4/21/22
 |
| In loving memory of my father Robert Louis (Bob) Padgett July 28, 1931-May 22, 2023 |
The purpose for this message is hopefully to set forth a clear vision of the need we all have in this hour for God's direction in our life on earth. However, we need to be careful that we do not fall into the trap of a me-centered Christianity. Therefore, we will focus primarily on God's purpose for Himself.
The calling of God is according to His own purpose and grace. Note that "purpose and grace" are two things, not one. We come to God as a response to His call in our lives. We Christians did not initiate the search. We do not find God. He finds us, so we must respond to His call when we sense it. Whoever God calls, He calls them to a holy purpose and a holy life, which is the nature and life of Jesus. It is Christ in you, the hope of glory. It is no accident that His purpose comes before His grace, so unless we understand and cooperate with His purpose for creating man, then we will always interpret God's work as it benefits and relates to us. If we desire to be firmly rooted and grounded in our Sure Foundation, we need to understand something about the plan and purpose of God for Himself. Many of us Christians seem to have a selfish outlook on life. We want to interpret the Bible as it relates to me .... salvation for me, blessings for me, healing for me, deliverance for me, gifts for me, ministry for me, safety for me now, and a ticket to heaven for me in the "sweet by and by." This approach gives us a distorted view of the Bible, of life, and its meaning. This approach will also lead to doctrinal errors.
Man wants to begin everything with himself, but the Bible begins with God: In the beginning, God ... in the end, God. Everywhere in between the beginning and the end, God. We need to see everything as it relates to God and His purpose. What is God's purpose?
God knew from the very beginning that Adam would fall into sin (disobedience), so God's ultimate purpose for man is not simply redemptive in nature. God lives in the eternal "now." God never had a "backup" plan; He never had a "Plan B" in case man was disobedient. Calvary was never an afterthought. No man, except the Man Christ Jesus, could ever keep the law. Likewise, no man, except Christ Jesus, can ever live the Christian life. Anything that focuses on the first Adam, the flesh and blood human being, misses the mark.
Was it God's will for the first Adam to sin? No! But He knew what the first Adam would do. Note that His purpose was given to us in Christ Jesus before the world began and certainly before He created man. Ephesians 1:4, as well as other verses, verifies that truth. The Father always had in His master plan that the last Adam would have dominion over all. Calvary was never an afterthought or backup contingency. In order to appropriate our Sure Foundation, we need to start with God and who He IS. In most churches the emphasis is placed on what God has done for us rather than on His person and His purpose for Himself. That was the major battle when Jesus walked the face of the earth. Although many could accept His works, the religious elite of the day refused to accept who He was! Human nature has never changed so that is still the major battle today.
As we said before, Scripture is very orderly. The word, "purpose" in 2 Timothy 2:9 appears before the word "grace." Therefore, we can say that His purpose is even more important than His grace. The grace of God is, without any doubt, marvelous in our sight and an inexhaustible expression of God towards us, but grace is for man ... for you and for me. I am sure that many ministers have spent many hours teaching about the grace of God, without which we are all helpless. Grace is His enabling power by which we can fulfill His purpose for creating and making us. However, God needs no grace for Himself. Grace is a means toward an end ... so that the purpose of God might be fulfilled in our life. He has saved us (by His grace) and called us with a holy calling according to His own purpose. We have not been saved for our pleasure, not for our benefit, not so we can be blessed, not for our prosperity on earth, not for our purposes, not for our comfort, and not so that we can go to heaven one day. We have been saved for His purpose. Any other reason for our salvation misses the mark.
Job, Chapter 1 says that Job was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil. Job also was the greatest of all the men of the east.
Every day of our Christian lives there is more spiritual truth that God wants us to see, but that is not what Verse 17 is saying. Paul prayed that the Father would give us "the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Christ." The Holy Spirit is that "Spirit of wisdom and revelation." From Verse 15 the Ephesian believers had faith in the Lord Jesus and love unto all the saints. Those are two prerequisites to receive the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him. That is far greater and more important than revelation of the meaning of Scripture. Many believers have written books about faith. Faith means surrender to the direction of the Lord through the Holy Spirit. The Ephesians practiced love unto all the saints, not just those who agreed with their interpretation of Scripture. Love is not just an emotional, sentimental feeling. A good definition of love is that I treat you in the same way that God treats me. God knows everything about you and me and every Christian. His desire for us is that we might come to know and enjoy Him forever.
