 'last days'.
Jesus said, "And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come" (Matt. 24:14, emphasis added).
Notice that 'all the world' means every nation, tribe and tongue. It is believed that the Gospel has already been taken to every country.
Yet this increasing evangelism and there is more evangelism being under taken now than at any tim in Church's history, will not win the majority to Christ. Why? There are two reasons for this.
Lack of faith
Jesus said, "Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He realy find faith on earth" (Luke 18:8)?
In the context people have been praying and interceding for lost souls and yet ridicule, opposition, scoffing and outright persecution will be the main result.
Jesus said, "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (Matt. 5:10).
But Jesus also said, "Remember the word that I said to you. 'A servant is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they keep My word, they will keep yours also" (John 15:20).
Salvation belongs to our God (Rev. 7:10)
Jesus said, "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent Me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day" (John 6:44, emphasis added).
The word 'draws' comes from the Greek word 'helkuo' which also means 'drags'. Therefore the above verse means no one can believe on Jesus unless the Father drives (or urges or drags) him to Him. The initiative comes from God the Father.
God's perspective of the future
You may refer to my earlier message - "The Last Days according to God's Perspective".
Many so-called Christians are saying that in the last days things are getting worse and worse. The situation of the world is going to be darker and darker; the Antichrist is coming and there will not be any revival. Instead there is coming a great falling away. The Church is going downhill and Christians are back-sliding. Things are really bad.
At the same time many Bible-believing Christians are saying that there will be a great revival in the last days; there will be a great harvest and in-gathering of souls. God is going to pour out His Spirit upon all flesh. The first outpouring happened at Pentecost and the second outpouring is coming soon and many Christians will receive the double portion. The Church is going to be victorious and God is preparing a glorious Bride - the Bride for His Son, Jesus Christ.
Yes, things are going to get worse in the world, but at the same time things are going to get better in the true Church of Jesus Christ. The fact is, if you allow the world to get into your Church then you are in darkness and things will get worse for you! This is the prophecy of prophet Isaiah (Please read Isaiah 2:2, 3 and Isaiah 60:1, 2).
Jesus is coming back for His Bride
When is the Lord coming back for His Bride? Will it be before or after the coming of the Antichrist? The Bible does not reveal exactly when the Lord is coming back for His Bride, but Paul, under the anointing of the Holy Spirit, said something about the timeline of the events of the future.
Paul said, "Let no one deceive you by any means; for the Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, ...." (2 Thess. 2:3, 4, 6 - 8, NKJV, emphasis added).
Here are some statements of truth:
1. The Antichrist is known by many names - the man of sin, the son of perdition and the lawless one. The word 'Antichrist' simply means 'instead of Christ' rather than 'against Christ'.
2. "He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way" means the Holy Spirit (note the word 'He'). The true church is the temple of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit also lives in individual true believers. Therefore, when the Holy Spirit is taken out of the way, the true Church is also taken out of the way. This is the rapture of the true Church.
3. This is the timeline of future events - the falling away (the great apostasy); rapture of the true Church; the Antichrist will be revealed and then the Great Tribulation will follow immediately.
The above clearly says that the True Church will not go through the Great Tribulation.
The Second Coming of Jesus
It is important to understand that the rapture is not the Second Coming of Jesus. The Lord will not actually come back to rapture the true Church. He is going to meet the true believers "in the air" (1 Thess. 4:17).
The Second coming of Christ is for the judgment of Gentile nations during the final world war directed at Israel. And He will set up His Millennium Kingdom on earth. The will be discusse in my next message.
The other view comes from the pessimists who reject the futurologist's view entirely. As the future is in such doubt, they would argue, we may as well live life to the full now, and let the future takes care of itself. As doomsday is just around the corner, they believed, we might as well turn our backs on the future and concentrate on the present - or even the past.
The Christian's View
Whether we think we can foresee our planet's future, or whether we believe it does not have one, the important thing for the Bible-believing Christian to realize is that the world is not out of control, nor is it under man's control. God is in control of events, as He has always been. History, as someone has said, is 'His Story'. He determines the direction and speed of world events and one day He will bring human history to an end.
So, if we are tempted to feel that things have got out of hand, or if the pace of change causes us anxiety, we need to be reminded that God not only knows what lies ahead, but He has told us in His Word. It is believed that over a quarter of the Bible is predictive, and nearly 90% of those predictions have already come true. Indeed, not many predictions remain to be fulfilled before this Age (the Church Age) ends. It is without doubt that God knows the future. God plans the future and God tells the future, so that we may live the present correctly by relating ourselves to what is going to happen. God wants us to know what lies ahead, because it affects how we conduct ourselves now.
This message concerns what God has revealed to me about the future and I believe many Bible-believing Christians do have different opinions. But generally, those who believe that the Bible reveals God's Truth to man, agree about the following general outline of events that lies ahead of us.
The immediate future
The immediate future is concerned with what the Bible calls "this present evil age" (Galatians 1:4, NKJV). The King James Version calls "this present evil world". Both 'age' and 'world' are translated from the Greek word 'aion'. The picture of the world in the final days is depressingly familiar and it covers every aspect of life today - social, polical, ecclesiastical, natural and even spiritual.
In the social sphere
In the social sphere, the 'last days' will see an emphasis on pleasure for its own sake (2 Tim. 3:1 - 5). Alongside this there will be a repudiation of authority and a growth in lawlessness (Matt. 24:12). Violence will flourish. So will immorality of every kind (Jude 7; Romans 1:29). Family life will break up and there will be conflict between social groups and conflict between parents and children.
Jesus said, "Now brother will deliver up brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death" (Matt. 10:21).
The result of all this will be wide-spread, almost universal fear. All of this is quite specifically predicted in the words of Jesus Himself.
In the political realm
In the political realm, there will be a decline of democracy and an increase in dictatorship, as frightened people, perplexed by "wars and rumors of wars" (Matt. 24:6; Mark 13:7; Luke 21:9), turn to the 'strong men' to solve the problems of the nations by force. Great efforts for peace and security will fail, increasing the "distress of nations with perplexity" (Luke 21:25), as foretold by the Lord Himself. You will find at least a dozen examples of exactly what is happening in many nations of the world. Have you ever wondered why a tiny wealthy Asian country trusts their leaders to rule their country with an authoritarian government? They also spent billions to build up a 'powerful' air force. Or have you noticed why many Western countries are in the midst of electing new government? They hope their new leaders will solve their problems - especially in finance, economic downturn and in problems due to religious differences.
In all this turmoil, I believe that Israel has a vital role. The Jewish return to their homeland and the re-establishment of Israel seem to me events of enormous significance. All eyes of the world are focusing on Israel now. There are a few books written about the rebirth of Israel and what follows.
In the ecclesiastical area
In the ecclesiastical area, the 'last days' will be marked by compromise and weakness, both in the world and in the Church. In many cases, ministers will become deceivers, false peophets, even setting themselves up as Messiahs. The cults (Christian cults) will multiply; fables and fancies will lead men astray.
The New Testament Scripture has much to say about false prophets, false teachers and other false ministers of the Gospel. Let me just mention few examples:
Jesus said, "Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect" (Matt. 24:11, 24, NKJV).
Peter said, "But there are also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction" (2 Peter 2:1).
These false prophets and false teachers even denied "the Lord who bought them". In other words, they denied the redemption through (or purchased by) the blood of Jesus.
John said, "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world" (1 John 4:1).
Paul said to the Ephesian elders: "For I know this after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves" (Acts 20:29, 30).
Now we can understand why so many churches have been started by many so-called Christians to "draw away disciples after themselves"!
In the natural realm
In the natural realm, disasters like earthquakes, landslides, mudslides, floods and pestilence (just to name a few) will testify to the delicate relationship between man and the physical world he inhabits. There seems to be a kind of psychosomatic connection between man and nature. When man is disordered, nature is disordered, too.
