Rightly Applying God's Eternal Purpose

In Acts 13 and Romans 9, we find a common subject: the purpose of God. Consider how this purpose of God applies to us today. Of David it is stated in Acts 13:36 that, “...after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep and was laid with his fathers …” While no one knows when time on earth will end, each of us will die (as David did) once our lives have served the purpose of God in our generation.  Every human is a vessel in the hands of God.  Depending upon whether your master is Jesus or Satan, you are a vessel of mercy or a vessel of wrath. We see both of these ‘vessels’ mentioned in Romans 9:21-24:

“Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory— even us whom he has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles?”

Some examples of each:

David was a vessel of mercy (Acts 9:22 – God…raised up David…of whom he testified…‘I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will’.” 

Noah (Gen. 6:9) – “Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God.”

Abraham (Gen. 18:19) –  “For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment; that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.”

(Gen. 26:4-5) – “I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and will give to your offspring all these lands. And in your offspring all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because Abraham obeyed my voice and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.”

On the other hand, King Saul was a vessel of wrath (for the opposite reason – see 1 Sam. 15:23, 26 – “Saul…rejected the word of the Lord”). 

Here in Romans 9, the Pharaoh in Moses’ day was a vessel of wrath; verse 17 reads, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you…” ~ Exod. 9:16

So also, King Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel’s day was a vessel of wrath (Dan. 4:17 — “…the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will and sets over it the lowliest of men.”)

King Cyrus in Ezra’s day was a vessel of wrath (Ezra 1:2 – “The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah.”)

As the Psalmist stated in Psa. 75:7 — “…it is God who executes judgment, putting down one and lifting up another.”

Which type of ‘vessel’ are we? The ONLY true way to answer that is to look at our lives in view of Christ’s.  His life was and is the ONLY life worthy of compelling another to live.  Discipleship is not an option, but a requirement.  True Christianity is NOT based upon personal faith or personal preferences! (As shown from the examples of Romans 9). We also see that success is not a true gauge of Divine approval, for Pharaoh, Nebuchadnezzar, and Cyrus ALL prospered for long periods of time.  Although they were used by God to fulfill His eternal purpose of creating a spiritual seed in Christ, they were vessels of WRATH! WILL THEY BENEFIT FROM GOD’S ETERNAL PURPOSE? What about us? Are we a vessel of MERCY or of WRATH as it relates to being a disciple and a Christian in the spreading of the gospel? How will God use us? Are we ‘rightly applying’ His eternal purpose to ourselves?

Some questions that may asked in determining the answer:

Ø Are we living a life that we actively compel others to follow, or are we passive, keeping your faith to yourself, allowing others to ‘find’ what “works for them”?

Ø Do we eagerly desire Christ to return?  [If not, why not?] 

Therein, lie the answers as to whether any changes need to be made in our lives.

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copyright 2013 

IN & OUT of CONTEXT

The difference between preaching the Bible apart from theology is seen in the different conclusions that people draw after hearing both preached.  In the Bible, an inspired apostle wrote that a child of God could sin, AFTER being saved by committing sin ~ "For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them. What the true proverb says has happened to them: “The dog returns to its own vomit, and the sow, after washing herself, returns to wallow in the mire.” - 2 Peter 2:20-22  

Accordingly, those who are subjected to hearing this preached, come away with the understanding that salvation is conditional - this 'conditional' aspect is seen from the teaching of Jesus in John 8:31 when He said "IF YOU CONTINUE IN MY WORD...".  

But remember the old devil's work on EVE? In his reply to Eve, he gave some carefully worded 'theology' as to what God knew.  This was a clever diversion tactic. Notice how well it worked. God had NOT said "Oh, thou shalt not SURELY die"; HE SAID THE VERY OPPOSITE! But Satan added two convincing words: "God knows!"
He told Eve, "God knows...when you eat, you will become like God, knowing good from evil...".  Now how would Eve have concluded that from just the words that God had spoken?  Perversion of scripture is Satan's forte, and so it is with his messengers.  The results are always the same.

Theology (writings by uninspired men) perverts scripture.  One example, which is commonly found in creed language, regarding the possibility of a child of God 'falling away' is a statement that says, "SUCH ONLY ARE REAL BELIEVERS AS ENDURE UNTO THE END". 

Accordingly, those who are continually subjected to hearing this 'theology', come away with the understanding that their salvation is UN-conditional.  You know what passage the creed book cites? John 8:31!

