Reading
DISCLAIMER: The following has been auto-transcribed. We hope it will help you to find the section of this audio file you are looking for.
Boldness.
The fullness survives. To answer all needs number 2678.
Ceremony.
And silence are here.
No, no speaker.
While she's all sitting in.
And when we are?
Graduating.
And wake up screaming.
Who will try to stay through?
Will we not?
Get inside.
Almighty.
And no one comes from.
The same.
Now.
Should we read a couple of verses together in Second Timothy chapter 3?
Second Timothy, chapter 3.
Verse 13.
But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse.
Deceiving and being deceived, but continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and has been assured of knowing of whom thou hast learned them, and that from a child. Thou hast known the Holy Scriptures which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for recruit, for correction, for instruction and righteousness.
That the man of God may be perfect, truly perished, and to all good works.
We ask Lord blessing, our living God and our Father, we thank thee for our Lord Jesus Christ, We thank Thee that we can sing of his protection, of his desire to bless. And in a while we find ourselves in the enemies land, just about to depart.
From Egypt, as it were, and to.
Be caught up to see the blessed Savior face to face in all of my glory.
00:05:05
To be with the unlikely, morally and physically with the unlikely suitable. To be companions of thyself for all eternities.
We take the that we have this prospect right before our souls. May it be brighter even this weekend. We pray our God about use thy word now as we.
Have been gathered by thy Spirit under the precious name of our Lord Jesus Christ. We've learned the truth in some measure, and we desire to go on in these very last days, in the day of giving up, letting go of Paul's doctrine. We just asked you for thy mercies, our God, that thou give us a little portion of Christ for our souls, the portion that would just strengthen us, our God in the enemy's land. Give us courage and strength.
And so we cried to be for a blessing, and we commend ourselves to thee for this Bible reading in the precious name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.
Wonder, brethren, if I'd like to suggest a passage.
In Romans chapter 12, particularly what I had on my heart, but maybe we could just read from verse 33 of Chapter 11.
I was thinking of that practice.
Read all of chapter 12. Yeah, I think that would be helpful first reading.
Romans, Chapter 11.
Verse 33.
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? For who hath known the mind of the Lord, or who hath been his counselor?
Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again. For of him and through him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen. I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your body as a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service, and be not conformed to this world.
But be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. For I say through the grace given unto me to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly according to God, that given to every man a measure of faith. For we have many members in one body, and all members have not same office.
So we, being many, are one body in Christ.
And everyone members one of another, having been gifts different according to the grace of this miraculous weather. Prophecy. Let us prophecy according to the proportion of faith or ministry. Let us wait on our ministry. Or he that teacheth on teaching, or he that exhort it on exhortation. He that giveth, let him do it with simplicity, he that rule it with diligence.
Ye that show with mercy with your ***.
Let love be without dissimulation for that which is evil cleave to that which is good be kindly affection 1 to another with brotherly love in honor, preferring one another, not slothful in business, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord, rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing instant in prayer, distributing to the necessity of Saints.
00:10:03
Given to hospitality. Bless them which persecute you. Bless and curse not. Rejoice with them that do. Rejoice, and weep with them that we be of the same mind one toward another. Might not hide things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits. Recompense to no man, evil or evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men.
If it be possible, as much as life in you, live peaceably with all men, dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place on the rock. Or it is written, Vengeance is mine, I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore, if by enemy hunger feed him.
If you thirst, give him drink, or in so doing thou shalt keep coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.
You know that in Pauls epistles, particularly in other epistles as well, when the apostle wrote, he gives the doctrine the Christian teaching. That's all that doctrine means is Christian teaching. It's teaching.
And he gives that doctrine in the first part of the Epistle.
And then in the last part of the epistle he gives the practical expression of it how we should.
Walk based on the doctrine that he's given at the beginning of the epistle. So in the Epistle to the Ephesians he gives the 1St 3 chapters are doctrinal and then the last three chapters have to do with the practical putting into practice that doctrine. Now in Romans I believe here part way through Chapter 11.
Really is. He's given the doctrine of Christianity. He's given the fundamental basics, the principles of Christianity.
Enrollments. And so you have very nicely ordered in the Word of God, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, present the Lord Jesus in the Gospels and then different aspects of his deity and his service and so on. And then you have the book of the Acts, a little historical outline of how the church was formed and its basic history during the beginning. But it's a little more than that, but we could say it's a little bit of a history.
And he outlines the church and its function at the beginning of the church period and what we should be doing even now.
And then in Romans he teaches the fundamental basics of Christianity. So if you haven't read Romans and you haven't read some ministry in connection with the epistles of the Romans.
It's time that you did it's there are some very good books on ministry on the official of the Romans. So he gets to the end of the doctrine in verse 33 and he says it's marvelous.
That's a marvelous thing. What more could have been done?
That God could do to bless mankind and on the principle of grace to bring him into such rich relationship with God. It's not possible that God could even add to what he's done.
He's done everything. He's given us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, and He's given us every blessing that is possible to give command. And in Romans it's all delineated. It's all taught in detail. So now in verse 33 down to verse 3060, verse South and praise and Thanksgiving. And that's what it'll do for your heart, for mine, if we read these things and we live in the heavenly aspect of things. And so then he begins to teach.
How to implement?
These things that he's taught.
In chapter 12.
Very important to see that.
This dispensation of 9:10 and 11:00 is the dispensation, the last fact of the official.
And what the apostle is?
Is what we might call the reconciliation between the promises that God made to the nation of Israel.
And Christianity.
There's two distinct aspects there, and.
00:15:03
As has been mentioned, the whole idea of the so so-called covenant theology.
Brings the blessings of Israel into the Church. Period. That that is confusion. The apostle reconciles here the thought that God has not set aside any promises which He made for the nation of Israel. They will all be fulfilled in new time.
For the glory of Christ, the nation will be restored.
