Growing As A Christian

Spiritual Growth and Assurance

Book of 1 John Chapter 2:1-14

Have you noticed how many lessons we see about spiritual growth? If we are not growing spiritually every day, we are not just at a standstill, we are actually going backwards.

Last week our lesson was about being cleansed from sin and once we are cleansed from sin, then we need to grow spiritually in our relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ!

Remember because of Adam and Eve we had lost fellowship with God! That fellowship can be restored because of the work of Christ Jesus!

As long as we are in these bodies of flesh made from the dust of this sinful world, we will remain sinners. God knows this and through the Cross, when Jesus died the veil of the Temple was rent in to and Jesus made a way for us to enter into the throne room of God, where we can humbly go before the Lord and ask Him to forgive us of our daily sins.

We are to do our best to refrain from sin, but this is impossible while we are in this sinful flesh!

What else has the Lord done for us? He went back to Heaven to be our advocate!

*****1Jn 2:1 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:

We know that the Holy Spirit is our Comforter while we live on this earth, but in Heaven while we are still alive, we have an Advocate and this Advocate is the Lord Jesus Christ!

The Holy Spirit is here pleading our case to God while we are still in these bodies of flesh and in Heaven's courtroom the Lord Jesus Christ is doing the exact same thing!

As an Advocate, the Lord Jesus pleads our cause to God the Father, defending us when we do things out of ignorance to God's Laws.

Sometimes we may intentionally do foolish things and we can be forgiven of those also, but we will still suffer for those sins!

Jesus is our Owner and He stands in our place before God the Father when we fail Him!

Remember God is not a mean and hateful God, His name is Love.

Jesus is not guilty of anything, yet He stands in our place because when we are washed in His blood then we are also innocent of sin and pardoned of our past life and Born Again into new Life!

Jesus is the only person who can represent us before God the Father, there is no other in Heaven and certainly no one upon this earth!

For whom does Jesus plead? He pleads for His children. All those who have accepted Him as their personal Savior.

We are the little children because compared to all the people in the world, the true Christian is among the smaller group!

Jesus does not plead our innocence.

Jesus does not plead our good works.

Jesus does not plead our goodness.

Jesus does not plead our righteousness.

Jesus pleads His own righteousness as our Owner!

Rom 8:34 Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.

Rom 8:38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,

Rom 8:39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

How is this possible?

*****1Jn 2:2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

It is because of the shed blood of Jesus that we are at peace with God, and that peace can never be changed to wrath because of the sacrifice of God's Dear Son!

Heb 2:17 Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.

Heb 2:18 For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.

Propitiation means the death of the Lord Jesus Christ was the payment that satisfied God the Father and made appeasement for all our sins. Not just those who accept this truth but the sin of this entire world past, present, and future!

It is the "Blood of Jesus that has reconciled us to our Holy God!

The Lord Jesus Christ has removed every barrier that was once between us and God the Father!

The Lord Jesus Christ is the beginning of every promise of God!

God the Father required blood to be sacrificed for all our sin!

Heb 9:22 And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.

Not just any blood would do! It took the pure, undefiled, sinless, blood of the Lamb of God to wash away our sins!

Gen 22:8 And Abraham said, "My son, God will provide himself a lamb" for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.

God provided Himself to be the Lamb that was to wash us from all our sin!

By the sin of Adam, we were cut off from God!

God sacrificed Himself so that we could be saved!

This is the meaning of propitiation. A debt that none of us had the ability to pay, had to be paid by God Himself!

It was God the Father who had to be appeased.

It was God the Son who provided that appeasement.

Jesus Christ covered our sins with His own blood so our sin would be forever out of sight of God the Father.

The only "type" of propitiation in the Bible is the "Mercy Seat of God.

Heb 9:8 The Holy Ghost this signifying, that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet standing:

Heb 9:9 Which was a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience;

Because of the work of Jesus Christ, we can now go before the Lord and claim that "Mercy"!

Luk 18:13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.

If we know all these things, we should be keeping the commandments of God!

*****1Jn 2:3 And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.

1Jn 2:4 He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

How do we know we love God? We keep His commandments without questioning them!

How do we show God that we love Him, by being obedient to the things He has said!

We must walk in this world as true believers, being obedient to the Word of God.

We must go before the Lord everyday as sinners, to be washed from the sin and filth of this world that we are in contact with every day.

We are justified when we truthfully ask Jesus to come into our heart, but we are still sinners saved only by His "Grace" until He comes to take us home!

Our lives must be centered around the fact that we know the Lord Jesus Christ as our personal Savior.

God lives in the Spiritual world that surrounds us.

We live in the physical world separated from our Holy God.

God the Father sent God the Son into this physical world, so that we to can one day be a part of that Spiritual world with Him!

There is no one upon this earth that has ever crossed over into the world of God except the Lord Jesus Christ!

Joh 3:13 And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.

To know the Lord in truth is to have fellowship with Him and His Father!

To not keep His commandments is to still walk in the darkness of this world!

Joh 8:42 Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me.

Joh 8:43 Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word.

Joh 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

Joh 8:45 And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not.

In order to know God we must accept His Son and keep His commandments!

We must believe what Jesus says!

As far as God the Father is concerned, if we reject His Son then we have rejected Him and continue to hold onto the lies of the Devil who has lied from the beginning of his existence!

So how do we know if we love the Lord? We keep His commandments. It's just that simple!

The more we walk with the Lord the more we show God that we love Him!

