Month: February 2019

196. Spiritual Blessings in Heavenlies

Ephesians 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.

God has blessed us in Christ with all spiritual blessings in the heavenly places. “All spiritual blessings” is an all-encompassing promise covering very many spiritual blessings that we have received through faith in Christ. Spiritual blessings by definition are in the heavenly realm, the invisible kingdom where God rules and reigns and where He abundantly blesses. Many invisible blessings certainly spill over into the physical world in which we live and enjoy life, but the focus is on spiritual blessings. Visible, physical blessings are the byproduct of the spiritual.

Jesus Christ has assured us that we will come short of nothing that the Lord wants to bestow upon us. Every promise begins in the heart of a God of Love, a God who cares deeply about His children whom He created and redeemed. All spiritual blessings originate in the heart of the Father, earned for us by the Son, and implemented in our lives by the Holy Spirit. The Triune God gives and effects these blessings and promises to us through the Gospel every day. God is good, really extremely good, and He does many more good things for us than we can ever believe or even have the capacity to receive. However, natural unbelief in the human heart limits the number and scope and grandeur of the spiritual blessings God has blessed us with. We are the ones who place limits on God’s mercy, grace, kindness and goodness; there is no limit to God’s capacity and willingness to bless.

God is always bigger than we will ever believe. The Word of God is regularly expanding the size of God in our minds, but we are incapable of reaching up to the actual immensity of God’s goodness and blessing. This promise in God’s Word calls us to stretch our minds to comprehend all the spiritual blessings God has given

195. Grace

Galatians 6:18 Brethren, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.

Grace is with us all the time and in every place. This is not a wish, but a promise. Jesus is with us; the Holy Spirit is with us; God is with us; but more than that, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ is also with us. Grace freely forgives and covers each and every sin; grace is always near and available. Grace gives salvation and eternal life; Jesus earned it for us and gives it to us freely. And we have it by faith in the Gospel. Grace also is a power, a force that is stronger than the sin that is in us and surrounds us. Grace keeps us clean and makes us right with God, giving us access to God at any time.

The promise of the truth and power of grace being with us changes us when we take hold of it by faith in Jesus Christ. This grace is with our spirit: the spirit is deep inside beyond the soul. The Holy Spirit makes the renewed human spirit alive; the Spirit influences and positively affects the soul (mind, will, emotions) with the life and love of God. Then the soul moves upon the body, and actionable good works result. Grace has more power to make something happen than human effort trying to do good works. Grace is God doing it.

Grace with us has been misunderstood as a force that we need to do the good works that save us. This is false: we do not do good works in order to be saved; we do the good works because we are already saved. Grace does produce good works, but grace before good works is already full salvation, and nothing more needs to be added to it. It is precisely because of grace that completely saves that good works results from the newly created life within.

We do, however, need to be reminded of this “grace with us” all the time. We need the power of “grace with us” to walk by faith and do good works. Grace with us = when we sin we are instantly forgiven; and life goes on with grace. Repentance admits the sin; faith admits the grace, which is with our spirit.

194. World is Crucified

Galatians 6:14But God forbid that I should glory save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.

God promises a separation between the believer and the world. The world is crucified to me = I am dead to the world. There is no life-giving or energizing connection between the world and me. We have nothing to do with one another; we have nothing in common. The world is not intrinsically evil, but it is corrupted and controlled by Sin and the Devil, who is the prince of the power of the air. The world is used by Sin and Evil, like Sin uses and corrupts human flesh.

We cannot get rid of the flesh; similarly, we cannot get rid of the world. God does not take away the flesh nor does he get rid of the world. We are forgiven of sin and saved from its penalty, but God leaves us in the flesh and in the world, both of which are used by Satan to continually tempt us. We renounce the devil and all his works and ways. So we also renounce the ways of the world and the works of the fleshbecause they have been corrupted by the sin, death and the devil.

Practically, the three “P’s” of the world are dead to me; they do not tempt me or influence me to sin. It doesn’t always work out that way because I often allow the temptation to overcome. I need this promise: the world is crucified to me, and I to the world. The three P’s: Pleasure, Profit, Power. This is what the world offers to me in exchange for my soul and my life. No sinner is exempt from these powerful temptations, but reckoning my soul as dead to the world is a big help. 

