Sunday, November 25, 2012

Bible Study - Through the Looking Glass 3


Hi Everyone

We are continuing on this series, Through the Looking Glass.  This is part 3.  I would encourage you to download the audio for the other 2 earlier parts so this part makes more sense.

Meantime, here is this week's audio.  Enjoy and be blessed.  And share the blessing!

Chris


Hosea 4:6a My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. (NKJV)

Truly Born Again, Truly a New Creation
I AM a New Creation.  All the Old, what I see in my five senses, is no longer the reality.  A higher reality of who I am has taken over.  This reality must sink in to us.
2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. (NKJV)
I am not the person you know me to be anymore.  In the spirit, I am like Christ and as I focus on this, I am on my way to being renewed into the likeness of Him.
2 Corinthians 5:16 Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer. (NKJV)

Therefore do not see me as who I am in the flesh any longer.  See in me what Christ has accomplished, even if you don’t see it naturally.  Life could have dealt me a raw deal but that doesn't matter anymore.  That is not who I am.  Who I am has been made new.  My identity is now in the finished work of Jesus on the Cross.
More importantly, don’t regard yourself according to the flesh.  Don’t put yourself down.  You are worthy of the blood of Christ, so don’t call yourself anything less than what He died to make you become.
King, priest, son, daughter, one with Him for all of eternity.
Really Like Christ
You are like Christ on earth.  He is ONE with you.  Live out your life from who you are as a child of God, not who you think you ought to be.   
1 Corinthians 6:17 But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him. (NKJV)
1 John 4:17 Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. (NKJV)

The day the devil saw that happen after killing Jesus and watching Him resurrect, he went on to plan B.  He started to deceive the Christians telling them they are not who they really are in the spirit, by telling them they are who they are in the flesh.  Christians then fall prey to that and start regarding one another in the flesh.
Really Have All Things
We are like Christ - we have all things in Him.  
We are blessed with every spiritual blessing.
All the blessings are in the realm of the spirit, the heavenly places.
Ephesians 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, (NKJV)

Really Can Do All Things
We can do all things. 
Philippians 4:12 I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. 13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. (NKJV)
A big part of doing all things in this context is being able to tough out all things.  When we are dead to ourselves, the things of the world just don’t matter much to us anymore.
Can Expect to Do Better Than Christ
We can expect to do greater things than even Jesus.
John 14:12 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. (NKJV)
This is in God’s Word and we cannot ignore it.
The spirit realm is the real realm.  The realm of the seen is not the real realm.  Going back to the blind man analogy, some things are best discerned by hearing, like music or sounds, but most things in life need our sight to discern.
In like manner, most things in life can be accomplished by the five senses, but things of eternal value can only come from walking in the spirit.
Live in the Spirit = Walk by Faith
We walk by faith and not by sight.  Sight and your five senses complement your faith, not the other way around.
2 Corinthians 5:7 For we walk by faith, not by sight. (NKJV)

Faith comes by hearing the Word of God.  Entry into the Spiritual realm is by the Word of God.
The more we know God in His Word, the more we can walk by faith and are walking in the spirit.
Recall that the spirit and the flesh are in a battle for the mind.  What we feed the mind is very important.  The more we feed it fleshly stuff, the more carnal minded we become.  The more we feed it spiritual stuff, the more spirit-minded we are.
Only One Way to Do This
There is only one kind of spiritual food that you can feed your mind.
Matthew 4:4 But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ (NKJV)