You see it's all in the "interpretation", but without being "programmed" ahead of time by the tactic of Satan, you conclude correctly from the inspired apostle's words.

But when you ARE told "Oh, no, you will not SURELY be lost; for God knows.......", you no longer trust in God's word; you trust in your own thinking (this is what the prophet Jeremiah warned of: Jer. 10:23 – “O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps”). You see, you now conclude that you cannot so sin as to be eternally lost.

This false mindset of “once saved/always saved” then produces more false reasoning as it applies to Jesus’ teaching on ‘judging’.  It is seen in the comment by someone who views themselves as “once saved/always saved”, that, ‘NO ONE HAS THE RIGHT TO TELL ME I AM WRONG’.  They ‘quote’ Matthew 7:1 as their ‘proof’; stopping there without regard to the entire context of Jesus’ words

The TRUTH (from the entire context surrounding this passage), is that Jesus is explaining HOW to judge ‘with righteous judgment’ and ‘not according to appearance’.  Jesus taught here to apply God’s word to yourself FIRST. 

A simple analogy to show that this attitude of ‘NO ONE HAS THE RIGHT TO TELL ME I AM WRONG’ is wrong, can be seen from the dilemma it would create in trying to convert an alien sinner.  What if the sinner, when told of his need to “accept Christ as your personal savior” replied with ‘NO ONE HAS THE RIGHT TO TELL ME I AM WRONG’...and then ‘quotes’ Matthew 7:1, saying ‘the Bible says to judge not that ye be not judged...’!

Let’s take this ‘logic’ a step further…If the alien sinner can use Matthew 7:1 out of context, in regard to “accepting Christ”, then that same alien sinner use that same ‘proof’ text in reply to a preacher who pleaded with him/her to pray “the sinner’s prayer”.  If not, why not?

Isn't it a good thing that the alien sinner doesn't know theology......?

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copyright 2013 

Rightly "Dividing" & Rightly "APPLYING" God's Word

Jesus said that God’s word was truth (John 17:17); yet truth is NOT to be found in the partial, but the entirety of His revelation (Psalm 119:160). God purposed eternal life for man; that purpose being termed His “eternal” purpose.  It was a gradual unfolding plan that began as a promise in the mind of God prior to the Creation and consummated with the establishment of Christ’s body, the church (cf. Titus 1:2; Eph. 1:9-10, 22-23; 2:16; 3:9-11). 

In this great purpose, we see God’s love for man; specifically, in the offer of eternal life (John 3:16); as it was purposed for man ALONE.  Notice, from Matt. 25:34 – “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world’.”  God not only prepared a kingdom from the foundation of the world, but also an eternal fire.  This eternal fire was not purposed for man, but the devil and his angels (cf. Matt. 25:41, “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels). However, the Bible reveals that most of humanity will suffer this eternal fire, (cf. Matt. 7:13-14 – “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many...”)  

There are two questions relative to this eternal life that need to be answered from the Bible. 

1) WHY will only a few inherit this eternal life? 2) How will this inheritance come? 

The key in understanding why only a few will inherit that which was purposed for all, can only indicate that man has some sort of a response to God’s offer of eternal life.  Therefore, the response to God’s offer is the key to the inheritance.  This is where preaching factors in, for the role of preaching to those in the kingdom of Satan is to explain their response to God’s grace, that they might be ‘translated into the kingdom of “His dear Son” where there is “redemption, the forgiveness of sins”(Col. 1:13-14). This is why doctrine matters.  What is the response to God’s grace for the alien sinner?  While many passages could be set forth on the sinner’s response, three texts will suffice to show the nature of the response: 

~ Eccl. 12:13 — “Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man”

~ Rom. 6:17-18 — “...you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed...having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness.”

~ Heb. 5:9 — “he (Jesus) is the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him”.

God gave commands to man for this very reason. God’s love for man was seen in this act of grace.  Man, in return, responds to that love/grace by obedience to those commands.  No act of man, apart from humble submission and obedience to God’s word, will be in faith, for faith only comes from one source...‘what God has spoken’ (Rom. 10:17).

