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November 2008
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Dividing the Word of Truth
(2
Timothy 2:15)
This is
good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who
desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 1Timothy 2:3-4
Romans by the Book Lesson 50
I
want to welcome each one of you to Home Bible study and thank you for being
here.
This
is the place where you come to study God’s Word without having to deal with
someone’s opinion or personal interpretation thrown in. At HBS we let the Bible do the talking, so to
speak. I am simply offering to guide you
through the greatest book ever written without changing one jot or tittle
therein.
Do
you need a guide?
I
purchased my first Bible many years ago and I knew a few things. I have to admit that there were many more
things that I did not understand. I read
many Bible stories but what was it all about?
I didn’t see any connection. I
felt lost in it. I knew I would
never get this on my own. I needed
help.
I
knew a little about Rome, Italy and some of its history too, but I freely admit
there is far more that I am ignorant of and you better believe I’d be lost
there on my own.
When
I had the opportunity to visit the city I joined a tour group led by a
professional guide. As we drove through
the city, he pointed out places of historical interest and gave us the facts
about each one. He colored in the
background with details that were not in the history books. He brought the city and its past into focus
for me.
Clearly,
a guide is helpful when you’re in unfamiliar territory.
Now
we’re going to pick up right where we left off in the previous Bible lesson and
move onward from there exploring the depth of God’s Word.
…A little closer walk with Thee, if you
will.
Please
open your Bible and turn to Romans, chapter 8 at verse four.
Romans 8
4…so that the (righteous) requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in
us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to
the Spirit
I
mentioned in the last lesson the Law was righteous; it goes without saying from
God’s standpoint the Law was perfect. But
it was weak because of our flesh (due
to our relationship to Federal Adam from birth).
The
Apostle Paul’s letter to the church in Galatia addresses this issue.
Galatians 4
8: However at that
time, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those which by nature are
no gods.
9: But now
that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how is it that
you turn back again to the weak and worthless elemental things,
to which you desire to be (what) enslaved
all over again?
What’s
Paul referring to in verse nine? The
Law!
The
entire book (letter) of Galatians was written to prove to those Gentile
Believers up there in Galatia that they were not under the Mosaic Law – they
are under God’s Grace.
Paul’s
message: the Law could not give eternal
life, it could not sanctify, and it could not make the Believer a saint. Why would anyone want to leave God’s Grace
and return to that “weak” and “beggarly” system of do’s and don’ts that can
only condemn and kill?
Please
return to the book of Romans.
Romans 8
4…so that the (righteous) requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in
us (who are Believers, who now enjoy an inseparable position
(relationship) in Christ Jesus; and now here’s the proper place for
that little statement in verse 1 that I said the translator, who was not
inspired, added to the original manuscript),
who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
What
does it mean to “walk according to the
Spirit?”
This
short phrase means to live each moment dependent
on the Holy Spirit, sensitive to His
voice, and obedient to Him.
Allow
me to insert an illustration here. My
siblings and our friends enjoyed playing outdoors for hours and hours. We made up games like capture the pirate flag
and played it sometimes until well after sundown. The park we played in was more than a block away
from my home.
Now
try to picture about a dozen kids running, jumping, and shouting trying not to
be captured or attempting to capture kids from the opposing team and their
flag. It was chaotic fun. But when my mother stood on the back step of
our home and called out my name I heard her voice clearly over all the noise. You see, I was sensitive to the sound of her voice. I was “tuned in to her.” When I heard her call, I came running
home. I obeyed her quickly. She
didn’t have to call me in twice.
Moving
this into the Spiritual realm, you know when that “little voice” inside
is directing you not to do something
or reminding you that there is something you should be doing. There
aren’t any colors
involved here either. This isn’t a black,
white, or grey issue.
This is right vs
wrong.
For
instance God said it’s a sin to lie. There
it is!
Therefore,
there’s no such thing as a little white lie – this is a man-made notion to
circumvent God’s commandment. Therefore
we tell the truth. It’s always better to
express the truth even if it’s painful. When
all is said and done, honesty really is the best policy.
Peter
the Apostle wrote, “Prepare your minds
for action,” and Paul the Apostle wrote, “Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on
earth.”
The
key words in these two verses are “prepare”
and “set.”
First
we must prepare. The Apostle Paul
wrote, “Finally, be strong in the Lord
and the strength of His might.
Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm
against the schemes of the devil.” (Ephesians
6:10-18).
Then
we are to set our minds on obedience to God.
1 Corinthians 10
5: We are destroying speculations and every
lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ,
Gotta
be honest – every sinner who is saved struggles with this (Romans 7:14-24).
But
obedience to God is possible. As we
Believers consent to reject the selfish desires of “the flesh” and
choose instead to walk according to the Spirit,
the (righteous) requirements of the Law are fulfilled in us and not by us
(Romans 8:4).
Romans 8
5: For those who
are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh,
but those who are according to the Spirit, (set their minds and hearts on) the things of the Spirit.
The
word “mind” in the Greek is phronousin (pronounced:
fron’-ay-mah).
As
it is used here it does not indicate one’s intellect or understanding, but is
referencing instead the interest or occupation of the individual,
caused by their natural (Adamic) sinful nature.
The
Apostle Paul identifies two classes of individuals in this verse: those according to the flesh and those
according to the Spirit.
Those
who are according to the Spirit these
are God’s true children.
The
Holy Spirit indwells each and every one of these folks.
The
distinction between these two classes is a genuine as that between the sheep
and the goats at Christ’s second coming (Matthew 25:31-46), or between those
whose names are written in the Book of Life and those whose names are not
written there (Revelation 20:15).