1. Profit: No one is free from the love of money, what money buys and what money can do for us. Covetousness is idolatry. Mammon is against God. We want security and we want freedom: we think money will give us both. The greed for money and more money is a deadly sin that leads to many more sins. Can I be crucified to Money? Jesus says, “Yes, you are.”
2. Pleasure: Seeking for pleasure easily becomes an all-consuming craving and desire that drives much of what we do. We all want creature comforts and consumer convenience. We decide things according to what makes us feel good. Lustis a deadly sin that leads to many sins. “Intoxication” in all its varied forms is very close to a basic human need. Can I be crucified to Lust? “Yes, you are.”
3. Power:Every person, child or adult, seeks to have some kind of controlover at least something, except we are not too desirous of controlling the self.  The world offers to meet this deceitful desire in very many ways and areas of life. The world connects with this deep desire in every soul and tempts with sinful ways to get power and fame. Can I be crucified to self-glory? Yes.

Another way of describing the temptations of the world is by the three “G’s:” Gold, Girls, Glory. Whatever helps us remember the world’s temptations can be helpful in seeing ourselves as crucified to the world. True liberty comes from being crucified, dead and buried with Christ. That’s the promise.

193. We Shall Reap

Galatians 6:9And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

The promise of reaping encourages us not to give up doing good things. Do not stop doing well just because you don’t see positive results right away. Doing a good work will always reap a benefit. We may not see the results of well doing, and we may be tempted to say, “What’s the use?” Make no mistake: in due season we shall reap. “Due season” means it will happen at the proper time, when the time is right. The right time will come, although it may be a long time; it may not even be until eternity.

Every good work will reap its proper reward at the right time. Count on it. No good thing that the Christian ever does will go unnoticed. God is keeping track and He promises a reaping of every good deed, however small. Giving a cup of cold water will have a reward. We can never say: “Nobody notices; nobody cares; nobody is even grateful.” The Lord always knows, notices, cares and rewards. There will be a harvest of reaping for every good work done in faith.

On the other hand, doing a good work just to be noticed or to receive a good feeling in return has already received a reward: you are noticed or you feel better. That’s it. A good work, or well doing, is something done in faith and out of faith and because of faith in Christ. It is a grateful response for salvation and free grace already received. We do not do the good work to receive a reward, but it is helpful to know that a reaping is guaranteed. So God tells us not to be weary in well doing. It’s worth it; just keep it up. We can widen the application of this promise to encourage us to strongly remain faithful to our Lord in all things and at all times, especially during times of stress, tribulation, and persecution. “Be faithful unto death.” When trials, troubles, and temptations come we will still do good things and not give up. We love God and we forgive others no matter what is going on. We sow to the Spirit, plant the Gospel, and we know there will be a reaping.9

192. Reap what is Sown

Galatians 6:7-8 Be not deceived: God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, thatshall he also reap.For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.

Everybody knows the principle: you reap what you sow. But most people do not take it seriously or think about the truth and consequences of their decisions and actions. Every farmer knows it. We all know the spiritual principle, but we don’t remember that every spiritual decision has a spiritual consequence. If people really took this warning and promise seriously their behavior would change for the better.

One issue that impacts how we make decisions is that we do not see the consequences of our “sowing.” Since we don’t make the connections between cause and effect God must show us the truth in His Word, so that we might take note and believe it. Both a warning and promise is included in this principle. The warning: sow to the flesh and reap corruption; the promise: sow to the Spirit and reap life everlasting. Every sowing realizes a drastic difference: life or death, heaven or hell. That is serious.

The human cannot make the connection between flesh and corruption and between Spirit and life eternal. Therefore, the Lord tells us in His Word. Our response is to believe the Word and not our own ideas and experience. Even a little sowing to the flesh, or a small sin, will bring about corruption, decay and eternal death. Even a little sowing to the Spirit, faith like a mustard seed, will bring about eternal life. If we reflect on this promise just a little bit it will powerfully influence our choices and behavior. However, the sinful human is like Adam and Eve, blaming someone else for the troubles in our world instead of accepting the guilt. Blaming prevents repentance and faith. Faith in God’s Word says, “It’s my fault.” My sin and guilt needs forgiveness; overlooking and rationalizing excuses and blaming others will never take away the sin and guilt. Repentance says, “I sowed; that’s why I am reaping corruption,” or, “I did not sow, that’s why I am not reaping life.” Believe the conditional promise: if you sow to the Spirit, then you will reap life everlasting. How do you sow to the Spirit? You sow to the Spirit by listening to the Gospel, which plants the seeds of faith and the Holy Spirit.

191. Crucified Flesh

Galatians 5:24 And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.