The Bible declares that this eternal life is in God’s Son (1 John 5:11).  Eternal life is synonymous with salvation in Christ, (Acts 4:12; 16:17), so therefore the matter of learning how to get into Christ is one and the same as learning how to inherit this eternal life that was purposed to him.  The truth that came by Jesus (John 1:17), was in His teachings (John 17:17), and elsewhere called the “words of life” (John 6:63, 68; 12:50; 17:8; Acts 5:20) 

Because truth is in the entirety of God’s revelation, in order to learn the truth surrounding this great eternal purpose, God’s word must be ‘rightly divided’ (2 Tim. 2:15).  While the responsibility of “rightly dividing” falls upon every person who makes an appeal to the Bible; the disciple of Christ has multiple responsibilities in his ‘handling’ of that ‘word of truth’.  For a disciple, “rightly dividing”, involves more than just a determination of context.  It also involves:

1)   the responsibility to rightly “deliver” that word.  This is to be done with ‘graceful’ speech (Col. 4:6); and

2)   the responsibility to rightly “apply” that word to himself prior to passing judgment on another (Matt. 7:5; John 7:24) 

There are two very good reasons for these responsibilities.  First, to ensure that the truth will not be ‘suppressed in unrighteousness’ by the one proclaiming the word (Rom. 1:18); and secondly, to ensure that truth will have the intended effect upon the hearer of the word (Isa. 55:10-11; Heb. 4:12-13).

While contexts can be “handled” aright, problems [both individually and collectively], arise when there is irresponsibility in the delivery and the application of those contexts.   When there is irresponsibility in these two areas, the gospel, (God’s power to save – Romans 1:17), which He entrusted as a talent to His stewards for the purpose of accomplishing unity/salvation (Matt. 25:14-30); will instead, incur the very opposite results (i.e., division/damnation).  

Even for the sinner; there are consequences in this realm of responsibility.  Failure to apply the relevant passages of the Bible to himself will only result in a reforming of his life, NOT repentance from his sins, motivated by godly sorrow (2 Cor. 7:9-10).

Let all who preach, heed the inspired apostle’s warning of “following”; “continuing in”; and “holding to” the pattern of sound words” (2 Tim. 1:13; 3:14; Titus 1:9). Two reasons relative to God’s eternal purpose bear this out:

·          The foundation [of teaching] has been laid by the Lord; (1 Cor. 3:10-11)

·          His own salvation and of those to whom he preaches (1 Tim. 4:16)

Likewise, let all take heed “how” and “what” they hear [taught] (Luke 8:18; Mark 4:24)

The initial command: FAITH ONLY, OR OBEDIENCE?

Was the nature of this initial command from God a requirement for the children of Israel to merely believe in His power to provide ~ faith ‘only’; or to trust AND obey Him? 

Exodus 19:5 — Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine;

Numbers 14:11 — The Lord said to Moses, “How long will this people spurn Me? And how long will they not believe in Me, despite all the signs which I have performed in their midst?

Consider the message of Jeremiah:

Jeremiah 7:13 — And now, because you have done all these things,” declares the Lord, “and I spoke to you, rising up early and speaking, but you did not hear, and I called you but you did not answer,

Jeremiah 7:24 — Yet they did not obey or incline their ear, but walked in their own counsels and in the stubbornness of their evil heart, and went backward and not forward.

Jeremiah 7:26 — Yet they did not listen to Me or incline their ear, but stiffened their neck; they did more evil than their fathers.

Jeremiah 9:14 — but have walked after the stubbornness of their heart and after the Baals, as their fathers taught them,”

Jeremiah 11:8 — Yet they did not obey or incline their ear, but walked, each one, in the stubbornness of his evil heart; therefore I brought on them all the words of this covenant, which I commanded them to do, but they did not.’”

Jeremiah 11:10 — They have turned back to the iniquities of their ancestors who refused to hear My words, and they have gone after other gods to serve them; the house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken My covenant which I made with their fathers.”

Jeremiah 13:8-11 — Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying,  “Thus says the Lord, ‘Just so will I destroy the pride of Judah and the great pride of Jerusalem.  This wicked people, who refuse to listen to My words, who walk in the stubbornness of their hearts and have gone after other gods to serve them and to bow down to them, let them be just like this waistband which is totally worthless.  For as the waistband clings to the waist of a man, so I made the whole household of Israel and the whole household of Judah cling to Me,’ declares the Lord, ‘that they might be for Me a people, for renown, for praise and for glory; but they did not listen.’

Jeremiah 16:12 — You too have done evil, even more than your forefathers; for behold, you are each one walking according to the stubbornness of his own evil heart, without listening to Me.