And the glory, earthly glory will be there and the Lord will reign as King of kings and Lord of Lords. Really nice to the 12Th. The 11Th is showing God's purposes will have their fulfillment in relation to these earthly people. But to disregard that and bring.
To disregard that.
Future blessing of the nation of Israel just throws everything into confusions.
Right.
It's sometimes been said that what we have in Romans are three things. The 1St 8 chapters are doctrinal, the next three chapters, 9 through 11 are dispensational, and then the last chapters are devotional. I think that's a helpful summary.
The first eight chapters lay out the foundation of salvation. However, we save Mr. Darby actually wrote up. It wasn't a pamphlet, I guess, but it was a lecture he gave and and and that he speaks of the two parts of salvation.
The deliverance both from the penalty of sin and also from the power of sin. And in Romans it's all individual with just a few exception of verses. It's how the individual is delivered from the penalty and the power of sin and he enters into blessing. But we might wonder, as John was saying, why then did dispensational truth come in? In chapters 910 and 11, Chapter 9 speaks of the fact that God and his purpose is chose Israel.
Chapter 10 speaks of the fact that they lost their position because of their unfaithfulness and then Chapter 11 really brings out the truth of God's irresistible purposes. In other words, you can't fight against God and so it's a wonderful truth that the purpose is I have a a note here. It's interesting in verse 29 of Chapter 11 for the gifts and calling of God are without repentance or better translation is.
Irrevocable. When God makes a promise, He never breaks it. And why is that so important?
It's important because Paul was writing to the Romans, which was the center of the Gentile world at this time, and he was telling them how the Gentiles as well as the Jews can be saved now in the common salvation. But the question might come in the in the in the Gentiles mind, if that's true, what about what happened to Israel? Can we really trust this God that he's going to be good to his word? Was he really good to Israel?
What about all the promises made to Israel? Can we really trust what this God says? And so after the great facts of salvation, then in the first eight chapters, he says, now listen, Israel set aside for a time, but they're going to be restored to all the blessings that God has promised them. So you can trust this God. All the things he says about shut salvation are absolutely true. And it doesn't eliminate anything that he said in the Old Testament to the Jews. They're only set aside for a time. So that's how these things complement one another. It's a great help, I think, to see that.
It says in verse 32, Chapter 11 That He has concluded all in unbelief that He might have mercy on all. And so in His great ways with Israel, they're not going to come in and possess and enjoy those promises except on the basis of mercy. And so God has ordered all that He's done in that way, and we come in on the ground of mercy.
They're going to come in on the ground of mercy. And then he starts out Chapters 12. He says, now I beseech you by those mercies.
By everything that's been done for you and all that I've done for you, I beseech you on that ground. And it reminds me of Second Corinthians and chapter 5.
00:20:09
Verse 14. For the love of Christ constraineth us, because we thus judge that if one died for all, then we're all dead, and that he died for all. That they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.
And so we get the great motive spring for Christian service and walk is.
The love of God, the love of our Lord Jesus Christ, the mercies of God that have been shown to us, showered upon us, that constrains us then in service for Him. So he beseeches us on the ground of those mercies that have been laid out previously in the book of Romans.
There's a beautiful illustration of Israel's picture in the Old Testament book of Ruth, isn't there? Now the rabbis have a problem with Ruth. How is it that a Gentile can not only come into blessing, but come into the line first of all of the royal line of Israel, David, and then next into the royal line of the Lord Jesus Christ? How is that? And the rabbis apparently have a terrible time with that. It doesn't make any sense. But in fact.
It's a beautiful picture of just what we've been speaking about, isn't it? Because Israel lost all rights to blessing based on the promises that God made to them, based on man's responsibility. And now they're going to come in, as you were saying, Brother Steve, they're going to come in strictly on the ground of pure grace, just like a Gentile with they called the Gentiles dogs, but they're going to come in on the same basis. So Ruth was a Gentile, and that's exactly.
The ground on which Israel is going to come into blessing in the future day.
It's important to notice too, that the Apostle Paul in Chapter 11 taught that not all Jews were going to go on in unbelief and blindness. He says in verse 25, I would not, brethren, that he should be ignorant of this mystery, lest he should be wise in your own conceits. He's speaking to the Gentiles. That blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in.
And so all Israel shall be saved. So the whole nation is going to come in there into blessing in the future. But in the present day and in the book of the Acts, you see some Jews getting saved. And so the governmental blindness that passed upon the whole nation, yet God in His grace and His mercy is saving some Jews, and so He will have his house full.
The fullness of the Gentiles.
Is when the Lord comes right, brother? And that's the argument the apostle has in this 11Th chapter, that the Gentiles have been brought into a place of privilege with the responsibility. But they have. They have.
Signally failed and although they've been grafted into the tree of outward privilege.
And the gospel.
Principally, you might say, has gone out among the Gentiles in the centuries.
But they have not continued in God's goodness and.
We know in Christendom today there's largely a rejection of the.
The truth of God is becoming more manifest and God will set aside the Gentiles and he'll take up a game in the prophetic picture. We're not in the prophecy now being fulfilled when the fullness of the Gentiles takes place.
Which is the coming of the Lord, and the last of the Gentiles will be gathered into the Church of God. Then the Lord will the prophetic clock will begin to tick again, and God's purposes relation to the earthly people will be fulfilled.
Those that are a little bit younger.
Brother John mentioned about the covenant theology that's a mix up of connecting up Israel blessing with the Christian blessing and often a way that when you run into other Christians, whether it's at work or school or whatever, a good clue to the fact that a person holds that thinking is when they start talking about working for the Kingdom. That's a very common expression that Christians use that they're working to bring about the Kingdom, but.
00:25:19
We're not looking for the Kingdom, we're looking to go home and be with the Lord, our bridegroom. And the Lord is one of quite effectively set up his Kingdom all on his own. He doesn't need us working towards that. I know that they feel that that's an expression of maybe doing work for the Lord or something like that. But it's often they say that because they've got Israel's blessing and our blessing all mixed up. There's something to to listen to because it's an expression that you will hear very frequently and and it's a little warning that.