Isaiah painted a vivid picture of the judgment on the earth:
"Behold, the Lord makes the earth empty and makes it waste, distorts its surface and scatters abroad its inhabitants. The land shall be intirely emptied and utterly plundered, for the Lord has spoken this word. The earth mourns and fades away. The world languishes and fades away; the haughty people of the earth languish. The earth is also defied under its inhabitants, because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore the curse has devoured the earth, and those who dwell in it are desolate. Therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men are left" (Isaiah 24:1, 3 - 6, NKJV).
Ultimately, the sun, moon and stars will also be affected.
In the spiritual sphere
In the spiritual sphere, world-wide evangelism will mark the last of the 'last days'.
Jesus said, "And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come" (Matt. 24:14, emphasis added).
Notice that 'all the world' means every nation, tribe and tongue. It is believed that the Gospel has already been taken to every country.
Yet this increasing evangelism and there is more evangelism being under taken now than at any tim in Church's history, will not win the majority to Christ. Why? There are two reasons for this.
Lack of faith
Jesus said, "Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He realy find faith on earth" (Luke 18:8)?
In the context people have been praying and interceding for lost souls and yet ridicule, opposition, scoffing and outright persecution will be the main result.
Jesus said, "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (Matt. 5:10).
But Jesus also said, "Remember the word that I said to you. 'A servant is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they keep My word, they will keep yours also" (John 15:20).
Salvation belongs to our God (Rev. 7:10)
Jesus said, "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent Me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day" (John 6:44, emphasis added).
The word 'draws' comes from the Greek word 'helkuo' which also means 'drags'. Therefore the above verse means no one can believe on Jesus unless the Father drives (or urges or drags) him to Him. The initiative comes from God the Father.
God's perspective of the future
You may refer to my earlier message - "The Last Days according to God's Perspective".
Many so-called Christians are saying that in the last days things are getting worse and worse. The situation of the world is going to be darker and darker; the Antichrist is coming and there will not be any revival. Instead there is coming a great falling away. The Church is going downhill and Christians are back-sliding. Things are really bad.
At the same time many Bible-believing Christians are saying that there will be a great revival in the last days; there will be a great harvest and in-gathering of souls. God is going to pour out His Spirit upon all flesh. The first outpouring happened at Pentecost and the second outpouring is coming soon and many Christians will receive the double portion. The Church is going to be victorious and God is preparing a glorious Bride - the Bride for His Son, Jesus Christ.
Yes, things are going to get worse in the world, but at the same time things are going to get better in the true Church of Jesus Christ. The fact is, if you allow the world to get into your Church then you are in darkness and things will get worse for you! This is the prophecy of prophet Isaiah (Please read Isaiah 2:2, 3 and Isaiah 60:1, 2).
Jesus is coming back for His Bride
When is the Lord coming back for His Bride? Will it be before or after the coming of the Antichrist? The Bible does not reveal exactly when the Lord is coming back for His Bride, but Paul, under the anointing of the Holy Spirit, said something about the timeline of the events of the future.
Paul said, "Let no one deceive you by any means; for the Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, ...." (2 Thess. 2:3, 4, 6 - 8, NKJV, emphasis added).
Here are some statements of truth:
1. The Antichrist is known by many names - the man of sin, the son of perdition and the lawless one. The word 'Antichrist' simply means 'instead of Christ' rather than 'against Christ'.
2. "He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way" means the Holy Spirit (note the word 'He'). The true church is the temple of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit also lives in individual true believers. Therefore, when the Holy Spirit is taken out of the way, the true Church is also taken out of the way. This is the rapture of the true Church.
3. This is the timeline of future events - the falling away (the great apostasy); rapture of the true Church; the Antichrist will be revealed and then the Great Tribulation will follow immediately.
The above clearly says that the True Church will not go through the Great Tribulation.
The Second Coming of Jesus
It is important to understand that the rapture is not the Second Coming of Jesus. The Lord will not actually come back to rapture the true Church. He is going to meet the true believers "in the air" (1 Thess. 4:17).
The Second coming of Christ is for the judgment of Gentile nations during the final world war directed at Israel. And He will set up His Millennium Kingdom on earth. The will be discusse in my next message.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Practical Benefits of the Holy Spirit
I wonder how many people have read the old story entitled "Daddy Long Legs". It told the story of a little orphaned girl and her mysterious, anonymous benefactor. Only once had she ever seen the man who provided her with gifts and little luxuries, and then she saw only his shadow, distorted by the light so that he appeared long, thin and spidery - hence her for him, "Daddy Long Legs".
Sadly, and incredibly, that is a picture of the relationship many Christians have with the Holy Spirit. They know He exists because they receive blessings and gifts from Him from time to time. But He remains a mysterious, anonymous benefactor - a shadowy figure with whom they have no direct personal contact at all.
One reason for this is that so much of the Holy Spirit's work is done anonymously. We are aware of the results, but not the origin. This is especially true in three areas -what Jesus said concerning the coming of the Holy Spirit:
"And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment" (John 16:8, NKJV).
In the matter of the conviction of sin, the Holy Spirit makes us inwardly aware of sin, righteousness and judgment - but we may not and probably will not, be aware of Him as a Person at that time.
However any truly Spirit baptized Christian knows that the Holy Spirit can be known and experienced personally and consciously. He can have an unceasing direct and personal contact with the Holy Spirit in his Christian walk.
I believe there are four practical benefits (or privileges) of the Holy Spirit in the life of every believer - these are the birthright of every Christian.
Personal introduction to the Holy Spirit
I have already mentioned in my recent messages that each believer should enter into a consious relationship with each Person of the Godhead (Members of the Trinity) - the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The full Christian experience involves repenting towards God (Acts 20:21), believing in Jesus (Acts 16:31) and 'receiving' the Holy Spirit (Acts 8:15, 17). In the New Testament these three steps (together with water baptism) in Christian initiation are clearly set out.
Unfortunately some believers tended to run the second and third experiences into one - they have equated receiving the Holy Spirit with 'receiving' Jesus. But clearly these two experience are not identical. The New Testament calls us to believe in Jesus and receive the Ho;y Spirit.
The Bible does mention 'receiving' Jesus, but we cannot equate this as believing in Jesus. The only references to 'receiving' Jesus are in John 1:12 and Colossians 2:6.
"He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His Name" (John 1:11, 12, NKJV).
The above verses clearly have an historical reference - He came to His fellow Jews. Furthermore it refers to Jesus in the flesh. It was then literally possible to 'receive' Him or invite Him into their homes. To 'receive' Him into their homes does not mean that they believed in Him. But to those who believed, He gave them the right to become children of God.
Paul said, "As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him" (Col. 2:6).
Paul was writing to believers already in the Church. The Greek word translated 'received' is a compound one which includes 'introduced to' as well as 'taught about'.
On every other occasions when God is spoken of as entering the life of the believer, it is in the Person of the Holy Spirit. Various verbs and terms describe this experience - He comes upon, He falls on, He is poured out upon; believers are filled with, baptized in, anointed or sealed by the Holy Spirit.
However one describes it, this personal introduction to the Holy Spirit is the privilege of everyone who believes in Jesus.
Spiritual ability
When we come to Christ, we come complete with our natural aptitudes and abilities and we give them to Him. He may use some, and He may not use others. What is certain is that any gift of ours which He does use will be 'anointed' by the Holy Spirit. Without it, whatever we do brings glory to us. But when our gifts are anointed by the Holy Spirit, they bring glory to God.
The fact is, not many of us are hightly gifted by nature. God's family is not natably more gifted than the rest of the human race. Most Local Churches are run by those who bring their natural gifts and aptitudes - music, administration, or manual skill - and give them to Christ. But how limited our concept of 'gifts' is, if we stop there. And how impoverished the Church is, too! It is our privilege to receive supernatural gifts from the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is the great Giver. He Himself is a gift - the Gift of God. For the most part, these gifts are given for the benefits of others, but this does not mean they are not gifts to us.