God is not found in a diet of Christian posters and sayings alone.  This is like eating only processed food all the time.
God is not found in looking at the experiences in life alone.  All can have their benefits, but it is like eating a meal made up only of condiments and sauces.  There is no staple and you cannot live on that.
Live IN the Word
The Word is the Bread.  Jesus is the bread of life.  He is the sustenance of our lives and He is found best in the Word.  Trying to find Him anywhere else is a lot tougher, for He has revealed Himself clearly in the Word already. We saw this last week.  
John 8:31 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. (NKJV)
We are not His disciples if we do not abide in His Word. Abiding means living.  We can’t say we live in a certain home if we don’t know what it looks like or where it is.  We need to know the Word like we know our homes!  We need to live in the Word.  We can’t live outside of it until it rains when we come in.  We live in it all the time and we go out to work and play, but home is where we live.  The Word should be our home.  Without this, we are not truly His disciples, if we don't know the Word.
John 8:32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (NKJV)
We will never know the truth and will always be in bondage.
We cannot replace getting into a relationship with God in His Word with any other Christian activity.  No amount of fellowship, no amount of prayer meetings, no amount of church attendance, no outreach will ever replace your need for a relationship with God in His Word.
When we get into the Word, we get washed by the water of the Word and are purified.  Our minds start to see what the Spirit is really all about (glory to glory) and we want to seek to do that which we were created for.  Like a child growing up, we want to take on more responsibilities in the Kingdom of God.  We will want to be with other like-minded (kingdom minded) people (fellowship).  We will want to enforce the victory of the kingdom here on earth, telling the problems about God (prayer), we will want to gather corporately to worship and encourage (church attendance), we will want to see more people set free like we have (outreach).
The more we get into the Word and realise who we are in Jesus, the more start to grow.  If we can stay in church for 5, 10, 20 years and still face the same issues, it is clear that all the religious exercises we are going through aren't helping.  We are not bearing fruit.  And no amount of pushing, cajoling, pressure, guilt trips, behaviour modification etc will make a tree bear fruit.  It simply needs to start with a seed that fell on the right ground.  Once it grows, it bears fruit.

Monday, November 19, 2012

Bible Study: Through the Looking Glass 2


Hi Everyone
This Bible Study is a continuation of last week’s, so it will be very useful if you go through last week’s (“Through the Looking Glass”) before following on to this one.
Do listen to the audio as you follow the notes below.  
Pray this blesses you!
Chris

God is Spirit
God’s realm is the realm of the Spirit:
John 4:24a God is Spirit…(NKJV)
We were in the same realm in the spirit in the Garden.
God Restored Our Spirits
2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. (NKJV)
We are redeemed, restored.  Like a home destroyed by fire, we were rebuilt from the ground up, completely new again.
We Still Live in the Flesh…
Galatians 2:20 (fragment) …the life which I now live in the flesh…(NKJV)
In our analogy of the blind man, the other “4 senses” continue to operate, even when we start to see.  There are things that a blind person continues to use his hearing for, even if his sight has been restored, like listening to people speaking or listening to music.  However, his sense of sight dominates, so that he can tell is he is hearing a man talking or a recording of a man talking to him being.  If like fashion, our 5 senses are OK as long as they are driven by our awareness of what is in the spirit, the realm of walking by faith, not sight.
…but now have FULL Access to the Spirit 
Things of the spirit are more important than things on the earth, just like what we see is more important than what we hear.  However, while we have full access, it takes us believing in God’s Word bit by bit to start to see clearer and clearer, like a blind man having his vision restored for the first time, a little at a time.
That’s why Paul says 
Colossians 3:2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. (NKJV)
This is our task.  It won’t happen without our wills.
Jesus said
Matthew 6:19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. (NKJV)
The laying up part is ours to do.  This is done by seeking the things of the Kingdom and God’s righteousness (Matthew 6:33).
The Word is the Access
John 6:63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. (NKJV)
The Word is the entry point into the things of the spirit.  Things that do not add toward eternal purposes have no value.  We need to be constantly conscious of this.
John 8:31 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. 32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (NKJV)
This word was for the believing Jews.  If we live in His Word, we are His disciples.  If we don’t actively seek Him in His Word, we cannot be considered to be His disciples.  We might be Christians by name, but disciples need to know His Word.
Every area of truth that we know intimately, the things that become our nature, sets us free in that area.  If we have learnt that it is better to give than to receive, for example, and because we take that into us so much that it becomes our nature to be generous because of this promise of our Lord, we become free from the bondage of covetousness.  We start to operate in the blessing of the promise!
Who Do You See in the Mirror?
2 Corinthians 3:18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. (NKJV)
Each time we encounter God in the Word, we are seeing ourselves as we really are in the Spirit.  We start to realize that what our other senses have been telling us isn’t always true.  It’s like a blind prince who was convinced by those around him that he was a poor beggar from birth.  Once he starts to see that he is really a prince, his outlook in life, the way he thinks and operates, will start to change.  The only difference is that the huge gap from being a mere human being to being a son of God, filled with the Holy Spirit, is an infinitely greater jump, something that will take us all of eternity to fathom!
In the Looking Glass – The New You
1 John 4:17 Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. (NKJV)
It is mind blowing, but we are like Christ in this world.  That’s why Jesus had the right to send us as the Father sent Him!  
John 20:21 So Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” (NKJV)
It would otherwise be very unfair!  Know this, that there is great power in us because of the Holy Spirit in us that we need to tap into:
Ephesians 1:19 and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power (NKJV)
Ephesians 3:20 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, (NKJV)
But is works according to our belief.  If we aren't fully convinced that we are God’s sons or daughters, if we still see ourselves as unworthy, incapable, we won’t enjoy this.  It is not us, but Him working in us.
Spiritual Maturity
1 Corinthians 2:6 However, we speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. 7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, 8 which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9 But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” 
God in us gives us tremendous wisdom, not the wisdom of the world, but His wisdom.  God ordained the wisdom for us, for our glory! Such is the goodness of God!
Many will read verse 9 and conclude that these great things are not for us to know, but when we read verse 10, it says:
10 But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. 