What, then, is the "hope" of Christ's calling? It is the absolute confidence that God will perform His promises. It is the sure expectation that we will one day receive glorified bodies. 2 Corinthians 5:8 says that for the Christian, "to be absent from the body" is "to be present with the Lord." That is a wonderful hope for every believer. In Titus 2:13, the "blessed hope" is the hope that we will one day receive a new body which is free of sin, and live in heaven for eternity with a holy God. When we allow the Holy Spirit to enlighten our heart about this truth, it will radically affect the way we live our life. When we really understand the "hope of His calling," we will not be content to wait until the Resurrection Day to be free of sins. Of course, we will never be free of our sinful nature until that day; however, if we long and yearn for the day when we will be made completely holy, then we will strive to be holy right now! The Apostle Paul hated his sin. He couldn't wait to be rid of his old, sinful body. He couldn't wait for the Resurrection Day. Is this our desire? Are our eyes of understanding enlightened to the "hope of His calling"? Our attitude toward those sins in our life is a good indication of whether our eyes are wide open to this truth or not!
The second spiritual reality that Paul wants us to see is the riches of the glory of the Father's inheritance. Verse 11 of Isaiah 1 speaks of the believer's inheritance in Christ. What is God's inheritance? After all, God created everything, and everything belongs to Him. If everything already belongs to Him, how can any part of His creation come to Him as an "inheritance"?
God created all things: yet, there is a portion of His creation that is still controlled by God's enemy, Satan. In Luke 4:1-6, Satan said that the kingdoms of the world had been "delivered unto" him! This happened in the Garden of Eden, when Adam and Eve sinned. At that point, Satan received dominion over this earth and mankind. That is why Scripture calls him the "god of this world" and the "prince of the power of the air"! That is also why the Bible says that Satan takes lost people "captive at his will." That is why Paul said that God desires for lost people to be turned "from the power of Satan unto God." Until a person receives God's gift of salvation, he belongs to Satan! But here's the good news. Satan's power was broken when Christ died on the cross for our sins. Satan is a defeated enemy. If we have received God's Son (repented of our sins and put our full trust in Him), we have been delivered back to the Father. That means that we believers are His inheritance! We have been delivered to the Father; and He will come into His full inheritance of us when His Son appears in the clouds and gives us our glorified body. We are like a precious jewel to Him, and one day He will gather up His jewels! (Malachi 3:17). When Christ returns to earth, He will cast Satan into the bottomless pit, and will rule on His throne in Mount Zion for 1,000 years; and the overcomers will rule and reign with Him! Have the eyes of our understanding been enlightened to this spiritual reality? Do we really understand just how much God values us as His inherited possession? He bought us back at a tremendous price. He gave all He had to redeem us and to snatch us out of Satan's kingdom. Either we have been delivered back to God or we are still in Satan's kingdom. There is only one way to be translated from Satan's kingdom into God's Kingdom: we must repent (change our thinking about our sins), and turn to Christ. We must believe, with our heart, that His sacrifice for us on the cross is all we need to be saved.
The third spiritual reality that we need to see is "the exceeding greatness of His power to us-ward who believe." We sometimes find ourselves saying (or thinking), "I can't do what God wants me to do. It is beyond my power." Yet, in Christ, we have all the power we need to live the Christian life. Verse 19 is packed with references to "power," which comes from the Greek word dunamis, from which we get our English word "dynamite." God's Word gives many examples of men and women who did great things through the "working" of the Holy Spirit in their lives. The issue is not whether we have the power to live the Christian life - the issue is whether we will use the power that is available to us. All the power that we need is in the Holy Spirit, who lives within us, but we must let Him work ... we must submit to Him. If there is sin in our life that we want to hang onto, and we are not submitting fully to Him, He cannot work His power in us. If we are not communing with God daily, He cannot work His power in us. The power Source is always inside us, and His power never wears down. The only question is, "Is there something in my life that is hindering the Spirit from working His mighty power?" The Power residing within the believer is exceedingly great. It is the same power by which the Father raised His Son from the dead! Why did He say that Christ's resurrection power is the power that energizes the believer? God's creation of the universe was not the basis upon which He was able to redeem us. The resurrection of His Son from the dead is the basis upon which He was able to redeem us, impart a new nature to us, and conform us to His image on the resurrection day! That is why Paul said,
Whatever God has purposed, God will perform. He does not need any help. We found out many years ago that He can do things all by Himself. His purpose will be accomplished. It will be completed on His schedule. Most of the fruitless endeavors we engage in (in the Name of the Lord) are caused by us trying to do what only God can do. That produces only wood, hay, and stubble.
Who helped to bring Jesus Christ on the scene at precisely the right day? Was the world ready for Him to arrive? Did they have the stage set for Him by their extensive preparation? From whom did He seek permission to pour out of His Spirit upon the believers on the day of Pentecost? NO ONE!