The people probably talking about it.
Thank you.
Yes, God will have an earthly people, won't he? And so Israel's blessings were all earthly and.
Their hope temporal, and they were material. They had a physical land, physical property. But you and I have a heavenly blessing. Our portion is heavenly, and everything that we have is in heaven, centered with in Christ. And then it's spiritual and it's eternal. You and I are going to have Christ. We're going to have a portion that's eternal. And so there's a distinction, and God makes a distinction in His word, and it's necessary for us to learn and to appreciate those distinctions.
Paul and brother John was speaking. He brings this out in connection with the distinction and the Jew and the Gentile. The reason you and I have been brought into blessing partly is that the Jew refused the blessing. He said I don't want it. I don't want Christ.
The Lord sent Stephen as this last messenger. They stoned Stephen. They said we told you we don't want it. And so immediately the gospel went out for the Gentiles. Chapter 8, the Ethiopian eunuch is saved. And then Chapter 9, we know that that Saul was saved, he became the Apostle Paul, but he was at the tribe of Shem and then delineated the Shem. So Hand Ethiopian unit was from the lineage of Hand.
Paul was from the lineage of Shin and then Cornelius was from the lineage, the Gentile lineage of Japheth so that the gospel is going to go to out to all God gates. But he says in verse 22 of Chapter 11, I know we're going back again a little bit, but it's important when we read this, he's not speaking to Jews in chapter 12. He's speaking to those that are part of the Church of God.
And so he says in verse 22 of Chapter 11, Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God on them which fell severity but toward thee goodness, that's the Gentile, that's the gospel goes forth to him goodness if thou continuing his goodness, otherwise thou also shall be cut off.
So there is a time of judgment coming and judgment let's begin at the House of God. So at the time that the Lord Jesus comes at the rapture, the false church will be left behind. Those that profess Christ professed Christianity but do not know him in reality, they'll be left behind for judgment in the Lord in the language of Scripture, he'll spew the spew them out of his mouth. He'll say depart from me for I never knew you. And so there's.
Responsibility on the part of man and so.
What Romans brings before us, particularly here in this passage, is our responsibility and view of the reality that we're part of the Church of God and that we have this Christian doctrine that has been given to us and that we understand that salvation. He does bring in the sovereignty of God in the epistle to the Romans, but he also brings in the responsibility of man. Both go side by side, but now in our practical.
Walk. We're responsible. We're responsible rather.
Are we being conformed to this world or are we being transformed in our minds? God is working to that end, that we would be transformed into the image of the sun, not a rubber stamp look alike to what the world has morally or physically.
Or spiritual.
There's a dangerous doctor named Christendom, I'm afraid, and it gets come in among brethren of our our circle as well. Rather than that is that that grace covers everything that once you're saved, it doesn't make too much difference how you live as long as long as you still love the Lord and talk about the Lord every now and then. But that's that's a criminal doctrine, isn't it, because in scripture from Genesis through Revelation.
00:30:27
We have the absolute fact that when a man is brought into blessing.
That there's a requirement that we walk as those that belong to Christ. We have that from Genesis through Revelation. And yet I mentioned that's come in not only to Christendom, but it's come in, in, in among those gathered as well. And we have to be aware of that. So he gives the reflex of the truth of the gospel and of this dispensationalism. We have a moral consequences of the gospel.
And that's what we have in chapter 12, that I beseech you therefore, brethren, the strong language he uses, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice.
Holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable Lord, Intelligent service. It's like the meal offering in the Old Testament, isn't it? Remember, all the other offerings in the Old Testament, with one exception of the sin offering, had to do with flesh.
There had to be bloodletting, but the so-called meat offering or the meal offering, or sometimes translated to grain offering, there was no blood at all. That's a picture of the Lord Jesus is perfect life, but it's also a picture of the life that we're called to live, isn't it? So it's one of the five major sacrifices we have there in Leviticus and throughout the Old Testament, once the Levitical order was set up, and there's that absolute requirement.
That once we're saved, that we act in a way that's becoming the position we've been brought into.
It's a living sacrifice, not a dead sacrifice. All the other sacrifices in the Old Testament were dead, except the grain offering. Again, was a living sacrifice, an ongoing thing. And so we're called to be holy because he is holy.
We don't want to look upon the body as being sinful per se.
Called a body of humiliation.
But it's not sinful in itself.
But man can use his body in a simple way. He can use it allow it to be a vehicle.
To express that evil nature that he has, that's how we express ourselves, is through the body. But the apostle is exhorting us here. If the body was sinful, he wouldn't, He wouldn't tell us to present it to your daughter. Let me sacrifice.
So the important thing is we realize our brother now we have a responsibility not to use our bodies the way we did before we were saved in all indulgences of, of sinful actions and thoughts and words and so on. We finished with that. That's the argument of the apostle enrollment. How can we go on the way we did before?
Now we can use our bodies.
A living sacrifice.
For the Lord's glory, for the furtherance of His interest here below, and to express.
That new nature that we that we have.
The Apostle Peter makes a similar call, doesn't he, to Holiness? I think you were quoting that brother Eric in first Peter chapter one.
And.
Verse 14. As obedient children, not fashioning themselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance, but as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation, or all manner of life, because it is written, Be holy, for I am holy.
And so we're called to practically live in a holy path, a holy course. You know, I think it's brother Harry Hale used to say that holiness is to a hatred of sin and a delight in that which is good. So a hatred of sin and a delight in that which is good. And so you have a holy nature if you being born again.
00:35:23
And not only born again, but you have received the Lord Jesus as your Savior. You've laid hold of Christ for salvation. You have new life. You're indwelled with the Spirit of God, sealed with the Spirit.