God has revealed them to us through His Spirit, yes even the deep things of God!
11 For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. 
God has shared freely with us His Spirit and the knowledge of the deep thoughts that He has.  We are truly one with Him, and according to our belief, can start to understand His thoughts richly!
Each person is the master of his very own deepest thoughts. Imagine if someone could tap into your brain and see your deepest thoughts, your motivations, your fears. Would that make you feel vulnerable?
In the same way, no one knows the very deepest thoughts of God, except the Spirit of God, yet He has shared these with us! God is so pure and holy that He has NO fear in sharing these with us!
All His thoughts are good, holy and pure Jeremiah 29:11 and His will for us is good, acceptable (well-pleasing) and complete, consummate and perfect Romans 12:2 .
Philippians 3: 12 Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. (NKJV)
Which is why Paul was always pressing on.  We never arrive, but we must be on our way.
We will never have this whole relationship with God figured out but we must never stop!
Philemon 1:4 I thank my God, making mention of you always in my prayers, 5 hearing of your love and faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus and toward all the saints, 6 that the sharing of your faith may become effective by the acknowledgment of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus. (NKJV)
Paul praises Philemon, saying that it is in the acknowledging of every good thing in him because of the finished work of Christ that makes his sharing of faith effective.
Ask yourself, apart the promise of salvation, what other good thing came into your life because of Jesus’ finished work on the Cross?  As we start to know more and more, the sharing of our faith becomes increasingly effective.
Spiritual maturity is marked by knowing who you are in Him, what He has made you to be!
1 Corinthians 2:13 These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15 But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. 16 For “who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ. (NKJV)
These are spiritually discerned, from the Word of God.  We can actually, through the Word of God, “instruct” God in His promises.  Truly, we have the mind of God and this manifests more and more as we are renewed in our thinking by His Word (Rom 12:2).
Spiritual Immaturity
1 Corinthians 3:1 And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. 2 I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; 3 for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men? (NKJV)
If our lives on earth as Jesus’ disciples do not differ from those around us, then we are carnal.  If there is envy, strife and division, if our lives are just as defeated, depressed and we as discouraged as the next guy outside, it means we really need to get into God’s Word more, live by the Spirit and start to realize more who we are in Him.
Get Into the Spirit: Get Into the Word
The Parable of the Sower and Soils is often viewed from the perspective of salvation; who hears and gets saved.  However, I believe it is richer than that.  Each area of the Word sets us free in that area according to the same principles of this parable.
Matthew 13:19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside. (NKJV)
Areas we hear but don't understand are areas the devil steals.  All in not lost – we can continue to sow and sow again.  When we put ourselves in a position to be sowed on, by reading the Word, coming for Bible studies (esp. on Friday Nights  ), listening to good sermon messages, we will be sowed on again and again and it gives the devil less chance to steal!
Matthew 13:20 But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; 21 yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles. (NKJV)
When we hear, we must listen.  We must take the Word into our hearts by thinking and meditating on these, letting them play in our mind.  This is the process of growing roots.  The part we have to be grounded in is in the love of Christ (Eph 3:17).  Once the roots grow, we won’t wither away.
Matthew 13:22 Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. (NKJV)
This is laying up treasure.  We must be determined not to let the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke. 
These cares and deceit are the pot-banging the devil does next to the blind in the spirit to scare them.  If we keep our eyes focused on what we see in the Spirit, we won't be frightened and we won’t be this type of soil.
Note that the devil does not seek to choke our church attendance, our serving in ministry, not even good works we do in our own strength.  He goes for the jugular for he knows what matters – he seeks to choke the Word!
Matthew 13:23 But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.” (NKJV)
When we stay in the Word and refuse to let go, when we walk by what we see in the Word, when the Word takes root in our lives, changes the way we think and eventually the way we act, we start to bear fruit!  It is a process, not a one-time event.  That’s why Paul says to “press on”!
The Take Away
  • The realm of the spirit is the real realm.  Flesh profits nothing.
  • Understanding the things of the Spirit is growing into maturity.  We NEED to understand this process to grow in the Lord. This is laying up
  • Accessing things of the spirit is getting a hold of what God has already done in us in the spirit through the finished work of Christ and living by faith in these.  If He said it is done, we believe it is done and we walk by these.
  • Spiritual truths cannot be accessed by the carnal mind, no more than colour can be expressed to a man blind from birth.  
  • The more we lay hold of that which Christ laid hold of us (in the spirit realm), the more we are growing into maturity.
  • We need to understand more and more the things that are ours because of the Cross.