Will He ask for or need our help or permission to do the quick work which He has promised to do in the near future? He will do it Himself! I am sure He will be able to get the job done, with or without any help or permission from either you or me. That is the God we worship. The Father will have what He wants, with or without you and with or without me.
God our Father wants a family of children who will grow up to be mature sons, co-heirs with Christ, and joint-reigners with Him in the government of the universe. He WILL have such!!! It is safe to say that it was never God's purpose to create man, save him, and make him "better" or more like Jesus. Anything that emphasizes man is off-center. Whenever man corrupts that which God has done, God never makes that thing "better." Rather He replaces that corrupt thing. The Book of Hebrews has many examples of that truth: the law and grace; the Levitical priesthood and the priesthood after the order of Melchizedek; animal sacrifice and the sinless sacrifice of Jesus at Calvary; the old covenant and the new covenant; the first Adam and the last Adam. Christ in you, the hope of glory. Nothing must be of me. Everything must be of Christ.
Two sets of verses clearly set forth God's purpose.
Some more of the many verses that speak of the fulfillment of the purpose of God are the following.
The Father had so much pleasure in the Son that He desired to have many sons. The Father's purpose in creating man was to have many sons ... to give to the Son a glorious Body in which to express His life, and a family of brothers with whom He might enjoy fellowship. The Father also has declared that in all things the Son shall have pre-eminence.
Does that Verse still apply if we respond to His call but only for MY purposes? In the natural realm if you had one son in whom you found unspeakable delight, would it not be normal as a father to want many more? So it is with Abba, Father, Who by His nature and choice has desired and purposed to have a vast family of human-divine sons who are made in the image of His only begotten Son. Christ in you, the hope of glory.
It was the Father's original intention that man was first to be a created son, enjoying all that God by creation could give him. His intention has never changed and will never change. God then designed before the foundation of the world for man to become a mature son ... to enter into a living union and enjoy sonship by a relationship with Christ ... to be IN Christ. God has planned for man to share many things from Himself as the son by faith appropriates them in his life. Further, we were designed to become heirs of God provided that we choose to suffer with Him.
The Lord currently is still in the process of "making" man in His image. There are numerous references to this truth; e.g., Luke 15:19, the parable of the "prodigal son," where the younger son repented and asked his father to "make" him as one of the hired servants.
Why did God foreordain His purpose for each one of us? That in all things, God might be glorified! What an honor and privilege it is to know, understand, and fulfill our specific calling on earth! How can we know, understand, and fulfill our specific purpose? only by the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit.
As we conclude this word, may it ever be in our heart, "In the beginning, God; in the end, God; and everything in between, God." May the word and call of the Lord in this hour burn within the very depth of our heart. Amen.
2 Timothy 1:9 says that God, "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,"
The calling of God is according to His own purpose and grace. Note that "purpose and grace" are two things, not one. We come to God as a response to His call in our lives. We Christians did not initiate the search. We do not find God. He finds us, so we must respond to His call when we sense it. Whoever God calls, He calls them to a holy purpose and a holy life, which is the nature and life of Jesus. It is Christ in you, the hope of glory. It is no accident that His purpose comes before His grace, so unless we understand and cooperate with His purpose for creating man, then we will always interpret God's work as it benefits and relates to us. If we desire to be firmly rooted and grounded in our Sure Foundation, we need to understand something about the plan and purpose of God for Himself. Many of us Christians seem to have a selfish outlook on life. We want to interpret the Bible as it relates to me .... salvation for me, blessings for me, healing for me, deliverance for me, gifts for me, ministry for me, safety for me now, and a ticket to heaven for me in the "sweet by and by." This approach gives us a distorted view of the Bible, of life, and its meaning. This approach will also lead to doctrinal errors.
Man wants to begin everything with himself, but the Bible begins with God: In the beginning, God ... in the end, God. Everywhere in between the beginning and the end, God. We need to see everything as it relates to God and His purpose. What is God's purpose?
God knew from the very beginning that Adam would fall into sin (disobedience), so God's ultimate purpose for man is not simply redemptive in nature. God lives in the eternal "now." God never had a "backup" plan; He never had a "Plan B" in case man was disobedient. Calvary was never an afterthought. No man, except the Man Christ Jesus, could ever keep the law. Likewise, no man, except Christ Jesus, can ever live the Christian life. Anything that focuses on the first Adam, the flesh and blood human being, misses the mark.
Was it God's will for the first Adam to sin? No! But He knew what the first Adam would do. Note that His purpose was given to us in Christ Jesus before the world began and certainly before He created man. Ephesians 1:4, as well as other verses, verifies that truth. The Father always had in His master plan that the last Adam would have dominion over all. Calvary was never an afterthought or backup contingency. In order to appropriate our Sure Foundation, we need to start with God and who He IS. In most churches the emphasis is placed on what God has done for us rather than on His person and His purpose for Himself. That was the major battle when Jesus walked the face of the earth. Although many could accept His works, the religious elite of the day refused to accept who He was! Human nature has never changed so that is still the major battle today.