You are, you have a holy nature, you have a nature that can't sin, won't sin, will never sin, doesn't want to sin. You have a new life and it's the very life of Christ. And he says here now live practically in that way. And so he beseeches that strange language to beg, that beg. God is begging the Christian, He's not commanding it.
In the Old Testament they say thou shalt do this, but in the New Testament he says, I beseech.
Let let us love one another, and so on. It's really the language of a voluntary offering. And so he begs the brethren.
By the mercies of God and he says make a transaction with the Lord, present your bodies, the living sacrifice, make a transaction. And I often enjoyed in that connection Acts chapter 15 verse 25, just as an illustration. You say, well that sounds very theoretical, but even the apostle Paul made that transaction with the Lord. Barnabas did and others. Acts chapter 15.
And.
Just the verse 25, it seemed good unto us, being assembled with one accord, to send chosen men unto you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, men that have hazarded their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. We have sent therefore Judas and Silas, who shall also tell you the same things by mouth. And so here were Barnabas and Paul, and I take it Judas and Silas of a similar character, and this word hazarded.
We say they risk their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, but if you look in the new translation it says men that have given up their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
They gave up their lives for the name, not only the person of Christ, but for the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. They knew that if they went out into the Gentile world and preached Christ, or they went into the Jewish world and preached Christ could well cost their lives. And it did cost Paul flight. He laid down his life as a result of what he preached and what he wrote. But you and I can make that offer.
You know, there's a brother that gave me a pocket watch. I have a, he got that pocket watch from a railroad background years ago. And he offered me this watch and he said I've enjoyed this watch many years. And would you accept this as a present for me to, you know, I grew up on the railway 1St 10 years of my life. And so he said I'd like to give this to you. So he took this watch and he just dropped it into my hand very heavy.
Nice piece of clockwork.
I have it in my drawer at home.
But, you know, it's like that before we get saved, we use our lives the way we want to use them, and we make all the decisions for ourselves. We don't consult anyone. But the apostle Paul, after he was saved, Saul, he said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And there came a time in his life where he knew that if he went out to the Gentile world, it was going to cost him his life. He said that's OK.
I'll do it. And it appears that Barnabas made the same decision. Men that have hazarded their lives or have given up their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. So we might just ask, have you made that transaction with the Lord? Have you offered up your life for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ?
Behavior.
How many times growing up after it's been raining out did our mom say to us, now you're in your good clothes to go to meeting or to go to school or whatever, Be very careful to go outside. You're going to get through. And really, when we come to know the borders, our savior, it's as if we're dressed all in white, no matter how young or old we are. And the world around us is a very muddy place.
00:40:20
So we ought to be very, very careful if we remember that, no matter how young or how old we are.
Doesn't take very much to get a Swatch of money.
We behave very much differently if we're just in our old scrubby play clothes. We go and jump in the mud puddles and do all kinds of things, but that's not the way we are anymore.
There is a difference between owning Jesus's Savior and recognizing Him daily as Lord, isn't there? And that's really what we have here. The 1St 8 chapters again were brought into a whole new standing before God.
Not only regarding the penalty of our sins, but regarding deliverance from the very power of sin. And how's that accomplished? Well, it's identification with Christ in his death. And if any man be in Christ, he's a new creation. Old things have passed away. Behold, all things have become new. So that's the foundation. As a Christian, we're brought into that position. And that corresponds, as we read in the 6th chapter, to baptism.
Baptism is a picture of.
Passing from the former life we had into a new life identified with the Lord Jesus as the center. I've often said that the Christian motto is what we have in Galatians 220, not I, but Christ. Before I was saved, it was all about me. Now that I'm saved, it's not I but Christ. That's a great secret to our Christian life because we're identified with Christ in his death and now also in his resurrection.
But there is a difference between the our our recognizing Jesus as Savior, which we have in the 1St 8 chapters, and now what we have, recognizing him day by day as Lord. That's our intelligence service. That's the next step, what we often call consecration.
That's what we have here, isn't it? It's a call to consecration. So what Israel came out of the land of Egypt, that was a picture of salvation. First they were under the, under the Paschal Passover lamb, and then as they traveled a little further, they passed through the Red Sea. That's a picture of deliverance, first of all from the penalty of sin and the and the sacrifice of the land, and then from the power of sin being delivered from Egypt.
By the Red Sea, then they were introduced into the wilderness and we have that the early verses of chapter 5 and also in chapter 8. But then when they got to the other side of the wilderness, they came to the border of Canaan and the place that they kept there as an interesting name, it's Kadesh. What is Kadesh mean? We know that in fact they turned back. They weren't conformed and they had to wander for 38 years.
K Dash means consecration, and so the secret to entering into the land of Canaan, which are the proper blessings of for the Christian, is consecration. And what does that mean? That means owning Jesus as Lord day by day and moment by moment. That's the secret of walking the Christian life and of being transformed into a life where Christ is the center rather than self. And that's what we have here.
It's really consecration. I think it's so helpful to see that. I just had a comment, I read this somewhere and unfortunately I don't even remember where I got it, but one for one of the writers and I thought it was helpful enough. That kind of along the lines of what we've been speaking about. It says what a triumph answer to the cavalier who would say, shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound, Just what we've been speaking about. Once I'm saved, well, I don't have to worry about going to hell.
Because I've got a fire escape out of hell. Well, that's not the end of Christianity. That's only the beginning, isn't it? So here's the answer to people that talk that way. Grace not merely cuts up sin by the roots, but transforms the center from a curse into a blessing, from a moral plague into a channel of Divine Mercy, from an emissary of Satan into a messenger of God from a child of darkness.
00:45:01
Into a son of the light, from a self indulgent pleasure hunter, into a self denying lover of God from a slave of vile selfish lust, into a willing hearted servant of Christ, from a cold narrow hearted miser into a benevolent minister to the need of his fellow man. That's what consecration does, doesn't it? And so the flip side of often said, the flip side of privilege is responsibility.