Sunday, November 11, 2012

Bible Study: Through the Looking Glass


Hi Everyone
Here's our latest Bible Study.  You can download the audio here.
Be blessed!
Chris

Blind and Fooled
The one who denies God is a fool.  He is like the blind man depending only on his ears and other senses, trying to figure out the world. This is foolishness in the midst of people who can see.
Psalm 53:1 The fool has said in his heart,“There is no God.” They are corrupt, and have done abominable iniquity; There is none who does good. (NKJV)
All for Futility
The Bible clearly tells us that this is an exercise in futility:
Ephesians 4:17 This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, (NKJV)
The Beginning of Wisdom
Until we believe God and His saving grace, we walk in the futility of our minds.  We are like blind men going through life only with the knowledge based on 4 senses, no sight.
Proverbs  9:10 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. (NKJV)
God is Spirit
God’s realm is the realm of the Spirit:
John 4:24a God is Spirit…(NKJV)
We were in the same realm in the spirit in the Garden.
Our Spirits Died
Genesis 2:16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” (NKJV)
Adam was separated from God and this is death in the spirit.  His body was still in much better shape than ours, having lived over 900 years.

Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, (NKJV)
The problem is universal – without Jesus, we are all dead spirits on a terminal experience in the body.
God Restored Our Spirits
Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, (NKJV)
God sent His Son to die for us that we might be restored into His image in the spirit.  
2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. (NKJV)
Our bodies and minds didn't change when we got saved.  Our spirits got reborn, made new.  Born again!
Now we are alive in the Spirit.  The spirit realm is not a spooky realm.  It is the real realm God and we are to exist in it.  This is walking in the Spirit.
We Still Live in the Flesh…
Galatians 2:20 (fragment) …the life which I now live in the flesh…(NKJV)
The other “4 senses” continue to operate, even when we start to see.
…but now have FULL Access to the Spirit 
Things of the spirit are more important than things on the earth, just like what we see is more important than what we hear.
That’s why Paul says 
Colossians 3:2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. (NKJV)
This is our task.  It won’t happen without our wills.
The Word is the Access
John 6:63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. (NKJV)
The Word is the entry point into the things of the spirit.  When we read the Word in faith, we start to encounter God in the spirit realm.
We need to walk by faith in the Word we hear:
2 Corinthians 5:7 For we walk by faith, not by sight. (NKJV)