It is impossible to say we love God and then reject His commandments.

America is full of those people today reject the truth of God, but say they are one of His children.

The Holy Spirit says they are all liars!

Mar 7:6 He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.

Mar 7:7 Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

We must be obedient to "all" the Word of God if we say we love Him!

*****1Jn 2:5 But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.

1Jn 2:6 He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.

Some would say from the last passage that all we need do is just keep the 10 commandments and that would be a great start, but the Holy Ghost says, do not be mistaken we must keep all the Word of God!

Without this obedience then the act of love is not in us.

Most people always get the word love wrong. Love is an action word!

The only way to love God is to get nearer to Him!

We must study Him.

We must learn all about Him.

We must know His will for us.

We must know His nature.

We must know His desires.

We must know His wants.

We must know His thoughts.

We must know how He behaves.

These things should be the same for anyone who says they love someone!

God shows us all these things about Him, just so we can get up close and personal with Him!

In the end this is the most important decision we will ever make!

Rev 22:14 Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.

When we declare that we are a child of God, then we need to be measured by God's standards! That standard is Jesus Christ!

That word "ought" says, every child of God is obligated to live according to the written Word of God!

That word "ought" says, we will willingly live as God says to live.

Rom 6:4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

Rom 6:5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:

Rom 6:6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.

These are things that we know and accept because we love the Lord!

God has had this same message since the time of Adam and Eve!

*****1Jn 2:7 Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which ye have heard from the beginning.

As the church, our salvation is not bound up in the laws of Moses or we would say the 613 commandments given to the Jews.

The Word of God does teach us that all the Word of God is to be used for our instructions on living, rightly divided!

2Ti 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

2Ti 3:17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

What we should know is that all the Word of God is our love letter, and this is where the Apostle John is leading us.

There are some Old Testament laws that that never change even in the New Testament and this what John is talking about.

Lev 19:17 Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart: thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour, and not suffer sin upon him.

Lev 19:18 Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD.

The Lord Jesus Christ simplified all those old laws and any new law!

Mat 22:37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

Mat 22:38 This is the first and great commandment.

Mat 22:39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

Mat 22:40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

It is this love that will allow us to grow in "Grace" and "Knowledge" of our God!

*****1Jn 2:8 Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in him and in you: because the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth.

What we need to understand is that, Jesus gave that word "love" a new meaning:

Jesus said not only love your brothers and sisters in Christ and in family, but also love your enemies!

Jesus said to not only love good people, but also bad people!

Jesus said not just love the righteous, but also to love the sinner!

Jesus said not only love those you accept, but also those you reject!

Jesus said if we are striving for perfection then this is the meaning of love we should understand!

Mat 5:43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.

Mat 5:44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;

Mat 5:45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

Mat 5:46 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?

Mat 5:47 And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?

Mat 5:48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

It is hatred that will lead us back into darkness!

*****1Jn 2:9 He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now.

1Jn 2:10 He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him.

1Jn 2:11 But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes.

How do we grow in Christ?

It takes faith, so we must believe in His works for our salvation!

We follow Christ in believer's baptism.

We join a Bible believing Church.

We join Christ in the Lord's Supper.

We study the Words of Christ.

We pray with Christ.

We live for Christ.

We tell others about Christ.

But then, if for some reason we allow hate to reenter into our heart for someone then once again we are walking in darkness!

We must not allow this to happen!

We must walk in the love of God every day!

God is love, the more we interact with God, the more our love will grow.

The more our love grows, the more we will object to hatred.

1Th 3:12 And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you:

1Th 3:13 To the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.

So if we want to be unblameable when the Lord returns, then we need to be walking in the love of Jesus Christ!

When we walk in hatred we are walking in blindness, and in reality, we do not know where we are going.

Whenever we walk into a group of people, that hatred will walk in front of us and immediately cause division. This walk is not of God!

Eph 4:17 This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind,

Eph 4:18 Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:

We must never walk like the world walks, in blind hatred!

*****1Jn 2:12 I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name's sake.

1Jn 2:13 I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one. I write unto you, little children, because ye have known the Father.

The Holy Ghost begins His caution by writing to everyone in the Church.

These little children are all the Saints of God, but here John means the Babes in Christ.

The first thing we realize upon our salvation our sins have been forgiven!

Rom 5:9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.

Rom 5:10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.

In the Church there should also be Spiritual Fathers not just the old saints of God, who are mature in the things of God. These are those who have known God and have been faithful to the Word of God since their salvation day.

In the Church we always have a need for the young men who will be the Church, when the old Saints have passed on to glory and they need to grow in the "Meat of the Word" because they have overcome that wicked Satan!

In the Church there are the little children and even they must be taught the truth of the Scriptures.

Do not ever be fooled, a small child can understand the truth of the Lord Jesus Christ and the truth of Creation!

Spiritual growth is required for all age groups and though these things mention males they are also writing for Spiritual mothers and the young ladies in the Church.

Not many Churches would survive without Christian ladies!

The intent is that we must all become rich in the knowledge of God!

2Pe_3:18 But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.

*****1Jn 2:14 I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one.

Joh 4:24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

God is a Spirit and if we are created in God's image, then we must be a spirit also!

If this were not so, we could have no communication with Him!

It is in our spiritual strength that we must grow!

Our flesh is only a tabernacle we will discard one day!

This is the difference between mankind and the animal world!

We must grow spiritually to get closer to God!

John is now reaching out to those who have grown in the Lord.