They go together, their flip sides of the same coin, and that's what we have here. The our intelligence ServiceNow is to consecrate our lives to the Lord Jesus Christ so that we might enter into those real blessings that he has for us as Christianity, we're not only delivered from certain things, we're not only saved from certain things, we're saved for certain things. And unless we're consecrated, we'll never enter into that.
Might be helpful to know that there are three kinds of sacrifices that Christians can give that are noted in Scripture and this is one of them is to give our lives to the Lord. And then in Hebrews chapter 13 we have a couple of other.
Sacrifices that we can make.
Chapter 13, verse 15 by Him. Therefore, let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually. That is the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. So that's worship.
In the spirit in truth and in the spirit that is acceptable to God. And then what we have is the our physical goods, our material goods in verse 16 to do good and to communicate. Forget not with such sacrifices God as well, please. So the believer not only offers his life to Christ to use for himself and acknowledges the lordship of Christ, but he has the ability, he has the capacity to offer sacrifices of praise and Thanksgiving to God continually the fruit of his lips.
And it is acceptable to God because it's done in faith. And if it's acceptable to him, if it's done in a in a way that is according to his mind in Scripture, and then he also has the third thing he can offer his physical resources to the Lord.
And so the Lord can use his physical resources and that's why we don't take. And the apostle Paul didn't take money from unbelievers. He said he wanted to make the gospel of God without charge. And in different passages, scripture, even in John's ministry, he says that they went forth preaching the gospel, preaching under the Gentiles, taking nothing of them. I think that's is the second or third John, I think it may be.
3rd John.
But.
The fact is they didn't take anything. Yes, third John verse seven because that's for his namesake. They went forth taking nothing of the Gentiles. So there are those 3 sacrifices. What a privilege.
It says that the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me, you and I, that no Christ is Savior, know that He paid a significant price.
A price that will never be able to know or understand, but we can appreciate in some measure the price that He paid to have you in heaven, you as a companion with Him for all eternity. Now what are we going to give Him?
And it is an intelligent service. That is, in Christianity we have an intelligence with the Old Testament St. did not have.
They went through certain rituals and ceremonies without really knowing the reason for it. But in Christianity we have now, by the Spirit of God, intelligence as to the ways of God.
'S.
How? Why we should act as believers?
The whole.
The whole perspective is different now because we have a divine life and divine nature, and we possess the Holy Spirit of God, so we have intelligence as the ways of God, our position in Christ, the.
Motive for for change in our behavior.
00:50:02
Yes, that's good. John, maybe just to emphasize those three things again that.
Our our new that our new privileges that bring us into the responsibility of what we've been speaking about. We have a new life, as you mentioned.
We're partakers of the divine nature. We have eternal life that speaks of in Scripture. That's a higher order or life more abundant. That's a higher order than the Old Testament Saints had.
Because of the work of Christ, his death and resurrection and ascension. So we have that new nature, not exactly divine per se, but we're partakers of the divine nature, aren't we? And then, as you mentioned, we have a whole new standing before God that's again figured in baptism. We're seen as dead to what we were in the old Adam, and we're part of a new creation of which Christ is the head. So that's our standing as Christians now.
Dead and risen in Christ. And then thirdly we get in the 8th chapter think the Spirit of God is only mentioned once before that in the book of Romans. And the 8th chapter I don't remember it's I think it's 19 times.
Might double check that, but the Spirit of God is the power for our new standing and our new life. So God hasn't just said, well, you know, you've got a new life now you have to act this way. We have a new life.
We have an understanding. We have a new power to act. We're sons of God.
And heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ as we have in the 8th chapter. And so those are powerful incentives. And so when we speak about these things we have in chapter 12, it's not this thou shalt do or thou shalt not do, but it's the reflex of the new nature. And it's what the Spirit of God would lead us into, that we're indwelt by the Spirit of God. So that's a powerful thing. It's not a legal thing, is it? But rather.
It's the natural reflex of the of the new nature and the direction of the Spirit of God is what we have here. And I might mention in verse two, be not conformed to this world. I think we understand that, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Well, that word transformed. I just want to speak very briefly about that when I was studying biology and teaching biology over the years.
We spoke about metamorphosis in connection with insects, and if you take an insect, for instance a butterfly, it goes through complete metamorphosis. Some of the other insects go through incomplete metamorphosis, but some of the insects go through complete metamorphosis. And that's the word here or a closely related word. It comes from this Greek word transformation or metamorphosis. And we were taught, and I taught as I taught at college level.
That this metamorphosis is an absolute change. What connection is there between a little egg and the next stage in the butterfly, which is the larva? Well, they don't look at all alike, and in fact, biochemically they're entirely different. That's a complete change, not only in physical appearance, but biochemically as well. And then from the larva to the pupa stage, which is what we what you see in the little cocoon, it's a resting stage.
They go from that little worm like sort of creature to the pupa stage. You see that little cocoons, That's the resting stage. Again. It's a complete transformation, a metamorphosis. And then finally the butterfly goes from that dupa stage. It emerges from the cocoon and it becomes a a beautiful butterfly. That's metamorphosis and that's what we have here. I know there's at least three times in Scripture. I haven't researched how many more times there is, but.
At least three times in Scripture where that word is used, it's here, it's in Matthew 17 when the Lord Jesus was metamorphosized or transfigured on the mount of Transfiguration, He took on an entirely different aspect before the disciples. And then thirdly, and I just wanted to turn to it, over in Second Corinthians chapter 3, we have the same word again in the original in verse, Second Corinthians 3 and verse 18.
But we all with open face, beholding, leave out the next words, beholding the glory of the Lord, are changed or metamorphosed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. Well, when we walk in newness of life, we take on that new, the impulse of that new nature in the direction of the Spirit of God, and we're metamorphosized into a new.
00:55:21
A new person, if you will.