2 Corinthians 5:7 For we live by believing and not by seeing. (NLT)
Who Do You See in the Mirror?
The Word is not a pair of glasses.  It is a mirror.  We need to know who we are in Christ first.  When we realise what He has done for us, who He has made us to be (one with Him) we realise His love more and more.
2 Corinthians 3:18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. (NKJV)
Each time we encounter God in the Word, we are seeing ourselves as we really are in the Spirit.  We catch a glimpse of the glory in us:
John 17:22 And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: (NKJV)
We see Christ in us!
Colossians 1:27 … Christ in you, the hope of glory. (NKJV)
He put Himself in you and is the power in you!  The Creator of the Universe, the Heavens and the Earth has made His home in you!
You can try beating people to not sin, but if they don't know why they are Christians, who they really are, they will always be going in circles.
We need to access the spiritual truths provided in His love by the spirit.  See the truths of the real realm, not the lies of the false one.  No longer live like the blind man, being fooled by the devil, but live by the truths that we see in the spirit.
In the Looking Glass – The New You
Here’s a quick cross section, just a glimpse:
1 John 4:17 Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. (NKJV)

You are like Christ in this world.  He is the one who said that as the Father has sent Him, He sends us.
Now we can believe all the truths in the Bible, because we know it is in Him in the Spirit!
Righteousness, Holiness, able to do all things etc. 
Romans 3:21 But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22 even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, (NKJV)

2 Corinthians 5:21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. (NKJV)

1 Corinthians 1:30 But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption— (NKJV)

1 Corinthians 6:11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God. (NKJV)
I thought the devil or my brain kept telling me I was dirty, that I wasn't worthy? Looking in the mirror, I see God’s glory has made me worthy, righteous like Christ, holy!

Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. (NKJV)
No I can’t; unless I look in the mirror and see that God is in me, the immense generator of power to do His will!
Ephesians 1:19 and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power (NKJV)
Ephesians 3:20 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, (NKJV)
Walking by faith, believing the Word of God’s goodness as my “sight” above the 5 senses, releases this power.
Mark 11:22 So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God. 23 For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. 24 Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them. (NKJV)
Speak to the mountain and believe.  This comes from knowing who you are, not from what you say.  When you know who you are in Him, when you believe it, what you say will be powerful.
Mark 11:22 Jesus was matter-of-fact: “Embrace this God-life. Really embrace it, (The Message)
Realise that is who you are.  It is not about doing.  It is about realizing and being.
Don’t Forget What You Look Like!
James 1:23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; 24 for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. 25 But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does. (NKJV)

1 Peter 2:1 Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, 2 as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, 3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious. (NKJV)
Keep looking into the Word, seeing who you are in His glory, seeing Christ in you.
It’s Brave New World
Galatians 5:16 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. (NKJV)
Your “sight” and your “hearing” contradict each other.  Believe in the “sight” and be led by your newfound “vision” not your “hearing”.  Walk by faith in this newfound “vision”.

2 Corinthians 10:3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, (NKJV)
Our problems in life look very different when we see them in the Spirit, when we “see” instead of “hear”.  So when Christ says you are righteous, and your mind screams otherwise, we need to bring our thoughts in line with scriptures, to the obedience of Christ.
Paul actually exhorts us to know people only after the new creation:
2 Corinthians 5:16 Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer. (NKJV)

The Take-Away
  • The realm of the spirit is the real realm.  God is Spirit
  • We have been completely restored in this realm
  • We see Christ who is in us forever when we encounter God in the Word
  • Stay in the Word – focus on and remember who He said we are
  • See everything in the spiritual – our worldview will be with God’s wisdom

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Bible Study: 1 Timothy 6:6


Hi Everyone

Here's the notes for our latest Bible Study on 1 Tim 6:6.
You can access the audio here.  You can also download all the audio here.