These fathers are those who have deep and rich knowledge of and have grown daily from the day of their salvation.

It is these who know that the best they can do to avoid sin and they will sometimes fail, but the Lord Jesus will still defend us before God, but they cannot use this as an excuse to sin more!

There is at no point in our lives that we can let our guard down!

We must know for sure where our strength comes from!

Php 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

Our young men must become strong in the Lord and they must hold God's Word above the things in the world!

Joh 8:31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;

Joh 8:32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

We must not only overcome the wicked one (the Devil), we must live as overcomers!

We must listen to the Holy Spirit who is the power behind the Church!

Rev 2:7 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.

Rev 2:17 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.

Rev 3:6 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

Rev 3:13 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

Rev 3:22 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

Mat 13:43 Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.

If we are to grow in the "Grace" and "Knowledge" of the Lord, we must listen to what the Holy Spirit is teaching us, and use His information to grow in Christ!

We must love the Lord far above any love we have for this world!

Amen

Let's Pray!

Growing In the Grace of God

Growing In Grace

2 Peter Chapter 1:1-11

As we have just spent several weeks in the study of the first Book of the Apostle Peter, we saw that the Book of 1 Peter was devoted to the remedy for suffering Christian Persecution. That remedy being we must have the "mind of Christ"!

Today as we begin our lessons in the Book of 2 Peter, we will see how Peter looks at the subject of God's "Grace".

Peter will teach us, by the Holy Spirit, that above all, we can know the Word of God and we can rely on what God says as the truth!

*****2Pe 1:1 Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ:

Simon Peter the chosen Apostle of Jesus Christ, still realized in his older days that he was nothing more than a servant of the Lord.

All that truly love the Lord will still come to Him on bended knees!

To be a servant of the Lord is to realize that we are no more than slaves who have been purchased from the slave market of sin and we have a new Master.

We that know the Lord on a personal level, are all bondservants by law to the God of all "GRACE"!

In fact I am a willing slave to the Lord Jesus Christ, He is my new Owner and the only Owner I will ever have!

Who is Peter writing to? To all those who are willing slaves to the Lord Jesus Christ, but slaves because we have "FAITH" in the price that Jesus Christ paid for our freedom.

Jesus Christ paid for us to be free and it cost Him His own life!

Not only was Peter a slave such as you and I and all believers, he was also a chosen Apostle of Jesus Christ.

Those Apostles chosen by the Lord were His messengers of the New Covenant of God! Which is the New Covenant of "GRACE".

We know that "GRACE" is the unmerited favor of God shown to sinful people.

In reality, God's Grace is the richness of God's "GOODNESS"!

It is this "goodness", this "grace", that we as Christians are to share with this lost world just as did the Apostle Peter, the servant of God.

Psa 145:7 They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodness, and shall sing of thy righteousness.

Psa 145:8 The LORD is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy.

Psa 145:9 The LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works.

It is these same ones who have that like precious faith, filled with the Holy Spirit, who are to take part in restricting sin in this world!

2Th 2:7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.

Every lost soul that returns to the Lord, has removed the sin he once had and walks in a New Life.

There is a little less sin in this world every time someone accepts the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Savior!

These things come by the knowledge of the truth of God!

*****2Pe 1:2 Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,

How do we show God's grace to others? We accept every "born again" child of God into our Church family, no matter the history of their old life!

This is the difference in living under God's grace than being in God's grace.

If they are a child of God, then they are our brother or sister in Christ!

As Christians we have all received the undeserved favor of God. We cannot earn God's favor. We absolutely do not deserve any of the things God so freely gives us, but through His Son He will give us all a little part of Heaven!

The only thing we deserve from our God is "judgment"!

These are the exact same things we are to do for all our Christian family, except to "judge". All judgment will come from the Lord.

God has made it possible for us to experience His "grace" rather than His "judgment"!

What is so great about being in the grace of God?

Rom 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

It is in our body where we can feel the loving grace of God by the things that He does for us.

Php 4:19 But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

It is in our mind that we can have that peace that cannot be understood by this world!

Rom_15:13 Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.

Php_4:7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

The Lord Jesus Christ not only gives us these things upon our faith, but He actually multiplies them!

He gives us an abundance and then gives is us even more!

Jesus does this so we can share that grace and that peace of God with everyone we come in contact with!

We cannot receive these things until we know the Lord as our Savior and these things are added as we learn more about Him!

If Jesus Christ is your Lord, then He is your God!

Jesus Christ is life and the giver of life!

Jesus Christ is God and the giver of godliness.

Jesus Christ is righteous and the giver of righteousness.

If you have any gift, then it came from God.

All things necessary for life are given by the Lord Jesus Christ!

*****2Pe 1:3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:

We should have no fear in this world because the Lord has already given to us all things that are necessary for our salvation.

There is nothing related to our eternal life with Him that He will hold back!

God has given to us all things necessary for our "spiritual life" and He will never take any of those things away from us!

We cannot lose our salvation once we have truly accepted that Jesus Christ is the Messiah and our Savior!!!!!!!!!!!!

We must not be deceived by those who teach something different from this truth.

The gifts of God are eternal!!!!!!!

He has called us to glory:

God has revealed Himself in a glorious blessing to those who love Him!

Rom 8:18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

Rom 8:19 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.

God has revealed His entire program to the Church!

Gal 3:22 But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.

Gal 3:23 But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.

Gal 3:24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.