Breaking
this down even further: all those who are according to the flesh cherish,
desire, are occupied with, absorbed in, talk of, think about, and pursue the
things of the flesh. Such as:
physical lusts, gluttony, slothfulness, mental delights, pride, envy,
malice, violence and greed. In other words,
they are involved with every impure thing imaginable and then some (Genesis
6:5).
Those who are according
to the Spirit discerns,
values, loves, and is absorbed in the things of the Spirit. Things such as: salvation, the person of Jesus Christ, the
Word of God, fellowship with Believers, prayer, praise, worship, and the
blessed hope of Christ’s coming (Galatians 5:22-26).
The
reason for this Paul writes immediately:
6: For the mind
(phronema
– noun form of the verb) set on the
flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace.
Here’s
where we all started. Each of us
Believers, at one time, had a “mind” purposed for “death.” We were controlled (enslaved) by our sinful
natures and we surrendered to the desires of the flesh without a minutes
thought. Put another way, we never
thought about sin or connected our wrongful activities to sin. The only thing waiting for us at the end of
that road was the second death and ultimately the Lake of Fire.
…but the mind set on the Spirit is
life (eternal) and peace.
In
Paul’s letters he writes about “the
peace of God” and “peace with
God.”
They
are not the same thing but if you’re a Believer you possess both of these.
Colossians 1
21: And although you
were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds,
22: yet He has
now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present
you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach –
Once
we became saved, we became children of God; this is our position.
We
are no longer viewed as “enemies” of God we’ve been reconciled. Now Jesus can
present us holy and blameless before the holy God. That’s a big difference.
We
obtain “peace with God” the moment
we confess belief in the gospel.
It’s
time for a fact check.
Romans 5
1: Therefore, having
been justified by (what) faith,
we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
2: through whom
also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which
we (do
what) stand; and we exult in the hope of
the glory of God.
All
those who are not under the Blood of Jesus Christ do not have peace with God.
They
are alienated, hostile, and spiritually dead to Him.
As
for “the peace of God,” whether or
not you feel it at this very moment,
no matter what is going on in your life, you possess the “the peace of God.”
You
may be stressed to the max but this is true.
God the Father has given you and me everything we need to live a
peaceful life. However, most of us don’t
realize it, understand it, or were never taught this truth.
First
the basics: God told us “Be anxious for nothing, but in
everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be
made known to God (Philippians 4:6).
God
said do not be anxious about anything! If this were not possible, He would not have
said it… This is also a command. It is not a suggestion. I know I’ve written this many times and for
many years. Perhaps it’s time to go to
the book so you can see where I get this.
Please turn to 1 Corinthians, chapter 15.
1 Corinthians 15
37: If anyone
thinks he (or
she) is a prophet or spiritual, let him (or
her) recognize that the things which I
write to you (please read carefully) are
the Lord’s commandment.
38: But if anyone
does not recognize this, he (or she) is not recognized.
Since
we’re going to be obedient to God’s commandments, we must learn how we can
cease all anxiety and worry. In case you
missed it, the antidote for this problem is here in this Bible verse. We go to God in prayer and ask Him to meet our
needs, and we do this with a positive attitude of thanksgiving.
God
says to make our requests known – to
Him.
Some
would argue, “Why pray when God already knows what I’m going to ask for?” Please consider this. Prayer is one of our greatest privileges as a
Believer’s but — we may as well admit — one of our greatest failures.
It's good to know this: we are inviting God into our
lives when we pray.
We
are family! When we pray, we experience
-
Fellowship
We
become "workers together with Him."
2 Corinthians 6:
1: And working
together with Him, we also urge you
not to receive the grace of God in vain…
When
we pray, God gives us the joy and privilege of administrating His affair on earth
- working together with Him. He could do
it without us. We could not do it
without Him. But what a wonderful privilege
of doing it together with Him!
Progressing
When
we pray, God is maturing us.
Colossians 1
9: For this reason
also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask
that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom
and understanding,
10: so that you
will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and
increasing in knowledge of God;
11: strengthened
with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness
and patience;
Have
you ever prayed and didn't receive immediately what you asked for?
What
did you do? Did you cease praying or did
you persist in your prayers?
Did
you also begin to search your heart and your life to see if something there was
hindering God's answer to your prayer(s)? Many times this is the reason. There is something negative going on in our
lives. God uses prayer to mature us.
Dependency
We
all are independent and stubborn to some degree. Let’s be honest.
Knowing
this, God never wants us to live lives independent of Him.
If
God answered every one of our prayers, soon we would begin to take God for
granted. That’s the way we’re put
together. It’s in our nature to do so.
We
would cease to depend upon God.
Depending
on God requires faith. God wants us to live by faith. The fruits of the Spirit can only be
produced through faith, in cooperation with God, locked onto His will, and His
purpose.
But
first and foremost, God commands us to pray!
That's why we tell God what He already knows. Of course He knows what we have need of before we ask, but we're specifically told to pray so that we might enjoy that fellowship with Him, so that we might mature as Believers, and then as we “walk with Him” day by day we learn to depend upon Him especially during difficult times.
That's why we tell God what He already knows. Of course He knows what we have need of before we ask, but we're specifically told to pray so that we might enjoy that fellowship with Him, so that we might mature as Believers, and then as we “walk with Him” day by day we learn to depend upon Him especially during difficult times.
When
we do this, the peace of God will
guard our hearts and minds, if you are a Believer. And this peace goes beyond our comprehension,
as the book says.
Philippians 4
7: And the peace
of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your (what) minds in Christ Jesus.
(To
be continued)
©
Copyright 2011
GJ
Heitzman’s Ministry
All
Rights Reserved