Be blessed!

Chris


1 Timothy 6:6 Now godliness with contentment is great gain. (NKJV)
Contentment 
Our Identity
Our security should only be in His love.  We must identify ourselves ONLY in His love.  Outside of this, we will always be less than contented. Insecure, a sitting duck for the devil.
Unfortunately, many of us identify ourselves with many things outside of His love.  Many of these things are not right or wrong, it is just that when we FIND OUR IDENTITY in them that we get into trouble.  Examples:
  • Career – I am a [abc title]
  • Money – I have great wealth
  • Position – I am socially regarded or have control
  • Education – I have xyz qualification
  • Looks – I am beautiful, have physique
  • Fame – I am known for [blah blah]
  • Relationships – I am someone’s beloved
  • Abilities – can do things better than others
  • Ministry – I can serve God better, God needs me more
  • Failures – I can never do anything right
  • Sickness – I am a [name of disease]
  • What else can you name?
We Need to Be Identified in Him Alone
Paul says:
Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. (NKJV)
The REAL TEST is to ask yourself what you would be like if things were taken from you – career, positions, relationships, ministries etc.
Like Paul, we must dare to say that we’ve been crucified, that all that matters is the love of Christ in our lives.  We truly need realise that we are dead to old selves, alive to Christ.
Romans 6:11 Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (NKJV)
We are dead to sin – we don’t have to go there anymore.  We only have to know His love for us, and what He has made us to be in the Spirit.  We will deal with the Spirit part under “godliness”.
We need to know His love for us.
Anytime we don’t, we will start to find out satisfaction outside of Him, finding our contentment elsewhere.  When we cannot get this, then we become DISCONTENTED.
Not contented = discontented = contentious
Then will arise strife and from strife comes every evil work:
James 3:16 For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. (KJV)

“Strife” is translated as self-seeking in the NKJV which is true, because it has its roots in discontentment, something I don’t have/don’t like.
James 3:16 For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. (NKJV)
We need to find our contentment in Him and Him alone.
Godliness
Be discontented only with the things of God
Being godly is seeking to know God.  God is infinite and we will never finish getting to know His infinite goodness to us:
Psalm 63:1
O God, You are my God; 
Early will I seek You; 
My soul thirsts for You; 
My flesh longs for You 
In a dry and thirsty land 
Where there is no water. 
2 So I have looked for You in the sanctuary, 
To see Your power and Your glory. 
3 Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, 
My lips shall praise You. 
4 Thus I will bless You while I live; 
I will lift up my hands in Your name. 
5 My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness, 
And my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips. (NKJV)

This was David’s most precious trait to God – he sought God with all his heart.  He never stopped seeking Him, no matter what.  He was never satisfied.
Matthew 6:19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (NKJV)

Who lays up? Us!  We can do so proactively.  It doesn't happen till we start to put a priority to the things of God.  Our hearts follow our priorities, not the other way around.
More Verses:
Matthew 6:31 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. (NKJV)
Seek to know the Truth
Seek God, not do good.  One results in the other, not the other way around.  Seeking God results in understanding, in wisdom.
Psalm 14:2 The Lord looks down from heaven upon the children of men, To see if there are any who understand, who seek God. (NKJV)

3 John 1:4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth. (NKJV)
Nothing I desire more!  If this doesn't happen, all else is of no meaning.  We cannot replace the knowledge of God with anything else.  From knowing God comes all other aspects of life.  Anything else means God is not the centre and things are out of balance.
What IS the Truth?
Truth is a person. His name is Jesus.
John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. (NKJV)
It is not a creed, a set of doctrines a religion or even a set of values.  It is a relationship.
Colossians 3:2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. (NKJV)
The Spiritual realm is the truth. The earthly realm is fraught with lies (deaf person analogy).
Be increasingly interested in the things of God. This is the real realm.  In the spirit realm is where the promises of God are.
The Spiritual Realm, The Kingdom
Ephesians 1:17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, 18 the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power 20 which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. (NKJV)