And that's that little snippet I read. And that's what the Lord desires from glory to glory, that is, from the glory of the old man to the glory of the Newman. That's a metamorphosis. And that's the same word, or similar word at least that we have here in verse 2.
Be transformed or metamorphosed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will have gone.
I'd like to make a mention on something. Our bodies are not perfect by any means, especially our brain.
As recently as a Sunday School prize that we got from BTP is a book by Bill Prost, Very very good book called Psychiatry and Depression.
My wife and I are in the process of reading it now and I just want to make a mention. Is that because our bodies.
Should be functioning right or brain is the one that dictates if I may say so, our actions. I just want to bring this out. A crisis comes into our life by different problems and understanding each other. This could be husband and wife, there could be parents and children. It causes difference of decisions we make. It can cause a depression and psychiatric abnormality.
And.
Bad decision making.
The mind is a powerful thing.
I know that we are to yield our body and mind to the Lord.
Let's face it, we're human.
We make decisions in our life that we may not agree with.
Either with their spouses or with their children, and sometimes this can be a great conflict.
And this can cause them, it can change to grow water if it comes into a depression. And brethren, this is not something new. This is something that is happening amongst.
Everyone, including myself.
So if you ever get a chance to get this book right, Bill Cross, psychiatric and depression.
It is part of our body and it's very important and if we yield ourselves to the Lord and get us out of these psychiatric and depression situations.
Whole idea of baptism that our brother Eric has referred to.
Several times.
Is a significant.
Ritual, you might say I'm thinking of.
The Titus, chapter 3.
Not by works of righteousness, which we have done, but according to His mercy.
Saved us by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost that she shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior. With baptism, we acknowledge a new position before God. It's quite a significant ordinance and of course it's important. I'm taking out of that old position entirely. I believe that regeneration here.
Is the outward change in the individual and often regeneration is referred to as something subjective internally. I don't think that's correct. Is that right, Eric? It's the outward change in the conduct in the whole manner of life.
I'd rather try to explanation was.
Gentleman John was going to be baptized. He had accepted Christ as his Savior. He went down to the Riverside.
And took off his shirt and was going to be baptized. He took his pipe, put it on the rock.
And he went down into the water and came up again.
01:00:00
Put his clothes back on and was walking away, someone said to him. John.
You left behind your pipe there on the rock.
Always said no, that's not my .0. Yes, it is. We saw you put it there. Always says that belonged to the old John that went down into the water. It doesn't belong to the new job. And so I thought it was a nice illustration of that day.
What is the renewing of the mind? We've talked about our new position, been brought into. It reminds me of having put off the old man and having put on the new, done once for all. Is this something that's in that sense too, it's done once for all? Or is this something that is a continual?
Ongoing process in our lives that renewing.
Of the mind, because that's how the transformation takes place. It says by the renewing of the mind. Wonder if someone could explain that a little.
Oh, it is once for all, isn't it? But then it's ongoing. Maybe that's a little bit of a fudge factor, but it's the truth, isn't it?
Because just like Israel had to eat of the manna every day, we need to.
Walk independence, don't we? The new life is a dependent life. It's dependent on the Spirit of God and it's dependent on the Lord Jesus Christ. We need His Word. That's how we're fed. Even though it is a one, once for all thing. There's a time in our life where we trust that we become consecrated.
And again, there's that difference between salvation and consecration. I think if we look at the Old Testament model, we might say that.
Baptism is the Red Sea, consecration is the Jordan River. It helps me to see that if we look at the Tabernacle.
Baptism is that the great praise and altar? But then there had to be that labor, and that labor is the continual washing, isn't it the priest?
That went into the Tabernacle themselves had to be cleaned, and then not only did they have to be cleaned, but they had to enter through the door into the Tabernacle. And I think that's the picture of ongoing consecration. But Steve, I'd like to hear your thoughts on it.
That's why I asked. I just wanted to get clear myself. I think Mr. Kelly puts it that way, if I remember right.
There is a context here as well and the in the context of the passage really bringing those responsibility and so I would suggest there would be an ongoing thing.
Particularly that he's referring to here. But we need to remember that the first thing is spoken of is not to be conformed to this world. So the world is trying to press us into a mold. And they have an idea of what a man should look like and what a woman should look like, mostly. And so they're trying to press you into their mold and they're trying to make you look like what they look like. And we need to recognize that there's a force and the enemy is using.
The public opinion and all kinds of different influences upon the believer to get us not to reflect the.
Nature and the life of Christ, but to hide that perhaps under a bushel or whatever it might be, but the Spirit of God gives us this instruction not to be conformed to how they look, how they think, how they dress.
And what the man of the world is trying to fashion for himself.
And we're not to have the same objectives. And so this word conformed reading means to be fashion alike, to be fashioned like something. And so we just need to be aware that the enemy is using different influences to try to press us into a mold that does not look like Christ. Well, what God is trying to do is to give us that work by the Spirit, that in the energy of the Spirit, and by the word of God.
To transform our mind and to prove by the word of God what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. And so in First Thessalonians, I think it's chapter 5, it says prove all things hold fast that which is good. And so we prove what is right. We prove what is good by reading the word of God. And I just quote.
01:05:01
Mr. Darby.
Writings said that it's not possible for a man to live in a right way in the present age without knowing Paul's doctrine. And so we find out what is acceptable to God as we read the epistles and we understand his mind.
In the middle of verse two, when it speaks of the renewing of your mind, our minds are what we think with.
And the world of Robert has been saying the world.
Has their way of thinking.
They, they think it's right. You know, different people have different opinions, but whatever whoever it is in the world.
They're thinking using their mind.
But in the verse that we that was referred to in Titus it speaks of.
The renewing of the Holy Ghost. So when we are in wealth, but the Holy Spirit that we have been believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, we can think the way God does, the way the Lord Jesus would think.
And I believe that that's if we allow the Spirit of God to.
To make it think.
Through and every little detail of our lives to make us think the way the world Jesus would think then we're not going to be conformed to thinking the way the world thinks and this you know we talked about everything can form to the world.