We are not asked to crucify the flesh; we are to reckon that the flesh is crucified already by faith in Christ. If we are Christ’s we have crucified the flesh. Crucifying is something that God does and has already done; it is not something that we do. It is wrong for us to tell ourselves or others that we must crucify the flesh. We cannot do something that has already been done. The emphasis of the promise is that the verb is in the past tense (have crucified). Paul also says, “Reckon yourselves dead.” In other words, believe it is so. 

The flesh with its sinful desires, its selfishness, its love curved in on itself has affections and lusts. We cannot deny these desires, for being flesh is a part of being human. The flesh is there and it cannot be changed or improved. I must be killed, and it has been, crucified with Christ on the cross. The flesh with its lusts seems to have life and power, but if it is regarded as dead it does not have power over the true and eternal life, God’s life, that is also within us. We are able to recognize the two powers in us when faced with the temptation to sin versus the desire to do what is right. The flesh and the spirit are warring; one is life and the other is death. The simple believer chooses life and spirit. Jesus says, “My words are spirit and life.” We listen to Jesus. The blessing of right choices is a wonderful life. The promise of a crucified flesh helps immensely in making wise choices.The flesh will lie continually, saying, “This is really living. This sin will make you alive.” We can answer, “You are dead. You are lying. You don’t know what you are talking about.” We recognize that we cannot crucify the flesh with its lusts, and we are too weak to argue with it. So we believe God has done it; He has crucified my flesh with Jesus. He overcomes the temptations of the flesh when we believe the Gospel. When we lose, we repent again, daily.

190. The Fruit of the Spirit

Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spiritis love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

It is crucial to our understanding of Fruit to understand it as a promise, not as a directive. It is Gospel, not Law. As Law, it would be a command: you must live like this: do this, be like this, show this fruit in your life. But it is not a command; it is a promise: Repent and believe the Gospel and you will live like this; your live will exhibit this fruit. Fruit is a result of the Spirit within; the Spirit is a result of faith in Christ; faith is a result of hearing and believing the Gospel. The Gospel is God’s work: the Holy Spirit creates the faith, and the Spirit produces the fruit. The promise is that your life will look like this. 

The Fruit of the Spirit is singular; it is not plural, fruits, and the whole life is one big picture. It is beautiful.We are not to separate out the various nine aspects of fruit and then try to produce them. We do not work on each one of the nine at a time until we have it down. We just walk by faith; we live our lives out of a continuous faith that rests inside. Concentrate on Jesus, not the fruits.

We do not produce fruit, or even try to do it. Jesus told us to “abide in the vine,” and then the fruit grows on the branches.The branch cannot by effort grow fruit; the branch is simply connected to the vine. “Abide” = living, residing, dwelling, and resting. The Christian Life abides; it does not strive. And what happens? He grows the fruit. He gives us this promise so that we may know what Christ looks like, what the Christ who lives within looks like. Jesus tells us that fruit bearing as the purpose of life.

Our own life will not always, or even often, bear the fruit of the Spirit loudly and clearly; Self and Sin and Flesh show themselves quite clearly, and these “works of the flesh” are all too easy to see. So the Christian life is mixed. When we see the Sin we repent and come back to the Gospel; and this must be done again and again. To abide in Christ is not as simple as it sounds. We are continually tempted to try to be better and look good. This is why God gives us the fruit of the Spirit as a promise. Believe the promise and rejoice in the Lord. 

For instance, we don’t work to develop patience; instead, when trials and disturbances arise look to Jesus, thank Him, receive His grace, and listen to the Gospel: patience will be developed by the Holy Spirit. Look to Jesus, not at the problem. Trust, and let Him do it.

189. Liberty to Serve

Galatians 5:13 For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.

The believer is called unto liberty. The promise of freedom is a call that we should take seriously. Liberty means we are free to do what we want. But since we have been saved we no longer want to break the Law of God. Our wants have changed. Of course, Paul states the obvious: we do not use liberty for an occasion to the flesh. Instead, we use the freedom to overcome the sinful desires of the flesh. The flesh is the sinful soul and body. Deeper within is the spirit which is filled and given life by the Holy Spirit. The flesh and the spirit are at war. Freedom from the flesh provides the energy and desire to do what is right instead of what is wrong.

Before conversion, and outside of faith in Christ, the human soul is not free, but the human will is bound. We are not able not to sin. But the new man, the Spirit within, is now free to choose to do the good works and overcome the sinful desires of the flesh. Liberty means overcoming the flesh, not giving in to it. The freedom comes from the power of the Gospel. The previously bound will of man is now free to choose God and the Good. This is true liberty.