In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul listed some of these gifts. These are not natural gifts enhanced, but supernatural gifs freely conveyed to believers. Notice that these gifts regularly used and developed become ministry - Ephesians 4:11 lists some of them. Teaching regularly used, produces teachers. Prophecy developed and employed produces prophets. It is not the other way round. The gifts make the office, not the office the gifts. Most of these gifts are connected with the natural gift of speech. That is especially true of tongues and prophecy. Let us consider them briefly.
Gift of tongue
Contrary to most Christians believed, it is the gift for beginners. It gives help where at that stage is most needed, in praise and prayer, where the novice may find himself tongue-tied and hesitant. It is not the highest gift, but neither is it, as some seem to imply, senseless hysterical babbling. Unfortunately many Christians equate speaking in tongues as a measure of spirituality and maturity.
Paul used it as much as anyone and approved of it, even though God gave it to the infant Church (like the Church in Corinth).
Gift of prophecy
Prophecy is a more advanced gift (1 Cor. 14:4) and as Paul said, "He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church" (1 Cor. 14:4). Prophecy is not inspiring preaching, though like preaching, it exists to serve and help others.
Prophecy is the uttering of a message in your own language, directly inspired by the Holy Spirit. The 'prophet' is simply a messenger. He has something to pass on, exactly as it was given.
These gifts of speech are important. Our God is a God who speaks. Words are at the very heart of Christianity. But more than that - the mouth (tongue) is so powerful an organ that it can create or destroy (James 3:6). Yet this same faculty of speach, redeemed and anointed, can be the means of extraordinary blessing to others. You can say things from God that will minister to others - things that you could never speak in your own power.
Growing maturity
Growing maturity is not the result of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, as many seem to think. The gifts do not necessarily make you a better or more mature Christian. Look at the Church at Corinth with its squabbles and sins and unsound doctrine! Paul said that they were enriched in everything and they have no shortage of gifts (1 Cor. 1:5 - 7). The gifts are to help others, not ourselves. And it is tragically possible to have all the gifts of the Holy Spirit and remain a carnal, selfish Christian.
But the Holy Spirit does want to make us holy. He is concerned with our sanctification. But it is not, and cannot be, a single, sudden gift. Holiness is the product of growth in the Holy Spirit. Holiness is God's will for His people, but it is achieved, not through receiving His gifts but through walking in the Spirit. There is no short cut. As we walk in the Spirit, the fruit of the Spirit grows (Galatians 5:16 - 25). Also read Romans 7 and 8, where Paul shows us why and how we need to grow in Christian maturity.
Unfortunately many Christians have never moved from Romans 7 to Romans 8. Romans 7 describes a common Christian experience, in which the inside wishes to please God but the outside constantly fails. This is a kind of spiritual spastic condition in which a believer is the captive of his own bad habits, torn between what he knows he should be and what he knows he is.
A Christian is meant to go on into the experience described in Roman 8 in order to live a normal Christian life, expected of our Lord.
Paul said, "There is therefore no condemnation to those who are Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit, for the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death" (Romans 8:1, 2, NKJV).
This experience is meant to be ours. It is one of the benefits of the life in the Holy Spirit.
Transformation of soul and body
You may refer to my earlier message - "The Spirit, Soul, and Body of Man", which gives quite a detailed study.
If someone is to ask - "Where is the soul in the body?" I will ask him - "Where do you think is the music in the organ?" If you can answer the second question you can also answer the first! You could dismantle the organ, but you would never find its music. Similarly you could ask a surgeon to cut open your body, but he would never find your 'soul'.
The Bible says: "And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul" (Genesis 2:7, KJV, emphasis added).
In other words, the 'soul' of man is the life of his body. You cannot see his 'soul' but without it he is dead!
Paul said, "But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by hi Spirit that dwelleth in you" (Romans 8:11, KJV).
In other words, the Holy Spirit who raised up Jesus physically from the dead will quicken our mortal bodies.
The word 'quicken' in Greek means 'make alive' or 'give live'. And so the Holy Spirit is the live giver to our bodies.
In 1 Corinthians 15 Paul tells us how your mortal physical body is going to be transformed to a spiritual body at the Second Coming of Christ, or more precisely, when Christ comes for His true Church - His Bride. Here he lists out a series of specific changes that will take place.
1. The present body is corruptible, subject to corruption - to sickness, decay and old age. The new body will be incorruptible (Verse 42).
2. The present body is mortal - subject to death. The new body will be immortal - incapable of death (verse 44).
3. The present body is of dishonor. In Philippians 3:21, Paul called it "our lowly body" with frailty, insufficiency, weaknesses and limitations. However, the new resurrection body will be a body of beauty and glory, free from all of man's present limitations (Verse 43)
4. The present body is a natural body - literally, a 'soulish' (from the Greek word 'psuchikos') body. However, the new resurrection body will be 'spiritual'. Clothed in the new body, the whole personality of the resurrected believer will function in harmony and perfection under his spirit's control (Verse 44). The harmony of the spirit controlled soul and body was lost after the Fall. The Holy Spirit will restore it as we are clothed in the new spiritual body.
Sadly, and incredibly, that is a picture of the relationship many Christians have with the Holy Spirit. They know He exists because they receive blessings and gifts from Him from time to time. But He remains a mysterious, anonymous benefactor - a shadowy figure with whom they have no direct personal contact at all.
One reason for this is that so much of the Holy Spirit's work is done anonymously. We are aware of the results, but not the origin. This is especially true in three areas -what Jesus said concerning the coming of the Holy Spirit:
"And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment" (John 16:8, NKJV).
In the matter of the conviction of sin, the Holy Spirit makes us inwardly aware of sin, righteousness and judgment - but we may not and probably will not, be aware of Him as a Person at that time.
However any truly Spirit baptized Christian knows that the Holy Spirit can be known and experienced personally and consciously. He can have an unceasing direct and personal contact with the Holy Spirit in his Christian walk.
I believe there are four practical benefits (or privileges) of the Holy Spirit in the life of every believer - these are the birthright of every Christian.
Personal introduction to the Holy Spirit
I have already mentioned in my recent messages that each believer should enter into a consious relationship with each Person of the Godhead (Members of the Trinity) - the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The full Christian experience involves repenting towards God (Acts 20:21), believing in Jesus (Acts 16:31) and 'receiving' the Holy Spirit (Acts 8:15, 17). In the New Testament these three steps (together with water baptism) in Christian initiation are clearly set out.
Unfortunately some believers tended to run the second and third experiences into one - they have equated receiving the Holy Spirit with 'receiving' Jesus. But clearly these two experience are not identical. The New Testament calls us to believe in Jesus and receive the Ho;y Spirit.
The Bible does mention 'receiving' Jesus, but we cannot equate this as believing in Jesus. The only references to 'receiving' Jesus are in John 1:12 and Colossians 2:6.
"He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His Name" (John 1:11, 12, NKJV).
The above verses clearly have an historical reference - He came to His fellow Jews. Furthermore it refers to Jesus in the flesh. It was then literally possible to 'receive' Him or invite Him into their homes. To 'receive' Him into their homes does not mean that they believed in Him. But to those who believed, He gave them the right to become children of God.
Paul said, "As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him" (Col. 2:6).
Paul was writing to believers already in the Church. The Greek word translated 'received' is a compound one which includes 'introduced to' as well as 'taught about'.
On every other occasions when God is spoken of as entering the life of the believer, it is in the Person of the Holy Spirit. Various verbs and terms describe this experience - He comes upon, He falls on, He is poured out upon; believers are filled with, baptized in, anointed or sealed by the Holy Spirit.
However one describes it, this personal introduction to the Holy Spirit is the privilege of everyone who believes in Jesus.