The spiritual realm, the Kingdom of Heaven, is here and is now.  When we don’t realise it, we are like the blind man being fooled by sounds, unable to see the true reality.  The devil in a sense makes a lot of noises to scare these “blind” people to imagine things which are not, because in the spiritual realm, it all has already been accomplished by the blood of Jesus. 
All bought by the blood of Jesus because of His love for us.
The Word of God is the door, the entry into the Spiritual Realm.
John 6:63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. (NKJV)
Belief is the key, that’s why we walk by faith, not by sight.  When we believe, we start are like that blind person starting to see a little at a time and we start to see the truth, how we are constantly being fooled by what our ears hear and our decisions are now marked by Truth, not deceiving noises.
Believe in the Spiritual, the Kingdom
Romans 10:17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. (NKJV)
Galatians 5:6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love. (NKJV)
Ephesians 3:17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, (NKJV)
This is why Paul says to know no man after the flesh (2 Cor 5:16) and can call the Corinthian Church “saints”.
Seek the Kingdom
Kingdom of Heaven is here on earth, in us.  Find out about His glory in us and be changed.
2 Corinthians 3:18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. (NKJV)
This is us like the blind man, starting to see a little bit at a time and starting to realise the truth in the spirit, how the reality of who we are in Christ is so incredible.
Ephesians 3:19 to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. (NKJV)
This was all purchased at the Cross and made manifest when we start to realise the love of Christ. Seek to know what happened at the Cross, what Jesus had purchased for us.
Philippians 3:12 Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. 13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you. 16 Nevertheless, to the degree that we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us be of the same mind. (NKJV)

Press on – lay hold of EVERYTHING that Christ already laid hold of for us in the Spirit realm.  Forget the past!  You can’t change it.  Be mature in your thinking and do this.
Great Gain
Full of God
Ephesians 3:19 to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. (NKJV)
I want to be full of God.  This statement is either true or false.  If it is false, I’d rather leave it behind than endure a lifetime of trying to “be a good Christian”.  I don’t want to go circles as a Christian, attending church every Sunday and feeling like anyone else for the other days for the rest of my life.
Acts 6:3 Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business; (NKJV)

Acts 7:55 But he [Stephen], being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, (NKJV)
Stephen was full of God’s love, that he could pray for his enemies as they stoned him.

Acts 13:9 Then Saul, who also is called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him (NKJV)
[Acts 13:10 and said, “O full of all deceit and all fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease perverting the straight ways of the Lord? 11 And now, indeed, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you shall be blind, not seeing the sun for a time.” And immediately a dark mist fell on him, and he went around seeking someone to lead him by the hand. 12 Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had been done, being astonished at the teaching of the Lord. (NKJV)]
Paul was full of the love of God to preach the word to the proconsul.  He stood against spiritual forces in his way of this.  His will was God’s will.  They were one in the Spirit.
Acts 4:31 And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness. (NKJV)
Fruit of the Spirit
Ephesians 5:18 And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, (NKJV)

Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. (NKJV)

When you know His love more and more, you become full of God, full of the Spirit and you will see the Fruit of the Spirit manifest.
You will walk more like Him, with great power.  The signs follow the believers.
Mark 16:17 And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; 18 they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” (NKJV)
We can pull down scriptures to the level of our experience and warm pews for the rest of our lives or we can sit up and say this is true and allow the Father to rock the world with His glory revealed in Jesus.
The Take Away
  • Find your identity, your contentment in all that Jesus has done for you
  • Seek to know the Truth’s of the spirit realm, the Kingdom, the REAL reality
  • Seek to know Him and His love
  • Be filled with His goodness – manifest Him to a lost and dying world
  • PRESS IN – forget the past