We tend to think of it as.
As Robert was saying, in the way in our appearance, perhaps our actions, but it's, it goes right into our minds, the way we think. You know, we think like the world as far as accumulating wealth and, and preparing for the future. And I'm not saying that that's a wrong thing to do, but the world has its way of thinking and our thinking should be different. It should be governed.
By the power of the Spirit of God, that sentence.
It's not a fair competition, is it? You remember what the world is. We have the establishment of the world in pain today. Don't wait. And what is it? Genesis 4, if I remember right. Remember, he went out of the presence of the Lord. He refused the sacrifice the Lord offered, and he named the city after his son. And he began to establish this world system we're speaking about. And we learn more about this world system that Satan is its God and its Prince.
So let's remember that that's this world we're speaking about. It's a world in which Satan is the God of the Prince. We have a number of Sunday school children that come in our little meeting in Spokane and, and some time ago I spoke to him about Satan. On the one hand, what he is the character of Satan, the character of our Lord Jesus Christ. It's not a fair competition at all. For some reason our minds get clouded to think it is. But what is Satan really?
And in the five or 10 minutes we had there after Sunday school, but we have I explained what Satan is. We turn to John 10. In a few chapters back, we noticed 3 characteristics of Satan.
First of all, he's a liar and the father of it. Well, that's he's the God and Prince of this world. Do we want to follow somebody who's a liar and the father of it? Second of all, he's a, he's a thief. Well, he robs us of what God wants for us. Do we want to follow somebody who's a thief who wants to rob us of all blessing? And thirdly, he's a murderer. He wants to murder us morally.
Eddie wants to murder us physically. That's the God and Prince of this world.
And some months later, I spoke to the children again after Sunday school, and I said, do you remember what Satan is? And they knew right away those three things. He's a liar, he's a thief, he's a murderer. That the world we want to be conformed to, that has Satan as it's God and it's Prince as it's God. He's the head of this world's religion and moral system and as its Princess, head of its political system.
That's this world. It's not a fair competition. What do we learn about the Lord Jesus Christ? Well, that's what we have the Scriptures for. He's light and He's love, and He has an eternal purpose of blessing for us that begins when we're saved and it goes on throughout all eternity. It's not a fair competition, but Satan clouds our minds to think that there's something attractive in this world. But he's a liar, He's a thief, and he's a murderer.
01:10:10
Let's keep that in mind.
I think one of the most striking examples is Mephibosheth. You know he was.
Poor boy, that David had mercy upon him, brought him into a wonderful place of privilege.
When David was fleeing from the usurper, his own son, absolutely on the fibre shift, could not follow him because he was lame on both his feet. So he had to stay in Jerusalem, surrounded by all those that had no love for David. They were glorying in all the merriment of Absalom. David was rejected and Mephibosheth didn't shave. He didn't change his clothes.
Anything wrong with that? No, but he didn't make himself attractive to the world. He didn't appeal to the world that was all around him, that was opposed to David. He was loyal to David and he was waiting for Davids return when all would be set right. And so that's our position. We're waiting for the Lord's return. The world is under Erica's.
Very well presented it under the power of the enemy. Are we going to?
Associate with that.
Will the Lord in his prayer, and John 17 he says.
There in verse 14, I have given them thy word and the world have hated them. You have the word of God. Try to try to try to use that word in public. You'll find out what hero thinks about it. The world that hated them because they are not of the world.
Even as I am not of the world, I pray not that thou should just take them out of the world, that that thou should just keep them from the evil. They are not of the world. Even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them through Thy truth. Thy word is truth. So the word of God has a sanctifying effect upon us. It cleanses us, and that's what God is doing presently and using the Word. Christ loved the church and gave himself forth. That's what he did in the past, but he's washing it, cleansing it.
With the word of God presently so that you and I can walk in the right way. My father years ago when we were boys, made a very helpful comment to us and we have different incidents at school. And he said, you know boys, he said you're different than the boys at the school yard. You're different than they are because you know the Lord Jesus is your Savior. You're different, but that's a good thing.
You should be glad you're not like those boys. They're on the way to a lost eternity. They hate Christ, They don't want anything to do with Christianity. Thank God you're different and that you don't belong to this world. And so I thought that was helpful. It's good that we're different and not that we're oddballs, but that we belong to Christ and that we're like him. We should reflect something in the personal memory of Christ in our walk, even as boys or girls.
Brother Bob Bellman wrote a little pamphlet called To Make a Difference, and it's centered on the Leviticus Chapter 11, where we have the clean and unclean foods and the end of that chapter, it uses that expression to make a difference. We are different, aren't we? We can't be like the Vulture that eats the dead carrion. We don't want to be like that. There's a number of other things we have in that 11Th chapter that show that the Christian is different from the person that lives in the world. And as you said, thank God for that. Why would we want to?
Live in a world that has its head a liar, a thief, and a murderer. But our minds get clouded. It's like that smoke that comes out of the bottomless bit I read about in Revelation. And we think that that's a good thing. It's just like the lie that Satan told to our first mother, to Eve. It's a lie. And that's what it is, isn't it? And we see the wreckage that it leaves behind. These little children I was speaking about, they're not.
We have some, We have children that are raised in Christian homes in our little Sunday school, but the main ones I was speaking about are children that have been brought in from a neighborhood. Everyone is from a dysfunctional home. Satan is a liar, a thief, and a murderer. These aren't Christians and we just hope that these young children can get the blessing the Lord seeks for them. But Satan leads into wreckage and especially he likes to spoil a Christian's testimony, doesn't it?
01:15:17
So that's what we're speaking about here. Here's the secret, recognizing Jesus as Lord, not only a one time thing, which is very important that we come to the end of ourselves at some point and say, Lord Jesus, I don't want to be the center of my life. I belong to you. I've been put in a new position. I have this life of partakers of the divine nature. I have the Spirit of God that indwells me and gives me the power to overcome the power of sin. That's a wonderful thing, isn't it? It's really, it's not a fair competition.