Spiritual ability
When we come to Christ, we come complete with our natural aptitudes and abilities and we give them to Him. He may use some, and He may not use others. What is certain is that any gift of ours which He does use will be 'anointed' by the Holy Spirit. Without it, whatever we do brings glory to us. But when our gifts are anointed by the Holy Spirit, they bring glory to God.
The fact is, not many of us are hightly gifted by nature. God's family is not natably more gifted than the rest of the human race. Most Local Churches are run by those who bring their natural gifts and aptitudes - music, administration, or manual skill - and give them to Christ. But how limited our concept of 'gifts' is, if we stop there. And how impoverished the Church is, too! It is our privilege to receive supernatural gifts from the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is the great Giver. He Himself is a gift - the Gift of God. For the most part, these gifts are given for the benefits of others, but this does not mean they are not gifts to us.
In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul listed some of these gifts. These are not natural gifts enhanced, but supernatural gifs freely conveyed to believers. Notice that these gifts regularly used and developed become ministry - Ephesians 4:11 lists some of them. Teaching regularly used, produces teachers. Prophecy developed and employed produces prophets. It is not the other way round. The gifts make the office, not the office the gifts. Most of these gifts are connected with the natural gift of speech. That is especially true of tongues and prophecy. Let us consider them briefly.
Gift of tongue
Contrary to most Christians believed, it is the gift for beginners. It gives help where at that stage is most needed, in praise and prayer, where the novice may find himself tongue-tied and hesitant. It is not the highest gift, but neither is it, as some seem to imply, senseless hysterical babbling. Unfortunately many Christians equate speaking in tongues as a measure of spirituality and maturity.
Paul used it as much as anyone and approved of it, even though God gave it to the infant Church (like the Church in Corinth).
Gift of prophecy
Prophecy is a more advanced gift (1 Cor. 14:4) and as Paul said, "He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church" (1 Cor. 14:4). Prophecy is not inspiring preaching, though like preaching, it exists to serve and help others.
Prophecy is the uttering of a message in your own language, directly inspired by the Holy Spirit. The 'prophet' is simply a messenger. He has something to pass on, exactly as it was given.
These gifts of speech are important. Our God is a God who speaks. Words are at the very heart of Christianity. But more than that - the mouth (tongue) is so powerful an organ that it can create or destroy (James 3:6). Yet this same faculty of speach, redeemed and anointed, can be the means of extraordinary blessing to others. You can say things from God that will minister to others - things that you could never speak in your own power.
Growing maturity
Growing maturity is not the result of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, as many seem to think. The gifts do not necessarily make you a better or more mature Christian. Look at the Church at Corinth with its squabbles and sins and unsound doctrine! Paul said that they were enriched in everything and they have no shortage of gifts (1 Cor. 1:5 - 7). The gifts are to help others, not ourselves. And it is tragically possible to have all the gifts of the Holy Spirit and remain a carnal, selfish Christian.
But the Holy Spirit does want to make us holy. He is concerned with our sanctification. But it is not, and cannot be, a single, sudden gift. Holiness is the product of growth in the Holy Spirit. Holiness is God's will for His people, but it is achieved, not through receiving His gifts but through walking in the Spirit. There is no short cut. As we walk in the Spirit, the fruit of the Spirit grows (Galatians 5:16 - 25). Also read Romans 7 and 8, where Paul shows us why and how we need to grow in Christian maturity.
Unfortunately many Christians have never moved from Romans 7 to Romans 8. Romans 7 describes a common Christian experience, in which the inside wishes to please God but the outside constantly fails. This is a kind of spiritual spastic condition in which a believer is the captive of his own bad habits, torn between what he knows he should be and what he knows he is.
A Christian is meant to go on into the experience described in Roman 8 in order to live a normal Christian life, expected of our Lord.
Paul said, "There is therefore no condemnation to those who are Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit, for the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death" (Romans 8:1, 2, NKJV).
This experience is meant to be ours. It is one of the benefits of the life in the Holy Spirit.
Transformation of soul and body
You may refer to my earlier message - "The Spirit, Soul, and Body of Man", which gives quite a detailed study.
If someone is to ask - "Where is the soul in the body?" I will ask him - "Where do you think is the music in the organ?" If you can answer the second question you can also answer the first! You could dismantle the organ, but you would never find its music. Similarly you could ask a surgeon to cut open your body, but he would never find your 'soul'.
The Bible says: "And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul" (Genesis 2:7, KJV, emphasis added).
In other words, the 'soul' of man is the life of his body. You cannot see his 'soul' but without it he is dead!
Paul said, "But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by hi Spirit that dwelleth in you" (Romans 8:11, KJV).
In other words, the Holy Spirit who raised up Jesus physically from the dead will quicken our mortal bodies.
The word 'quicken' in Greek means 'make alive' or 'give live'. And so the Holy Spirit is the live giver to our bodies.
In 1 Corinthians 15 Paul tells us how your mortal physical body is going to be transformed to a spiritual body at the Second Coming of Christ, or more precisely, when Christ comes for His true Church - His Bride. Here he lists out a series of specific changes that will take place.
1. The present body is corruptible, subject to corruption - to sickness, decay and old age. The new body will be incorruptible (Verse 42).
2. The present body is mortal - subject to death. The new body will be immortal - incapable of death (verse 44).
3. The present body is of dishonor. In Philippians 3:21, Paul called it "our lowly body" with frailty, insufficiency, weaknesses and limitations. However, the new resurrection body will be a body of beauty and glory, free from all of man's present limitations (Verse 43)
4. The present body is a natural body - literally, a 'soulish' (from the Greek word 'psuchikos') body. However, the new resurrection body will be 'spiritual'. Clothed in the new body, the whole personality of the resurrected believer will function in harmony and perfection under his spirit's control (Verse 44). The harmony of the spirit controlled soul and body was lost after the Fall. The Holy Spirit will restore it as we are clothed in the new spiritual body.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
The Third Person of the Godhead
It is always said that the Holy Spirit is a Person and that Person is the third Person of the Godhead. Why is He the third Person? Is He less important than the other two Persons of the Godhead? What is the relationship between the Holy Spirit and Jesus and Father God?
There is a very important verse in the Gospel according to John which will give some light to the above questions:
Jesus said, "But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me" (John 15:26, NKJV).
Here are some statements of truth:
1. The 'Helper' and the 'Spirit of truth' are two of the Names of the Holy Spirit. We shall talk more about this as we go on.
2. Notice that Jesus said that "the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father", and He did not say that "the Spirit of truth who proceeds from Himself".
3. Church history tells us that this verse caused a serious division between the Christian Churches - the West and the East. Western Christianity teaches that the Holy Spirit proceed from the Son as well as from the Father. But the Eastern(Greek and Russian Orthodox Churches) Christianity refuses to say "and from the Son". In other words, it says "from the Father".
I believe Western Christianity is somewhat influenced by the deity of the Son (Christ). They think that since the Bible mentions 'Spirit of Christ' twice in the New King James version (Romans 8:9 and 1 Peter 1:11) it must have come from both the Father and the Son. Notice that the very verse (John 15:26) Jesus said He is going to send the Spirit (though it proceeds from the Father). This shows that Jesus associates Himself with the Father, and He tells us that He Himself will operate through the Spirit, exactly as He Father does.
Furthermore, the Scripture shows that wherever the Spirit is, the Father and the Son are there also.
Jesus said, "And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He abide in you forever" (John 14:16).
The Father and the Son will abide (dwell) within us in the form of the Holy Spirit - the three are always working together. The relationship between the Son and the Spirit is exactly the same as the relationship between the Father and the Spirit.
Names or descriptive Titles given to the Holy Spirit
In the Bible you can find two groups of names or descriptive titles given to the Holy Spirit - one, names that relate Him to the Father and second, names that relate Him to the Son. The following are some examples:
1. Names that relate the Holy Spirit to the Father:
His is called the Spirit of God (Gen 1:2); the Spirit of the Lord (Luke 4:18); the Spirit of our God (1 Cor. 6:11); the Spirit of the Lord God (Isaiah 61:1); the Spirit of your Father (Matt. 10:20 - spoken by Jesus); the Spirit of the living God (2 Cor. 3:3); and the Spirit of Him (God the Father) (Romans 8:11).