Gal 3:25 But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.

Gal 3:26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.

God has called us to virtue:

Virtue can best be understood as living under the powerful influence of the Lord Jesus Christ!

Virtue is the good life that comes from being Christians in the complete will of God.

Gal_6:14 But 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.

Php_4:8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

We cannot know what living for Christ is all about, unless we study the Scriptures!

It is only in the Scriptures that we can learn of the great and precious promises given to us as gifts from God!

*****2Pe 1:4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

These are powerful Scriptures and we need to take heed to what they say!

God's promises are His assurance that we will receive His blessings!

God's promises are divine: Which means they come from God our divine Creator, who by the way was the Lord Jesus Christ.

God's promises are suitable for all our situations as believers.

God's promises are clear!

God's promises are certain!

When we understand the promises of God and live accordingly, we will be partakers of His divine nature!

Eph 4:21 If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus:

Eph 4:22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;

Eph 4:23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;

Eph 4:24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

This is the only means of escaping the corruption of this world and this corruption comes by our own lust and our foolish pride!

1Jn_2:16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

These are the things that we as Christians must flee from, to escape the corruption of this world!

The seed of corruption is caused from sin and by the Lord Jesus Christ we are made free from sin!

The Grace of God comes by His divine power, His resources are infinite, and His promises are sure and since He can never die His promises cannot expire!

When we have that peace of God because of our faith and the multiplied grace of God because of our faith, then and only then can we grow in the Lord!

*****2Pe 1:5 And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;

In short virtue is the effect that knowing the Lord Jesus Christ as our personal Savior has had on our lives. So if we add to this virtue Peter is saying that we are to have that same effect on all others.

We should be so much like Jesus Christ that others want to be like Him to!

Virtue is the very best part of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is His eternal being!

The three virtues of each Christian are bound up in faith, hope and charity.

1Co 13:13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

Our own virtue must be based on all the things of Jesus Christ!

Being diligent means to must guard ourselves against any defilement!

Heb 12:15 Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;

Being diligent means we must search our heart to be sure of our confession of faith.

Psa 77:6 I call to remembrance my song in the night: I commune with mine own heart: and my spirit made diligent search.

Every Saint of God must have diligence!

2Co 8:7 Therefore, as ye abound in every thing, in faith, and utterance, and knowledge, and in all diligence, and in your love to us, see that ye abound in this grace also.

2Co 8:8 I speak not by commandment, but by occasion of the forwardness of others, and to prove the sincerity of your love.

The one most important thing is that we know without a doubt that we are saved and are "Born Again"!

Then and only then can we add to our virtue, knowledge!

Knowledge is a gift of God by the Holy Spirit as are all gifts. Knowledge is closely related to wisdom and refers to our ability to properly understand the truths revealed in the Scriptures.

The knowledge of God is possible because He has revealed Himself to us and it requires our faith, the grace of God, the peace we have in knowing God and then our own virtue in being like Christ Jesus.

The sanctification process of each saint of God is a step by step process and is processed and led by the Holy Spirit who dwells within each of us.

It is after this knowledge that we are able to temperance.

*****2Pe 1:6 And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;

**Temperance means we have the power within ourselves to defend our faith and virtue in the Lord. We have self-control over the acts of our body!

Temperance means we have mastered our passions that would lead us to sin! Temperance means we have realized that the "grace" of self-control comes because of the presence of the Holy Spirit who lives within us and who is our strength.

By the Holy Spirit we can have control of our rebellious desires!

I used to drink and smoke and commit other sin, but I just do not want to anymore, because I have temperance.

These things also work for me, because I also have patience!

**Patience. There is what we call inactive patience and active patience. We must have active patience!

We cannot just sit back and put up with the trials of life, taking them one by one as they come!

We must stand up and face the trials of life head-on! We must conquer the trials of life and make them useful for us and not be against us!

We must understand that God allows the trials of our life so we can grow and be strong in the defense of the "Gospel".

Heb 10:35 Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward.

Heb 10:36 For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.

Heb 10:37 For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry.

Heb 10:38 Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.

Heb 10:39 But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.

Jas 1:2 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;

Jas 1:3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.

Jas 1:4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

We must remember that all our trials borne with patience, will end in triumph!

Rom 2:7 To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life:

to continue our Christian growth having added temperance and patience we must then add godliness.

The Lord would not have put these things in a specific order if it were not the best for us!

**Godliness includes all things necessary for our Christian life!

1Ti 4:8 For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.

1Ti 4:9 This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation.

Whatsoever is needed for life is given to us by Jesus Christ and the Lord longs for us to have an abundant life.

This life that is given to us is to be lived the way God intended and God intended for us to live godly lives!

Godliness means we are to live in awe of our Creator and our Lord!

Godliness means that we are so aware of God's presence in our lives, that we live as He would live in our circumstances.

Even after this God says we still need to add some things.

*****2Pe 1:7 And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.

We must possess that brotherly kindness. The very special love that exists between brothers and sisters in a loving family.

These are brothers and sisters who truly cherish one another.

This is to be what family is all about.

It is to be the same for all our Christian brothers and sisters in Christ!

Those who have brotherly love have been "Born Again" by the Holy Spirit, and therefore we all have the same Father.

The great example of this is when Mary the mother of the Lord, when the Holy Spirit came upon her and she was overshadowed and she was with child, the baby Jesus.

Each of us, the children of God have a new Spirit that binds us to one another in a love greater than all families because we have become the family of God!