Liberty involves the new man’s ability to choose good or evil, grace or sin. Liberty means: “not bound.” I can listen to the spirit or to the flesh and choose one or the other. Love, by definition, is free to choose good or evil, God or Sin. If I am forced or coerced to love it is not really love. Love without a choice is not love. Love will always have the choice to spurn, neglect, hate, or harm the loved one. This is frightening, but it is real. If the choice for bad is not present the choice for good would be meaningless. Therefore, for love to be love, for choosing God and the good, it would have to be freely chosen or it would be meaningless. Freedom to choose is clearly a very important promise to believe and to live by. What actually happens, whether consciously or unconsciously, is that by love we serve one another. Serving is the way we love. Serving means that we willingly and gladly come underneath another person in order to bless him and to do or say something good to him. Liberty chooses to serve. When all are servants of others life is beautiful. The promise: you are free to serve.

188. Hope of Righteousness

Galatians 5:5 For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.

We have the promise of the Hope of Righteousness. And we wait for it by faith. Hope means present reality by faith. Hope is real and it is present; it is substantial and solid; but the hope is not yet realized in sight. We have righteousness now but it will also be fulfilled and realized in reality later. The present hope is just as real, but it may not be seen or felt yet. No one except God sees the righteousness, which we already have, but we do have the hope of it through the Spirit. The Spirit is in our spirit and He continually reminds us of the truth that we are declared righteous by faith now and that we will actually be righteous later.

Because we do not yet see it fulfilled we wait for it with hope. Faith gives us hope. Hope is the present reality of something yet to come to us in the future. Therefore, we wait for it. Waiting means waiting in faith, knowing that it will come, not just “hoping” it will be true. Hope knows; waiting is certain. Waiting is an essential part of our earthly existence. Patience is faith; faith is the certainty that what we hope for is real and true. Waiting and patience is living with confidence; waiting for a promise of God is not wishing for it or even praying for it. Waiting in hope knows for sure. We do not feel righteous, but we believe we are righteous. We have the Word of God’s promise and the indwelling of the Spirit to give us confidence while we wait. The waiting may seem like a long time from our limited point of view. If we could see from God’s viewpoint we would have no doubt. That is why we have the Word of God: to give us the solid present assurance of what we cannot yet see from our limited viewpoint. The Spirit uses the Word to give calm assurance and grant peace to the heart.

187. Liberty

Galatians 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

Christ has made us free; stand firmly in the liberty. We have this promise; hold on to it and live accordingly. Christ has made us free from the works of the Law: we are no longer under the bondage of having to live perfectly according to all the laws of God. 

We cannot, and we don’t need to, justify ourselves by excusing our behavior, trying to explain why we do the bad things we do and why we fail to do the good things; confessing and repenting works much better, anyway. We cannot justify ourselves by relying on our good works for acceptance by God, by others, and by ourselves for that matter; we could never do enough anyway, and just getting a “A” for effort doesn’t count; only perfect righteousness counts. We cannot justify ourselves by comparing ourselves with others, showing that we are better than a lot of other people; the general behavior of others is not the standard by we judge ourselves; the rigid and unyielding Law of God is the only standard. Since we cannot justify ourselves we are free to give up trying. God justifies perfectly by faith in Christ. Nothing additional on our part is required. We are free from self-justification.

In Christ we are free from guilt and shame, for all guilt has been taken away forever by the blood of Jesus Christ. We are unconditionally, totally and forever forgiven of all sin and guilt. Being free from the stress and anxiety of guilt is a worthwhile liberty. In Christ we are free from the penalty and punishment of sin. Stand in that liberty. God promised. However, we not free from the presence of sin, for it will remain with us until we die. One Day we will be free even from the temptation to sin forever. Neither are we free from the consequences of sin. These we still suffer, and we will suffer consequences as long as we live. But the sin does not condemn us: there is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus. We are free from Death and from eternal destruction in hell. Death does not even have the last word: Resurrection has the last word, and it is a sure word. We are free from the fear of death; we are no longer subject to fear of death. We do not try to die, and we do not want to die, but we are not afraid to look Death in the face. If we are free from fear of death we are also free from all the “little deaths” that accompany us on the journey, like sicknesses, pains, diseases, troubles and trials. Instead, we overcome by faith in Christ. Being free from fear of death also includes being free from worry about what we shall eat or drink or wear, because worry is just a small bite of the fear of death. We do worry, but we don’t have to. For the believer worry becomes a reminder to pray; carry it to God in prayer; then go on your way rejoicing. Yes, liberty is a big promise, a big deal.