2. Names that relate the Holy Spirit to the Son:
He is called the Spirit of Christ (Romans 8:9); the Spirit of Jesus Christ (Phil. 1:19); the Spirit of His Son (Gal. 4:6); and the Spirit of the Lord (Acts 5:9).
A question we need to ask is - Why the Spirit is called holy? Well, His objective is to produce holiness and He does that in nature and creation, as well as in human beings. But His ultimate work is to make us holy people, holy as the children of God. It is also probable that He is described as the Holy Spirit in order to differentiate Him from the other spirits - the evil spirits. That is why we are told to test the spirits and to prove them, and to know whether they are of God or not (1 John 4:1).
The Holy Spirit is subordinate to the Father and to the Son
Jesus said, "The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My authority, but the Father who dwells in Me does the works" (John 14:10).
In other words, the works that Jesus did were not His own. The Father gave Him the works; the Father told Him what to do.
Jesus said further, "However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come" (John 16:13).
In other words, the Holy Spirit does not speak from Himself, just like the Son, He is given what to speak. And, indeed, His work, we are told, is to glorify Christ (John 16:14). The Spirit does not glorify Himself; He glorify the Son.
I hope you see the subordination here. Here is the division of the work. The Son says that He has come to glorify the Father, and the Spirit's work is to glorify the Son. Each one reflects the glory of the other. This is the mystery of the amazing doctrine of the Trinity! It is also one of the most amazing and remarkable things about the Biblical doctrine of the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit seems to hide Himself and to conceal Himself. He is always, as it were, putting the focus on the Son. I believe the best test of all as to whether we have received the baptism of the Spirit is to ask ourselves - what do we think of, and what do we know about the Son? Is the Son real to us? That is the work of the Spirit. He is glorified indirectly; He is always pointing us to the Son.
The amazing wisdom of God
Let us put it more specifically, the division of work betwee the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit.
1. The Father - is all the fullness of the Godhead invisible.
Paul said, ".... who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see, to whom be honor and everlasting power, Amen" (1 Tim. 6:16).
2. The Son - is all the fullness of the Godhead manifested visibly.
Paul said, "For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him who is the head of all principality and power" (Col. 2:9).
3. The Holy Spirit - is all the fullness of the Godhead invisible, acting immediately and directly upon us.
So, thus we can say that the Spirit by His power makes manifest the Father in the image of the Son. God has become visible, and through the Spirit the Son is made real to me. So I go to the Father with confidence and with assurance. God the Son is the revealed God - God is known. God the Spirit is that divine Person who exercises His power immediately upon me. Or, you can think of the Spirit is God the giver of life, the Lord.
The astounding thing that you and I know is that "the Word (the eternal Son) became flesh and dwell among us" (John 1:14). We know that is true. We know that God did come, that the fullness of the Godhead was in Christ, that He died for our sins and blotted them out and bore their punishment and that in Him we are just before God and clothed with His righteousness.
What the Holy Spirit does
The Holy Spirit is often called the 'executor'. The Holy Spirit makes the peace of Jesus ours. What the Father wills and the Son makes possible, the Holy Spirit does. The following are some of the works of the Holy Spirit:
1. Creation
The creation of the world is a perfect example of this. The Father willed and ordered it - "Let there be light" (Gen. 1:3); the son was involved - "All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made" (John 1:3); but the Holy Spirit hatched it out - "The Spirit of God was hoving over the face of the water" (Gen. 1:2).
As we look at what God has made we see wonder, order and beauty, and those are the hall-marks of the creative Spirit. He is a Being of infinite variety, always creatively active, never simply doing the same things over and over again but making everything new.
We need the freshness of the Holy Spirit in the Church today. We need His creativity to do something new, rather than endlessly repeat what was done in our grandparents' day. it is a mark of the Holy Spirit when the Church is creatively involved in doing a new thing in a new way.
2. Israel
It was the Holy Spirit who brought Israel into being and maintained her existence against all odds. And He usually did it by taking ordinary men and women and making them extraordinary.
Solomon was known for his wisdom, but actually he was foolish. That was obvious from his behavior when he was left to his own devices. Only when the Spirit was upon him did he show that wisdom for which he was justly famous.
And the same could be said for so many great figures of the Old Testament: Abraham, the Judges, Elijah, Elisha, David, Moses, Amos, Jeremiah and so on. The one thing they had in common was that they were ordinary men filled with God's Spirit. "The Spirit of the Lord came upon him" was the sign in the Bible that extraordinary accomplishments were about to ensure.
3. The Bible
The Holy Spirit gave us the Bible - "Holy men of God spoke (or wrote) as they were move by the Holy Spirit" (1 Peter 1:21); "All Scripture is given by inspirition of God" (2 Tim. 3:16). Not one of its authors knew he was writing part of the Bible at that time, yet there is a consistent unity throughout which testifies to the presence of the Holy Spirit in the whole operation.
That is why those who read the Bible need the Holy Spirit's aid to interpret it. After all, He is the Author, and so is also the best interpreter.
4. Christ
Every part of Christ's ministry on earth was done in the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus became man as the Son of Mary through the Holy Spirit - "That which is conveived in her is of the Holy Spirit" (Matt. 1:20). Every stage in Christ's ministry was touched by the Holy Spirit's influence. At His baptism, the Holy Spirit descended visibly in the form of a dove. He began His first sermon shortly afterwards with these words: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, ..." (Luke 4:18). His miracles were the work of the Spirit - "But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, ..." (Matt. 12:28). And at every phase of His life, death and resurrection (Acts 13:30), the third Person of the Trinity was involved.
5. The Church
The Holy Spirit gave us the Church. After the resurrection, Christ's disciples, the embryonic Church and His sole representatives on earch, were a frightened, subdued group of men. It took the resurrection and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost to get them going and send them out. Subsequently, every aspect of the life of the Church has been marked by the work of the Spirit - its worship, ministry, evangelism and service.
Without Him a Church is merely a club. it can raise money, recruit members, erect building, and perform rituals. But without the Holy Spirit it will not be a Church (Please refer to my earlier postings - "Churches that are merely storehouses" and "The Holy Spirit and the Church").
Someone has said, "If God were to take the Holy Spirit out of our midst today, about 95% of what we are doing in our Local Churches would go on, and we would not know the difference". I fear that may well be true, and if it is, it is simply because human beings have been trying to do 'in the flesh' what can only properly be done 'in the Spirit'.
Pentecost came when our Lord had finished the work for His people and risen and He became the Head of the Church. The Church became His body and the Spirit was given to fill the body.
We need to understant that Church is the temple of the Holy Spirit and that each individual member of the Church is also the temple of the Holy Spirit:
Paul said, "Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone defiles the temple of God (the Church), God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are" (1 Cor. 3:16, 17, NKJV).
Paul was talking about the Church as the temple of the Holy Spirit.
Paul also said, "Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own" (1 Cor. 6:19).
In this case, Paul was talking about each individual member of the Church as the temple of the Holy Spirit!
Imagine the act of humiliation for the third Person of the Godhead to come and to dwell in you and me! But there is a price for us to pay - we can grieve the Holy Spirit (Eph. 4:30).
There is a very important verse in the Gospel according to John which will give some light to the above questions:
Jesus said, "But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me" (John 15:26, NKJV).
Here are some statements of truth:
1. The 'Helper' and the 'Spirit of truth' are two of the Names of the Holy Spirit. We shall talk more about this as we go on.
2. Notice that Jesus said that "the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father", and He did not say that "the Spirit of truth who proceeds from Himself".