We may not even know all our brothers and sisters in Christ, but these are the ones we will spend eternity with!

We have a new Spirit, we have a new Family, because we are bound together by the Holy Spirit into "Brotherly Love" for one another!

1Jn 3:14 We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.

But there is even more we cannot stop here we must add Charity!

In our English language we do not have a definition of love that comes close to the love of God. That word "Charity" is the closest word that even comes close to what the love of God really means.

Charity is the greatest of the three Christian graces.

Faith, hope, and charity!

How can we describe charity?

1Co 13:4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,

1Co 13:5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;

1Co 13:6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;

1Co 13:7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

1Co 13:8 Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.

Charity is as close as we will get to perfection upon this earth and then only if we include all these other things that Peter has mentioned in these Scriptures.

Col 3:12 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;

Col 3:13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.

Col 3:14 And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.

If we cannot do our best to show the love of God, then we are failing in our walk with the Lord!

If we have that true love of God in our hearts, but for some reason this does not show in the way we live and the way we give, then we need to try harder!

The Agape love of God loves regardless of feelings, (whether we feel like loving or not).

The Agape love of God loves even if that person does not deserve our love.

The Agape love of God loves even that person who is utterly unworthy of our love.

The Agape love of God, gives and gives and gives and does not stop giving love!

What did Jesus say?

Mat 22:37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

Mat 22:38 This is the first and great commandment.

Mat 22:39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

Mat 22:40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

All the Word of God is about the love of God, and we are to be God's example of His love for one another!

These are all the things that are to be in us if we are God's children.

*****2Pe 1:8 For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

When it is all said and done, all these things are the "fruit" of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Jesus Christ.

Php_1:19 For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,

These things must be added to our lives and not only that, but these things must "abound" in our lives!

This is the answer to the question, "what does it mean to grow in Christ Jesus"?

We have to grow and grow and grow, reaching out for the perfection of Jesus Christ!

Psa 1:1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.

Psa 1:2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

Psa 1:3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

As we continue in this Psalm, we see these words:

Psa 1:4 The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.

Psa 1:5 Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.

Psa 1:6 For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.

*****2Pe 1:9 But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.

What is the bleak picture of all those who do not grow in Jesus Christ?

Remember Peter is writing to the Church.

When we do not grow in Christ, we become Spiritually blind!

Short sighted in all the things of God!

Where is the modern-day church? Short sighted in the truth of God!

We will lack in the true purpose of why God leaves us here after He has saved us!

It is possible for us to be forgiven of our sins and not be in the will of God and not growing in Christ!

In fact this describes many a house of God today!

When we were first saved, we had a clear vision of seeking the things of God, but because we have not grown, we have lost that vision and in reality, are of very little use to the plan of God! Many will even hinder the plan of God!

When we forget that we have already been purged from our old sins, we are just one step away from returning to those sins!

It is impossible that we have not seen good Christians who have neglected to grow in Christ and have lost their understanding of the truth of God!

Walk the streets of America and you will see they are everywhere!

Heb 6:4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,

Heb 6:5 And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,

Heb 6:6 If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.

It is in our best interest to make sure that we have been called by the conviction of Holy Spirit, and have answered that call with true repentance and true faith!

*****2Pe 1:10 Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:

2Pe 1:11 For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

What is diligence?

The Apostle Paul said it like this:

Php 3:13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,

Php 3:14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

Php 3:15 Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.

You see, if we do all these things just as the Holy Spirit has revealed them to the Apostle Peter, we cannot fail in our walk with the Lord and we will be in the perfect will of God the Father.

If we have truly elected to be in the family of God, we will not have a problem in seeking all these things for ourselves.

Most all of us have stumbled in our Christian walk, and if we want to stop stumbling then here is God's answer!

If we have been coming up short in our walk with the Lord, then here is God's answer!

If we have been falling when we should have been running the race of God, then here is God's answer!

If we live a life of sorrows, then we can make this life we have to be a joyful life if we take these things just as they have been written to us and act on them with diligence!

God makes these things easy for us, because this is the reason the Holy Spirit is living inside us!

We must need to be diligent in seeking these things!

Our walk with the Lord requires our personal effort!

Our salvation is the gift of God, after we have shown faith and this first bit of faith, He will even provide.

After accepting the Lord Jesus Christ as our personal Savior, it is then we begin that race that the Apostle Paul so speaks of.

Abundance means riches. We will live a rich Christian life, not in monetary gains, but Spiritual gains here on earth and then enjoy the riches of Heaven that cannot even be described!

The reality of these things is that they are eternal!

The Kingdom of God is real!

Mat 25:34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

Mat 25:35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:

Mat 25:36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.

Mat 25:37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?

Our life in Christ can be the best life we have while we are still living and then we will go to live in the actual home of God!

Amen

Let's us pray!

Being a Mature Christian

The Blessing of Spiritual Maturity

Book of Ephesians 4:1-13

That word maturity means being in a complete state.

An example would be that an apple is not mature until it has completed the ripening process.

We must work toward becoming "mature Christians".

Today in our lesson we could say that Paul was not only imprisoned for his own sake, but he was imprisoned for our sakes.

If Paul had not been imprisoned, he would have never taken the time to write all these epistles to the Church.

We may also think that it was just by accident that we have the job we have but this is not true.

After our salvation our own home will be our first missionary field and our job the next place to share the Word of God.