Psalm 81:11 — “But My people did not listen to My voice, And Israel did not obey Me.

2 Chronicles 36:15-16 — The Lord, the God of their fathers, sent word to them again and again by His messengers, because He had compassion on His people and on His dwelling place; but they continually mocked the messengers of God, despised His words and scoffed at His prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose against His people, until there was no remedy…

4/24/2013

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Rightly Dividing God's Word: Following the Apostles -- Teaching as they Taught

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What is the WISEST wisdom?

Concerning wisdom and knowledge, who would be the wisest of the wise?  Is there a wisdom that surpasses all other wisdom? If so, would it be in the field of science; history; medicine, or law?   I believe that there is a wisdom that exceeds all of these; and that is wisdom of how to be saved from sin.

2^nd Timothy 3:14-15- “But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise unto salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.”

So knowledge of salvation AND our purpose in life are two of the most important things to know.

Eccl. 12:13-14 is a good reference for both points.

“Fear God and keep His commandments; for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.”

To know why we’re here and what we are supposed to be doing with our life is of the utmost importance.  Once we have this knowledge, should we not strive to fulfill our purpose to the best of our ability?

Solomon recognized the value of God’s wisdom early in his life.  This is why he asked for this wisdom in 1^st Kings 3:5-14.  He realized what his purpose was, and knew that an “understanding mind to govern the people” and the knowledge to “discern between good and evil” were needed rather than “riches or the life of your enemies”.  Without this knowledge, both of these would be to his ruin.   

This wisdom would come thru the commandments given from God thru Moses.  Moses had stated the criteria and responsibilities for the kings in Deut. 17:18-20.  Each king had the personal responsibility to exercise himself in godliness after this manner to ensure his personal welfare and the nation’s prosperity. We can easily attribute Solomon’s (and our) downfall to a failure in these areas.  An understanding heart and faithfulness are not a one-time-prayer effort, but an ongoing lifestyle, disciplined after these principles.  Moses’ commands for each king were:

 “...when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself in a book a copy of this law, approved by the Levitical priests.  And it shall be with him, and he shall read in it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the Lord his God by keeping all the words of this law and these statutes, and doing them,  that his heart may not be lifted up above his brothers, and that he may not turn aside from the commandment, either to the right hand or to the left, so that he may continue long in his kingdom, he and his children, in Israel.”

Thus we see the value of bible study and meditation upon God’s word as well as prayer, in order to be  “wise unto salvation”.  Therefore, a wise person will seek out these commandments. 

 - David, a man after God’s own heart said in Psa. 39:4, "O LORD, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting I am!” 

 - Moses also said in Psa. 90:12 - “…teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.”

We need to do the same.  We’re here to serve God, and we need wisdom to do that.  We’re told in Eccl. 8:5, “Whoever keeps a command will know no evil thing, and the wise heart will know the proper time and the just way.”

               

POINT: Knowing the proper time and procedure, is connected to obedience.  (i.e.,  ‘keeping commandments’)

HOW does GOD “make” us to know?  How has GOD taught man?

Thru paying attention to what you hear (Mark 4:24 – “Take heed what ye hear”);  and how you hear it (Luke 8:18 – “Take heed therefore how ye hear”).

WHAT we do w/that which we hear taught is the point; (i.e., how we use our knowledge of salvation)

In James 4:14, a question is both asked and answered: “What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.”

We need to consider this.

Since God created us, so many things have come and gone in this life to where our time on earth is like a millimeter in a mile. We have to think, what are we doing with our time?  It is so important for us to realize the high value of our time.  I see people dying young, being stricken with diseases and I have to realize that God has given me my safety and life.  But for what reason?  Thinking back on Ecclesiastes, I know I’m here to serve Him.  If I have my life (which is very precious and sacred); I need to view wisdom as dear and precious as Moses, David, Solomon, and the other faithful characters did, and diligently seek the wisdom that they sought.

In James 1: 5, I find that if I really desire this wisdom, I can have it, if I seek it in the right way.  James wrote, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.”

Let me encourage all to seek God for this wisdom, and your life will be lived as God intended... “FEARING HIM & KEEPING HIS COMMANDMENTS”

For the end/conclusion:

In the song: “Just After Death...What Then?” we see the reason why this wisdom excels all other wisdom – THE REWARD OF AN ETERNITY IN HEAVEN!

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copyright 2013