But we need to read the scriptures to to get it straight, don't we?
Mine has to be subject to the Word of God and occupied with it that renewing of the line. And just think of the characters of Satan that you brought out.
The world is reeling today.
Under the ability of Satan to deceive in so many different ways that it's fracturing society around the world and those that see it happening are desperate to hold it together.
Because they see the crumbling of everything around them because of the ability of Satan to.
So easily to see the minds of men, especially in the political arena, they call the, you know, the fake news thing and the ability that Satan has through modern technology to deceive. Believers are getting deceived by those things. They're going on and and clicking on the things that fit their idea of how politics in the world should be. And it just feeds into more and more and more.
And they get deceived by those things. We have to have all our thoughts taken from the word of God, our minds renewed in that way and.
Satan is so clever and his ability in his lives in that way and as Christians have slidden further and further into the theology that is our as our brother Rob brought out.
That the Church is the Kingdom over which Christ is presently.
Reigning in this world through the church, his Kingdom in that way and that our thought is to further his Kingdom in this world. Therefore, our efforts need to be in the political arenas and the social arenas in this world. There are websites and all those things that just feed that line and, and it's deceiving believers everywhere and the consequences, it's being conformed to the world.
Absolutely. And the world's motives and what comes in anger, hatred. What follows anger and hatred? Murder. What do you think of those who you know, abortion is a horrible thing, but to pick up a gun and shoot an abortion? Dr. Where did that come from?
Satan's lies.
He's as our brother brought out a liar, but it goes on to hatred elites to murder it's it's in in the world is going to.
Feel that in such a horrible way in the tribulation that I think some of the things pictured in Revelation.
Are the horrible torments of men's minds and souls under that influence when the light of the Word of God is gone and when believers are not in the scene anymore? It's as in that character of salt and light.
So what a contrast does he have?
Comparing to the end of verse 2.
Prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will God can we can give witness to that. We can give expression to that with our lives if we walk in his fear. I I just like to connect that a little bit and it wasn't really touched on earlier in the meeting, but versus 33 of Chapter 11 down through verse 36.
That was the result of the Apostle Paul looking on the ways of God Israel.
And he could see all the failure of Israel. He could see all their shortcomings.
All the shortcomings of man and yet just how the grace of God completely rose above and brought their blessing.
01:20:02
If we are going to walk and prove the.
What is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God? We'll be able to have that same perspective regarding our lives and regarding the ways of God in our lives. Like to just touch on a few thoughts from those verses.
And I trust it would be an encouragement to our hearts, but it would also touch our conscience. Verse 33. The depth of the riches.
You could have just said the depth or the riches, but the depth of the riches, we're talking about a big pile of the wisdom and knowledge of God. And so not only does God know everything, he knows how to use that knowledge as far as his wisdom. So our lives, we may have different details, different challenges. He knows all about it.
Our lives can get complicated, we can get overwhelmed and difficulties come in. The Lord knows how unsearchable are His judgments. And so as He works in our lives and allows different details in our lives, and Paul obviously is Speaking of this with respect to Israel and the ways of God with Israel. And yet we can apply this to our lives, the judgments of God, what He allows into our lives, the trials, the joys, all He brings in how unsearchable are his judgments, we.
We can't we can't search them all out. He may work in in my life and it affects three other people's lives or thirty other people's lives or someone over here and they affect us. Thomas surgeon Valaris judgments and his ways past finding out he's bigger than we are.
He is so much bigger than we are.
Who hath known the mind of the Lord? And it's so important in the in the challenges that we face in our lives.
Just to let go.
Of our own wisdom, the mind of the Lord, we don't know what he's doing. We know his end purpose, his purpose of blessing. There are times we just we need to let go. We need to submit. Who if genius counselor, how many times in my life and perhaps if you're like me, everyone, everyone is as in water face, answer, face. How many times have we come to the Lord of the solution? Lord, I've got this problem. This is the solution. Who at Venus counselor. Not one of us is wise enough to counsel God. He works in his own ways in each one of our lives.
And as as we can see, if we were to trace in the history of Israel, he works in his own ways. It's so much better than anything that we could come up with.
Who had first given to him?
And it shall be recompense to him. Again, we're not going to give God no one of us. You may be in high school, you may be in middle school, maybe you're in college. You have $20 to your name. And if if you give that to the Lord.
In in various ways or of your time, whatever resources you have, he's not going to remain indebted to you.
Who have first given to him, that shall be recompense to him again.
And as a result, there was that burst of just praise that that worship coming from the heart of the apostle Paul as he as he looked out on the ways of God and the wisdom of God.
And if you and I are going to walk according to the wisdom of God as we reflect on his ways in our lives, as as we see his hand revealed in different ways, there's going to be just that, that overwhelming gratitude, that praise, that worship to Him.
That will flow from our lives and so contrasted to what our brother Eric was sharing with us as far as Satan being a a liar, a thief, a murderer.
Instead, there will be that praise and that that eternal gratitude to the Lord for what he's done.
That you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God and just the desire of my heart and have many hearts here is that each one of us would would let the Lord have his way in our lives and we wouldn't look back at regret, remorse, sorrow, but that would be just that that overflowing gratitude for how the Lord has worked and just for that wisdom of the word God. It's that path that's available for each one.
Could we say #301?
#300.
Power rusted.
Shall we tremble?
Upon your dear.
Our God.
We thank you for this good morning. Have the word of God open and be instructed and the good things you. Thank you that dark forest always the Lord, and say be content with what you have, for I will never leave you or forsake you. So we just thank thee for this time together. Think of the meetings to follow and the address and the continuation of the readings and the gospel message this evening.
01:30:04
That will surely just open up the windows. That heaven knows.
Blessing for us, so we just give thanks and blessed and no the name of our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Amen.