In our lessons so far, the Apostle Paul has laid out the Doctrine of Salvation. This doctrine is our only means of being in harmony with God.

The Word of God is never complete in our lives, no matter how much we learn, until we have made application of it to our daily walk!

The lessons we have learned so far have been:

The eternal plan of God for Christian believers.

The great blessings of God.

The work of God's mercy and the gift of God's "Grace".

Our reconciliation and peace becoming a child of God.

The true Church, the Body of Christ, our Heavenly Citizenship.

Note: none of these things have been given to us as theories but as actual fact!

Now we can take what we have learned and make application to our lives to grow in God's "grace".

The bottom line, we owe God much more than we could ever pay and He would chastise us if we tried to work toward trying to pay Him for what He has already done.

There are no works to be saved and there are no works to keep us saved.

A true gift is never to be repaid!

God works according to His great love and it is in this same manner He expects us to live and work!

So, let’s begin.

*****Eph 4:1 I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,

We must understand that the Apostle Paul was not imprisoned to perform some great act in Rome, or to Caesar, or even to the Roman people.

The Apostle Paul was imprisoned for his sake, and our sake, and for the sake of the "Gospel"!

We know that we are all to be witnesses, (missionaries) once we become a child of God.

We should also understand that God will have some specific calling just for each of us and He will equip us for that calling!

God has already honored us as much as we can be honored. One day soon we will actually get to sit at the feet of the Lord Jesus Christ in Heaven.

There are many promises of God, that we have not seen yet but we know we will get to see them.

The Lord Jesus is right now building a perfect world that we will be a part of. throughout eternity.

We have nothing else to do until He gets ready but one thing and that is to walk worthy of the calling of God!

We are in an honored position and we need to be walking according to the honor God has given us!

Rom 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

Rom 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

When we join the ranks of men such as the Apostle Paul we must remember, the message of Jesus Christ and the "gospel" are the only hope for all humanity!

This is Holy stuff!

This is Heavenly stuff!

This is Serious stuff!

Jesus Christ is the only hope for all humanity for eternal life.

2Ti 1:9 Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,

2Ti 1:10 But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel:

No matter our calling we are all to carry the same message!

So how are we to walk?

*****Eph 4:2 With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;

The most important characteristic of all God's children is "Faith". "Faith" in the salvation message and "faith" in the One who gave us this message!

"Faith" in the truth!

When we begin our walk for the Lord we must remember a child taking their first steps and know that we cannot walk with the Lord without holding on to His hand.

Before our walk begins, we must decide then, that our walk will please the Lord.

After "faith" we must be free of pride. As one preacher use to say, we need to get out of God's way. We cannot exalt ourselves and please God!

We can be sure where there is "lowliness" (a lack of pride), there will also be "meekness".

Meekness is humility, submitting to the Divine will of God. We could also say, gentleness.

Next, we see that word "patience" that drives so many crazy, but we must be patient in love toward one another and patient with that one we are trying to lead to the Lord.

2Ti 2:24 And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient,

2Ti 2:25 In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;

2Ti 2:26 And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.

So, we have "faith", loss of pride, humility, and patience so far.

What can be next?

*****Eph 4:3 Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

It is because every Christian is endowed with the Holy Spirit that we can, and we should be in unity, all having the same mind of Christ.

This is a far reach from what the church is today but, this is because the Church has forgotten how to walk worthy of the Lord.

This passage says, we must endeavor to keep unity of the Spirit and we fail miserably in this trait of how to walk worthy of the Lord!

We must know that each person is precious in the sight of God.

If even one soul goes to Hell, then God has lost a very valuable and precious soul.

Why will God judge the Church first? It will be because there is no unity in the church, which means there is no peace in the church, even though we all carry the same Holy Spirit!

This is not a problem with the Holy Spirit, this is a problem that is in that gap between our ears and a cold, cold heart!

To endeavor, is to do our best to walk in the ways of Jesus.

There is no One else in the Scriptures that has the words of life! There is no other means of salvation period!

The modern-day church is trying its best to remove the Lord Jesus who is the corner stone, the foundation of the Church.

What are they thinking?

What did Jesus pray to His Father?

Joh 17:21 That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.

Joh 17:22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:

Joh 17:23 I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.

It is the Holy Spirit that unites us to Jesus Christ and when we go against the Words of Christ, we will quench the Holy Spirit!

1Co 1:9 God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

1Co 1:10 Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.

To be saved is to show that first sign of faith in the work of the Lord Jesus Christ and this faith must remain with us all our days asking God to grow our faith!

*****Eph 4:4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;

Eph 4:5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism,

Eph 4:6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

There are many so-called denominations !"But only those who have named the Lord Jesus Christ as their very personal Savior" comprise the true Church!

***There is only "One Body" of Christ!

When any person in any denomination, places his or her trust in Jesus Christ, God does certain things.

**First there is a new birth, they are "Born Again".

Joh 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

Joh 1:13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

This takes place by the Holy Spirit.

Tit 3:4 But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared,

Tit 3:5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;

Tit 3:6 Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;

In many places it seems that there must be some sign that the Holy Spirit lives within the believer but there is truly only one way to tell.

Jas_2:26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

1Pe_2:12 Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.

As believers we must do the works that Jesus gave us to do! This is the only way the world will know that we belong to Christ Jesus and full of the Holy Spirit.

**God makes a new creature, we become something brand new.

2Co 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

**God places His Divine nature inside the believer.

2Pe 1:4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

**God places His Holy Spirit in of us that have "faith".

1Co 6:19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

1Co 6:20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.