3. Church history tells us that this verse caused a serious division between the Christian Churches - the West and the East. Western Christianity teaches that the Holy Spirit proceed from the Son as well as from the Father. But the Eastern(Greek and Russian Orthodox Churches) Christianity refuses to say "and from the Son". In other words, it says "from the Father".
I believe Western Christianity is somewhat influenced by the deity of the Son (Christ). They think that since the Bible mentions 'Spirit of Christ' twice in the New King James version (Romans 8:9 and 1 Peter 1:11) it must have come from both the Father and the Son. Notice that the very verse (John 15:26) Jesus said He is going to send the Spirit (though it proceeds from the Father). This shows that Jesus associates Himself with the Father, and He tells us that He Himself will operate through the Spirit, exactly as He Father does.
Furthermore, the Scripture shows that wherever the Spirit is, the Father and the Son are there also.
Jesus said, "And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He abide in you forever" (John 14:16).
The Father and the Son will abide (dwell) within us in the form of the Holy Spirit - the three are always working together. The relationship between the Son and the Spirit is exactly the same as the relationship between the Father and the Spirit.
Names or descriptive Titles given to the Holy Spirit
In the Bible you can find two groups of names or descriptive titles given to the Holy Spirit - one, names that relate Him to the Father and second, names that relate Him to the Son. The following are some examples:
1. Names that relate the Holy Spirit to the Father:
His is called the Spirit of God (Gen 1:2); the Spirit of the Lord (Luke 4:18); the Spirit of our God (1 Cor. 6:11); the Spirit of the Lord God (Isaiah 61:1); the Spirit of your Father (Matt. 10:20 - spoken by Jesus); the Spirit of the living God (2 Cor. 3:3); and the Spirit of Him (God the Father) (Romans 8:11).
2. Names that relate the Holy Spirit to the Son:
He is called the Spirit of Christ (Romans 8:9); the Spirit of Jesus Christ (Phil. 1:19); the Spirit of His Son (Gal. 4:6); and the Spirit of the Lord (Acts 5:9).
A question we need to ask is - Why the Spirit is called holy? Well, His objective is to produce holiness and He does that in nature and creation, as well as in human beings. But His ultimate work is to make us holy people, holy as the children of God. It is also probable that He is described as the Holy Spirit in order to differentiate Him from the other spirits - the evil spirits. That is why we are told to test the spirits and to prove them, and to know whether they are of God or not (1 John 4:1).
The Holy Spirit is subordinate to the Father and to the Son
Jesus said, "The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My authority, but the Father who dwells in Me does the works" (John 14:10).
In other words, the works that Jesus did were not His own. The Father gave Him the works; the Father told Him what to do.
Jesus said further, "However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come" (John 16:13).
In other words, the Holy Spirit does not speak from Himself, just like the Son, He is given what to speak. And, indeed, His work, we are told, is to glorify Christ (John 16:14). The Spirit does not glorify Himself; He glorify the Son.
I hope you see the subordination here. Here is the division of the work. The Son says that He has come to glorify the Father, and the Spirit's work is to glorify the Son. Each one reflects the glory of the other. This is the mystery of the amazing doctrine of the Trinity! It is also one of the most amazing and remarkable things about the Biblical doctrine of the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit seems to hide Himself and to conceal Himself. He is always, as it were, putting the focus on the Son. I believe the best test of all as to whether we have received the baptism of the Spirit is to ask ourselves - what do we think of, and what do we know about the Son? Is the Son real to us? That is the work of the Spirit. He is glorified indirectly; He is always pointing us to the Son.
The amazing wisdom of God
Let us put it more specifically, the division of work betwee the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit.
1. The Father - is all the fullness of the Godhead invisible.
Paul said, ".... who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see, to whom be honor and everlasting power, Amen" (1 Tim. 6:16).
2. The Son - is all the fullness of the Godhead manifested visibly.
Paul said, "For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him who is the head of all principality and power" (Col. 2:9).
3. The Holy Spirit - is all the fullness of the Godhead invisible, acting immediately and directly upon us.
So, thus we can say that the Spirit by His power makes manifest the Father in the image of the Son. God has become visible, and through the Spirit the Son is made real to me. So I go to the Father with confidence and with assurance. God the Son is the revealed God - God is known. God the Spirit is that divine Person who exercises His power immediately upon me. Or, you can think of the Spirit is God the giver of life, the Lord.
The astounding thing that you and I know is that "the Word (the eternal Son) became flesh and dwell among us" (John 1:14). We know that is true. We know that God did come, that the fullness of the Godhead was in Christ, that He died for our sins and blotted them out and bore their punishment and that in Him we are just before God and clothed with His righteousness.
What the Holy Spirit does
The Holy Spirit is often called the 'executor'. The Holy Spirit makes the peace of Jesus ours. What the Father wills and the Son makes possible, the Holy Spirit does. The following are some of the works of the Holy Spirit:
1. Creation
The creation of the world is a perfect example of this. The Father willed and ordered it - "Let there be light" (Gen. 1:3); the son was involved - "All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made" (John 1:3); but the Holy Spirit hatched it out - "The Spirit of God was hoving over the face of the water" (Gen. 1:2).
As we look at what God has made we see wonder, order and beauty, and those are the hall-marks of the creative Spirit. He is a Being of infinite variety, always creatively active, never simply doing the same things over and over again but making everything new.
We need the freshness of the Holy Spirit in the Church today. We need His creativity to do something new, rather than endlessly repeat what was done in our grandparents' day. it is a mark of the Holy Spirit when the Church is creatively involved in doing a new thing in a new way.
2. Israel
It was the Holy Spirit who brought Israel into being and maintained her existence against all odds. And He usually did it by taking ordinary men and women and making them extraordinary.
Solomon was known for his wisdom, but actually he was foolish. That was obvious from his behavior when he was left to his own devices. Only when the Spirit was upon him did he show that wisdom for which he was justly famous.
And the same could be said for so many great figures of the Old Testament: Abraham, the Judges, Elijah, Elisha, David, Moses, Amos, Jeremiah and so on. The one thing they had in common was that they were ordinary men filled with God's Spirit. "The Spirit of the Lord came upon him" was the sign in the Bible that extraordinary accomplishments were about to ensure.
3. The Bible
The Holy Spirit gave us the Bible - "Holy men of God spoke (or wrote) as they were move by the Holy Spirit" (1 Peter 1:21); "All Scripture is given by inspirition of God" (2 Tim. 3:16). Not one of its authors knew he was writing part of the Bible at that time, yet there is a consistent unity throughout which testifies to the presence of the Holy Spirit in the whole operation.
That is why those who read the Bible need the Holy Spirit's aid to interpret it. After all, He is the Author, and so is also the best interpreter.
4. Christ
Every part of Christ's ministry on earth was done in the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus became man as the Son of Mary through the Holy Spirit - "That which is conveived in her is of the Holy Spirit" (Matt. 1:20). Every stage in Christ's ministry was touched by the Holy Spirit's influence. At His baptism, the Holy Spirit descended visibly in the form of a dove. He began His first sermon shortly afterwards with these words: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, ..." (Luke 4:18). His miracles were the work of the Spirit - "But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, ..." (Matt. 12:28). And at every phase of His life, death and resurrection (Acts 13:30), the third Person of the Trinity was involved.
5. The Church
The Holy Spirit gave us the Church. After the resurrection, Christ's disciples, the embryonic Church and His sole representatives on earch, were a frightened, subdued group of men. It took the resurrection and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost to get them going and send them out. Subsequently, every aspect of the life of the Church has been marked by the work of the Spirit - its worship, ministry, evangelism and service.
Without Him a Church is merely a club. it can raise money, recruit members, erect building, and perform rituals. But without the Holy Spirit it will not be a Church (Please refer to my earlier postings - "Churches that are merely storehouses" and "The Holy Spirit and the Church").
Someone has said, "If God were to take the Holy Spirit out of our midst today, about 95% of what we are doing in our Local Churches would go on, and we would not know the difference". I fear that may well be true, and if it is, it is simply because human beings have been trying to do 'in the flesh' what can only properly be done 'in the Spirit'.