**God then causes each of us to produce the fruit of the Holy Spirit.

Gal 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

Gal 5:23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

**God places us in His Church.

1Co 12:13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.

There is only "One" body "the Body of Christ".

The body of believers that understand these things of God, will be in unity!

***There is only "One" Spirit.

The "Body of Christ" will all have the same Holy Spirit(Holy Ghost).

The Spirit of God will separate us from the world and place us in the family of God!

Rom 8:11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.

It is God's Holy Spirit that decides where we will be placed in the "Body of Christ".

It is the Holy Spirit that calls us out of this lost world.

It is the Holy Spirit that gives the gifts to us to be able to do the work, the Lord has given to the Church.

1Co 12:7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.

***There is only One Hope for each of us that believe.

Every Christian has the same hope, which is the day the Lord Jesus comes to redeem His purchased possession.

We do not live a life of uncertainty, once we are saved.

In Heaven we will live a life of love, and peace, and joy!

We will live a life of perfection, because each one of us will then be perfect.

It will be a perfect love, a perfect peace, and a perfect joy and this will last throughout a perfect eternity!

We are at peace because we know that this "One" Hope is a reality!

We will all live in harmony with the Lord!

Tit 2:13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;

Tit 2:14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

Tit 2:15 These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee.

***There is only "One Lord"!

Just so we all know; the true Church consist of only those who call upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ in "faith"!

Php 2:9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:

Php 2:10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;

Php 2:11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

God is very serious about this thing:

Mat 7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

Mat 7:22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?

Mat 7:23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

The will of our Father is for every human being to steer away from sin and steer toward God and His Words.

Mat 21:28 But what think ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to day in my vineyard.

Mat 21:29 He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went.

Mat 21:30 And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not.

Mat 21:31 Whether of them twain did the will of his father? They say unto him, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you.

This is one of the best descriptions of repentance in the Bible!

***There is only "One Faith"

This one truly breaks the world up! There is only "one faith", not two faiths, not many faiths, that leads to God's presence and it is the faith we have in the Lord Jesus Christ!

Jud 1:3 Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.

Isa 45:22 Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.

Act 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

All those who place their trust in false religion need to give the Lord the chance to show them the truth!

***There is only "One Baptism".

It is true that all believers have given public witness to their faith by submitting to water Baptism as commanded by the Lord.

Mat 28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

Water Baptism means we are identifying ourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, in His death, His burial, and His resurrection and His Church.

Even the Lord Jesus Christ was baptized by John the Baptist, to be our example!

Water baptism is to be an outward sign of an inward change!

Note: Water baptism does not produce a spiritual change!

Water baptism is not a method of salvation!

**Then there is the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

1Co 12:13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.

1Co 12:14 For the body is not one member, but many

This baptism of the Holy Spirit will come only in the "Church Age" and He the power behind the local church and the universal church!

Gal 3:27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

Gal 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.

Gal 3:29 And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.

The Baptism of the Holy Spirit unites us with the Lord Jesus Christ!

Rom 6:3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?

Rom 6:4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

Rom 6:5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:

We should note that this work of the Holy Spirit takes place at the very moment of salvation, but it is a continuous work until God calls us home!

1Th 4:7 For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness.

1Th 4:8 He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, who hath also given unto us his holy Spirit.

Eph 1:13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,

Eph 1:14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

All these things are true because there is only One God, who is the Father of us all!

***One God, who is our Father if we trust in His promises.

Joh 17:22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:

Joh 17:23 I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.

Joh 17:24 Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.

God is the Father who presides over all His child by the Lord Jesus Christ and indwelled by the Holy Spirit!

These things being true (and they are) then all those who worship some other being are not following the "Only God"!

We could also say our Father is the giver of gifts!

*****Eph 4:7 But unto every one of us "is given grace" according to the measure of the gift of Christ.

Big faith, much "grace", Little faith, little "grace" and the same goes for blessings!

When you become a Christian (like Christ) you have already received so many gifts from our Father that we are truly blessed even if He did nothing else for us.

If He was just God like so many say, He would not care for what happens on this world but to the Christian, He is our Father!

Gal_4:6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.

These gifts of the Spirit do not mean a natural ability or a talent that you are born with but even these will be increased if they are used to promote the "Gospel"!

These are gifts that build up each of us that are Christian. We all have received a very personal gift by the Holy Spirit, to carry out the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ!

It should be obvious the Lord Jesus Christ provides us the "grace" to use gifts of the Holy Spirit.

This "grace" means the strength, the motivation, the concern, the love, and the power to use these gifts.

There is not one Christian that God finds not to be useful!

Rom 12:3 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 as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

We must understand that the Lord Jesus had to ascend back to the right hand of God for the Church to move forward!

Joh_16:7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.

*****Eph 4:8 Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.

Eph 4:9 (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?

Eph 4:10 He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)

When the Lord ascended back to Heaven, witnessed by at least 120 people, it was Christ's declaration that even the grave could not hold Him!

We, who were once enslaved by Satan, are set free only because Our Lord triumphed over all His enemies, (Satan, sin, death)!

In these times of the Lord, a conquering king would lead those he conquered out of that city chained one to another.

These slaves, along with the riches of that nation, would be given to other high-ranking citizens, at their return from victory.

Psa 68:18 Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive: thou hast received gifts for men; yea, for the rebellious also, that the LORD God might dwell among them.

Psa 68:19 Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah.

As believers who once were in bondage to Satan, we are now owned by the Lord Jesus Christ but as belonging to the Lord, He provides wonderful gifts for every one of us!

One of our greatest gifts is, freedom!

Joh_8:36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

Notice not set free as releasing on the side of the road and could be captured again but "made" free never to be in bondage again!

The Lord has given to us, along with our freedom, a great future, a purpose for our life.

The Lord Jesus Christ is the giver of "life"!

This life can only come if we are willing to face death!

Luk 9:23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

Luk 9:24 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.

Before the Lord ascended, He had to go to that grave.

Psa 139:15 My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.

Psa 63:9 But those that seek my soul, to destroy it, shall go into the lower parts of the earth.

All the riches and the power of the God in Heaven or earth could not pay our sin debt, the Lord Jesus had to die to pay that debt that we could not pay!

He had to first be declared dead and buried in that borrowed tomb before He could show the power of God at His resurrection!

He had to fill all things!

Which means that Christ's descent into the lower parts of the earth might mean more than just descending into Abrahams bosom!

The truth is the Lord Jesus Christ had to die and having gathered all the sin of this world past, present, and future, had to take that sin and also experience our hell that we could be saved!

Heb 2:14 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;

Heb 2:15 And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

And of all those that believe these things, Jesus has given us a new purpose!

*****Eph 4:11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;

For there to be a church, then there must be those who would begin the church.

We know the Holy Spirit gives great and wonderful gifts and these gifts will blend with those whom Christ Jesus has chosen!

There were only 12 Apostles that were specifically chosen by the Lord. The word "apostle" means "to send out".

The qualifications to be an Apostle were such that they had to die out.

They had to have seen the Lord Jesus Christ.

For this reason, there can never be any more apostles.

There some who were Prophets, and these too had to die out because we now have the complete Word of God and there is no need for "Prophets".

The Lord Jesus has specifically chosen every evangelist, and pastor and teacher since that time, so these must remain Divine appointments!

Just as prophets testifies of things to come, the evangelist testifies of things from the past and therefore they spread the "Gospel".

In many ways the evangelist is like the missionary.

Act 21:8 And the next day we that were of Paul's company departed, and came unto Caesarea: and we entered into the house of Philip the evangelist, which was one of the seven; and abode with him.

We also see here that Philip had been one the first deacons as one of the seven.

Normally the Pastor was the shepherd of one flock and the teacher would help with this one flock.

The Pastor is to be pastor and teacher.

The teacher is not the same as the pastor.

What had Jesus told Peter and made sure he understood.

Joh 21:15 So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs.

Joh 21:16 He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep.

Joh 21:17 He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.

We can notice how Peter passed this information on, in the places where he had begun a church.

1Pe 5:1 The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed:

1Pe 5:2 Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind;

1Pe 5:3 Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock.

To be the shepherd of a local flock, is a special calling of God which will bring a specific reward.

1Pe 5:4 And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.

Note the shepherd of the church was to feed his sheep even if he had to pick them up and carry them, if he tried to be like Christ.

Isa 40:11 He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.

Always understanding that he was not the Chief Shepherd!

Psa 23:1 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

The shepherd is to seek and save:

Mat 18:11 For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.

Mat 18:12 How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray?

To be a shepherd over a flock of God's sheep is a very special calling!

It is the teachers job to instruct the believers in the Word of God!

It can be said that the teacher bears one of the largest responsibilities given by God and will have to give a strict account to God for his faithfulness to the Word of God!

Jas 3:1 My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation.

In this passage a master is a teacher!

God commands the teacher to study the Word of God, be not ashamed of the Word of God and, rightly divide the Word of God.

2Ti 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

In the end all these positions in the church have only one job.

*****Eph 4:12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:

Eph 4:13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

We can see that accepting the gift of the Holy Spirit in any of these 5 gifts, had a threefold purpose.

For perfecting that body of Saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the Body of Christ.

It is the job of the church to make disciples who will also go out and make disciples.

Not everyone, does God call for any one of these 5 positions, but the truth is:

Every child of God is to do the work of the apostle using the gifts God has given to them.

Every child of God is to do the work of the prophet daily proclaiming the Word of God.

Every child of God is to do the work of the evangelist in reaching out to the lost.

Every child of God is to do the work of the Pastor, caring for that flock that God has given to them.

Every child of God is to do the work of the teacher, teaching the truth of the Word of God to all those he knows.

This is the invisible power of God of God, at work in this world!

Isa_55:11 So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

If every house of God practiced these things the Church would be in unity of the faith.

If you want to measure the growth of the church, it is not in numbers but how these sheep are equipped to be local missionaries!

Spiritual growth is gradual, and some will grow at a faster pace than others and though this growth is silent, it is still the most effective force in this world when properly applied!

We live in a world where some think there should be a variety in the Church and some seek that variety, but the absolute truth is there is only one message from God, and only one Gospel of Jesus Christ!

The Church is the hospital for lost and broken souls, while also being the school for Heaven!

The Holy Spirit is the school bus, but sometimes He must be the emergency vehicle.

We should understand that the Apostle John said Jesus Christ was the Word of God.

Joh 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

The closer we get to the Word of God the closer we get to perfection and the more we will resemble the Lord Jesus Christ who is already Perfect!

Jesus Christ is still our only model for the Christian life, though far too many have rejected this!

Amen

Let's Pray!