Pentecost came when our Lord had finished the work for His people and risen and He became the Head of the Church. The Church became His body and the Spirit was given to fill the body.
We need to understant that Church is the temple of the Holy Spirit and that each individual member of the Church is also the temple of the Holy Spirit:
Paul said, "Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone defiles the temple of God (the Church), God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are" (1 Cor. 3:16, 17, NKJV).
Paul was talking about the Church as the temple of the Holy Spirit.
Paul also said, "Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own" (1 Cor. 6:19).
In this case, Paul was talking about each individual member of the Church as the temple of the Holy Spirit!
Imagine the act of humiliation for the third Person of the Godhead to come and to dwell in you and me! But there is a price for us to pay - we can grieve the Holy Spirit (Eph. 4:30).
Tuesday, March 03, 2009
The Mystery of Salvation
As we have discovered in my previous message - "The Mystery of God's Love", the Gospel is a mystery (Eph. 6:9) and the Christian faith is a mystery (1 Tim. 3:9), it is reasonable to say that Salvation is also a mystery.
In the Old Testament, in both Hebrew and Greek, the word 'salvation' means, "various forms of deliverance, both temporal and spiritual".
God delivered His people from their enemies and the snares of the wicked:
David, the psalmist said, "And the Lord shall help them and deliver them; He shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in Him"
The psalmist said, "Deliver me from the workers of iniquity, and save me from bloodthirsty men" (Ps. 59:2).
David, the psalmist said, "Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God. The God of my salvation. ..." (Ps. 51:14).
In the New Testament, the doctrine of salvation reached its fulfillment in the death of Christ on our behalf. Salvation is regarded almost exclusively for the deliverance from the power and dominion of sin.
Christ is the Author of salvation:
"And she (Mary) will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins" (Matt. 1:21).
Peter said: "Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12).
The writer of Hebrews said: "But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone. For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings" (Heb. 2:9, 10).
Factors involved in Salvation
Let us examine seven factors involved in salvation:
1. Salvation is from sin
We have all got troubles - Loneliness, restlessness, fear (of the present world-wide economic crises, of joblessness, of poverty, of old age, of death, of sicknesses and diseases), and boredom. We all know that nothing but trouble abound. But what is the trouble? What is the cause of it all?
God's answer is sin. If you are coming to God to get all the other troubles sorted out, but do not bring Him this one (sin), you are unlikely to find a real solution.
Paul said, "For there is nof difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, ..."Romans 3:21, 23, NKJV).
God wants to deal with the root of all our troubles - sin. That is the deadly disease, of which all our other problems are merely the symptoms. Sin numbs our 'spiritual nerves' so that we do not feel acutely the evil of sin, nor the presence of God all round. We become spiritually insensitive.
It is not just a question of the wrong things we do. It goes much deeper. It is what we are, inherited from our parents and their parents before them; way down to Adam and Eve. Sin is a congenital disease. it is from that destiny which Jesus described as 'hell', that we need saving.
2. Salvation is after repentance
What is 'repentance'? Does it mean feeling sorry - desperately sorry, perhaps - for what we have done? No, that is remorse, but not repentance. Judas was remorseful after betraying Jesus but never repented (Matt. 27:3).
A well known evangelist gave an altar call at the end of a meeting said: "Don't come out to the front to receive Christ unless you're prepared to leave your sin on your seat!"
That is what repentace is all about - being willing to let our sins go. It shows we really want to be saved. What is quite impossible is to have our sins and have salvation at the same time. The two are mutually exclusive!
3. Salvation is by grace
The three most important and humble things for everyone to understand are - Firstly, that I could do nothing to save myself. Secondly, that God did not require me to do anything. Thirdly, that Christ had done it all!
I believe that word 'grace' means two simple things: Bad deed are no hindrance, and good deed are no help when you come to God for salvation. It does not matter what dreadfrul things you may have done in the past. They cannot put you beyond redemption. And it does not matter what good deeds you may have done in the past either. They cannot save you. Indeed, they may be a hindrance, if you come to God not empty-handed but with one hand full of your own goodness. It takes both hands empty to receive grace.
4. Salvation is through faith
Paul said, "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast" (Eph. 2:8, 9).
What is faith? The first thing to establish is that it is not a matter of feeling. Faith is not feeling, although wonderful feelings may follow faith in Chrsit.
Someone said correctly: "I do not feel that my sins are forgiven, but I know they are because God has said so in His Word".
The writer of Hebrews said, "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" (Heb. 11:1).
In other words, faith is to take the truth of God's Word and apply them personally, without doubting. It is putting my life into the hands of Jesus and giving Him full responsibility in my life's journey. It is, in a sense, an act of trust in which the believer take his life and puts it into the hands of Christ and trusting Him completely.
5. Salvation is with assurance
It is God's will that you should know you are His. When people ask, "Are you saved?" He does not expect His children to answer, "I hope so" or "I think so". He wants us to be sure of it, not with arrogance but with faith; not sure of ourselves, but sure of Him and His promises.
Paul said, "The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs - heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together" (Romans 8:16, 17).
Because we are God's children we can call Him 'Father'. it is the birthright of children, and He intends it for us. However, this does not mean that - once saved is always saved.
6. Salvation is to holiness
Salvation is not only 'from' sin, but 'to' holiness. In other words, it is not simply a negative exercise. The Bible talks about being "saved to the uttermost". We are saved for a purpose, a destiny and that destiny is holiness - the holiness of God.
The writer of Hebrews said, "Therefore He (Jesus) is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them" (Heb. 7:25, emphasis added).
Holiness is a moment by moment relationship with God and not a static thing. A believer who is filled with the Holy Spirit will understand that holiness is no longer seems unattainable but a present reality. The presence of God becomes so real and intense in his normal, day-by-day experience.
7. Salvation is for eternity
When God saves you He saves for eternity: totally, and permanently. God has never done anything by halves. Salvation is for ever, or it is not salvation at all.
Jesus said, "Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect" (Matt. 5:48).
Notice that (as we shall discuss below) salvation is a process, not a crisis. No one is perfect the moment he receives salvation. Salvation is continuous, and the process is not yet complete in any of us. Salvation is also personal because it is a Person - it enters in a Person, and without Him it is nothing. Salvation, in one word, is Jesus!
The Process of Salvation
Two important facts concerning salvation are:
1. Basically, salvation means the translation of a person from the kingdom of Satan to the Kingdom of God:
Paul said, "He (God) has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love" (Col. 1:13).
2. The Bible says: 'Being saved' meant 'being salvaged from sins' rather than 'being saved from hell'. Notice that the latter was the result of the former. Jesus was not given His Name (the Messiah) because He would save His people from hell, but because He would save them from their sin.
An angel appeared to Joseph and said: "And she (Mary) will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins" (Matt. 1:13).
Many people want to be saved from hell; few want to be saved from their sins. Most want to enjoy the pleasure of sin and escape the penalty of eternal condemnation. Christianity is offered to those who want to escape from thier sins. The Gospel offers men the freedom to live right and truely want to be 'saved' unto righteousness.
Salvation is a continuous on-going process
Paul said, "But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth, ..." (2 Thess. 2:13, NKJV, emphasis added).
In other words, 'salvation' comes through the process of sanctification by the Holy Spirit and the knowledge and belief in the truth of God's Word!
"Salvation', like 'sanctification' is a continuous process. It is a concept (of continuity) in the New Testament, no so much a point beyond which one is 'saved' as a process through which one is being 'salvaged'.
Aspects of the the continuous process of salvation
There are three aspects of the continuous process of salvation:
1. The past - Jesus died for us and thus accomplished our salvation. We are saved through the sacrificial death of Jesus. All we need to do is to confess and believe the Lord Jesus:
Paul said, "If you with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the death, you will be saved" (Romans 10:9).
2. The present - A 'saved' person is also in the process of being saved and delivered from the power of sin:
Paul said, "Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling" (Phil. 2:12).
This aspect of salvation is taught in details in Romans 6.
3. The future - The ultimate impact of the salvation that Jesus had won for us will be known only in His Second Coming. Our experience of salvation will be complete, the last taint of sin will be removed, and we will be perfected at last - as the Bride of Christ (Eph. 5:25 - 27), without spot, wrinkle or blemish.
The writer of Hebrews said, "... so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation" (Heb. 9:28, NKJV, emphasis added).
In the Old Testament, in both Hebrew and Greek, the word 'salvation' means, "various forms of deliverance, both temporal and spiritual".
God delivered His people from their enemies and the snares of the wicked:
David, the psalmist said, "And the Lord shall help them and deliver them; He shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in Him"
The psalmist said, "Deliver me from the workers of iniquity, and save me from bloodthirsty men" (Ps. 59:2).
David, the psalmist said, "Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God. The God of my salvation. ..." (Ps. 51:14).
In the New Testament, the doctrine of salvation reached its fulfillment in the death of Christ on our behalf. Salvation is regarded almost exclusively for the deliverance from the power and dominion of sin.
Christ is the Author of salvation:
"And she (Mary) will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins" (Matt. 1:21).
Peter said: "Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12).
The writer of Hebrews said: "But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone. For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings" (Heb. 2:9, 10).
Factors involved in Salvation
Let us examine seven factors involved in salvation:
1. Salvation is from sin
We have all got troubles - Loneliness, restlessness, fear (of the present world-wide economic crises, of joblessness, of poverty, of old age, of death, of sicknesses and diseases), and boredom. We all know that nothing but trouble abound. But what is the trouble? What is the cause of it all?
God's answer is sin. If you are coming to God to get all the other troubles sorted out, but do not bring Him this one (sin), you are unlikely to find a real solution.
Paul said, "For there is nof difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, ..."Romans 3:21, 23, NKJV).
God wants to deal with the root of all our troubles - sin. That is the deadly disease, of which all our other problems are merely the symptoms. Sin numbs our 'spiritual nerves' so that we do not feel acutely the evil of sin, nor the presence of God all round. We become spiritually insensitive.
It is not just a question of the wrong things we do. It goes much deeper. It is what we are, inherited from our parents and their parents before them; way down to Adam and Eve. Sin is a congenital disease. it is from that destiny which Jesus described as 'hell', that we need saving.
2. Salvation is after repentance
What is 'repentance'? Does it mean feeling sorry - desperately sorry, perhaps - for what we have done? No, that is remorse, but not repentance. Judas was remorseful after betraying Jesus but never repented (Matt. 27:3).
A well known evangelist gave an altar call at the end of a meeting said: "Don't come out to the front to receive Christ unless you're prepared to leave your sin on your seat!"
That is what repentace is all about - being willing to let our sins go. It shows we really want to be saved. What is quite impossible is to have our sins and have salvation at the same time. The two are mutually exclusive!
3. Salvation is by grace
The three most important and humble things for everyone to understand are - Firstly, that I could do nothing to save myself. Secondly, that God did not require me to do anything. Thirdly, that Christ had done it all!
I believe that word 'grace' means two simple things: Bad deed are no hindrance, and good deed are no help when you come to God for salvation. It does not matter what dreadfrul things you may have done in the past. They cannot put you beyond redemption. And it does not matter what good deeds you may have done in the past either. They cannot save you. Indeed, they may be a hindrance, if you come to God not empty-handed but with one hand full of your own goodness. It takes both hands empty to receive grace.
4. Salvation is through faith
Paul said, "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast" (Eph. 2:8, 9).
What is faith? The first thing to establish is that it is not a matter of feeling. Faith is not feeling, although wonderful feelings may follow faith in Chrsit.
Someone said correctly: "I do not feel that my sins are forgiven, but I know they are because God has said so in His Word".
The writer of Hebrews said, "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" (Heb. 11:1).
In other words, faith is to take the truth of God's Word and apply them personally, without doubting. It is putting my life into the hands of Jesus and giving Him full responsibility in my life's journey. It is, in a sense, an act of trust in which the believer take his life and puts it into the hands of Christ and trusting Him completely.
5. Salvation is with assurance
It is God's will that you should know you are His. When people ask, "Are you saved?" He does not expect His children to answer, "I hope so" or "I think so". He wants us to be sure of it, not with arrogance but with faith; not sure of ourselves, but sure of Him and His promises.
Paul said, "The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs - heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together" (Romans 8:16, 17).
Because we are God's children we can call Him 'Father'. it is the birthright of children, and He intends it for us. However, this does not mean that - once saved is always saved.
6. Salvation is to holiness
Salvation is not only 'from' sin, but 'to' holiness. In other words, it is not simply a negative exercise. The Bible talks about being "saved to the uttermost". We are saved for a purpose, a destiny and that destiny is holiness - the holiness of God.
The writer of Hebrews said, "Therefore He (Jesus) is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them" (Heb. 7:25, emphasis added).
Holiness is a moment by moment relationship with God and not a static thing. A believer who is filled with the Holy Spirit will understand that holiness is no longer seems unattainable but a present reality. The presence of God becomes so real and intense in his normal, day-by-day experience.
7. Salvation is for eternity
When God saves you He saves for eternity: totally, and permanently. God has never done anything by halves. Salvation is for ever, or it is not salvation at all.
Jesus said, "Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect" (Matt. 5:48).
Notice that (as we shall discuss below) salvation is a process, not a crisis. No one is perfect the moment he receives salvation. Salvation is continuous, and the process is not yet complete in any of us. Salvation is also personal because it is a Person - it enters in a Person, and without Him it is nothing. Salvation, in one word, is Jesus!
The Process of Salvation
Two important facts concerning salvation are:
1. Basically, salvation means the translation of a person from the kingdom of Satan to the Kingdom of God:
Paul said, "He (God) has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love" (Col. 1:13).
2. The Bible says: 'Being saved' meant 'being salvaged from sins' rather than 'being saved from hell'. Notice that the latter was the result of the former. Jesus was not given His Name (the Messiah) because He would save His people from hell, but because He would save them from their sin.
An angel appeared to Joseph and said: "And she (Mary) will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins" (Matt. 1:13).
Many people want to be saved from hell; few want to be saved from their sins. Most want to enjoy the pleasure of sin and escape the penalty of eternal condemnation. Christianity is offered to those who want to escape from thier sins. The Gospel offers men the freedom to live right and truely want to be 'saved' unto righteousness.
Salvation is a continuous on-going process
Paul said, "But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth, ..." (2 Thess. 2:13, NKJV, emphasis added).
In other words, 'salvation' comes through the process of sanctification by the Holy Spirit and the knowledge and belief in the truth of God's Word!
"Salvation', like 'sanctification' is a continuous process. It is a concept (of continuity) in the New Testament, no so much a point beyond which one is 'saved' as a process through which one is being 'salvaged'.
Aspects of the the continuous process of salvation
There are three aspects of the continuous process of salvation:
1. The past - Jesus died for us and thus accomplished our salvation. We are saved through the sacrificial death of Jesus. All we need to do is to confess and believe the Lord Jesus:
Paul said, "If you with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the death, you will be saved" (Romans 10:9).
2. The present - A 'saved' person is also in the process of being saved and delivered from the power of sin:
Paul said, "Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling" (Phil. 2:12).
This aspect of salvation is taught in details in Romans 6.
3. The future - The ultimate impact of the salvation that Jesus had won for us will be known only in His Second Coming. Our experience of salvation will be complete, the last taint of sin will be removed, and we will be perfected at last - as the Bride of Christ (Eph. 5:25 - 27), without spot, wrinkle or blemish.
The writer of Hebrews said, "... so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation" (Heb. 9:28, NKJV, emphasis added).
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