As we said before, Scripture is very orderly. The word, "purpose" in 2 Timothy 2:9 appears before the word "grace." Therefore, we can say that His purpose is even more important than His grace. The grace of God is, without any doubt, marvelous in our sight and an inexhaustible expression of God towards us, but grace is for man ... for you and for me. I am sure that many ministers have spent many hours teaching about the grace of God, without which we are all helpless. Grace is His enabling power by which we can fulfill His purpose for creating and making us. However, God needs no grace for Himself. Grace is a means toward an end ... so that the purpose of God might be fulfilled in our life. He has saved us (by His grace) and called us with a holy calling according to His own purpose. We have not been saved for our pleasure, not for our benefit, not so we can be blessed, not for our prosperity on earth, not for our purposes, not for our comfort, and not so that we can go to heaven one day. We have been saved for His purpose. Any other reason for our salvation misses the mark.
Job, Chapter 1 says that Job was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil. Job also was the greatest of all the men of the east.
Job 1:8 says, "And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?"
In four different verses in Ezekiel, Chapter 14, the Lord says, "Though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they should deliver but their own souls by their righteousness, saith the Lord GOD." Why Noah, Daniel, and Job? Why not Moses, Abraham, Samuel, David, or Elijah? Clearly there was something special about Noah, Daniel and Job. Scripture does not tell us anything about the life of Job prior to what is written in chapter 1 of the book of Job. However, we do have a few clues about him. James 5:11 speaks of the patience of Job. More importantly, consider what Job says in
Job 17:11, "My days are past, my purposes are broken off, even the thoughts of my heart."
When Job said, "my days are past," he was not saying it was time for him to die. He was saying that it was no longer time to focus on his own days. When Job said, "my purposes are broken off," he was saying that all of his plans for himself, his wife, and his children were gone. Even the thoughts of his heart for himself and his family were gone. In other words, Job saw the end of me, me, me. But it was not until Job, Chapter 42, that Job saw the centrality, sovereignty, and preeminence of God and repented.
I have read 2 Timothy 1:9 many times and talked about that verse many times. But when I read it last Friday, the significance of one word jumped off the page ... something I have never said or heard in my life. That word was "purpose." 2 Timothy 1:9 speaks of God's purpose, where "purpose" is singular, not purposes, plural. I have not been able to find any verse in the Bible that speaks of God's purposes, plural. That is quite the opposite for man ... quite the opposite for almost all Christians. We have many different purposes, plural. Then, this past Sunday morning, another word in that verse jumped off the page ... the word "His." I highly recommend that every professing Christian read the first chapter of the Book of Ephesians every day until the Spirit of God makes the truth therein a living reality within us. In Ephesians, chapter 1, the words, "He, Him, His, and Himself," which refer either to the Father or the Son, occur 32 times. Further, the reference to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit occurs 17 more times. Ephesians 1, verses 3-14, speak of our spiritual blessings in Christ.
Verses 15-23 speak of the higher vision of God that we so desperately need. Often, when we Christians are faced with some difficult circumstance, we sincerely want to see, understand, and do the will of God, so we may pray from our heart, "Lord, what is your will in this matter?" Of course, the Lord wants to reveal His will to us in every circumstance of our life. But if we take that approach only when we are facing difficult circumstances, then we are missing the mark.
Paul prayed only one time that the Lord would show him the will of God ... when he was first apprehended on the road to Damascus. But after 30 years of ministry, the very first thing that Paul prayed for himself, in Philippians 3:10, was, "that I may know Him." Jesus undoubtedly had seen the lame man spoken of in Acts 3 many times. How did Jesus know that He was not to heal that lame man? Because Jesus, as a Man, always knew the will of the Father because they were One. How did Peter and John know they were to heal the lame man? Why not? because from Daniel 11:32, "the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits." Of course, as we journey on in our walk with the Lord, there will be many times that we pray, "Lord, show me your will in this circumstance." At the same time, we should always be praying, "Lord, show me who You are. Show me the hope of Your calling." Surely the Lord wants to reveal Himself to us more than we want to do His will. Knowing the Lord is more important than anything else. That does not mean knowing about the Lord; it means an intimate knowledge which exceeds the knowing of a man for his wife. Knowing the will of God is a byproduct of knowing Him. Now let us turn to Ephesians, Chapter 1 and verse 15.
I have read 2 Timothy 1:9 many times and talked about that verse many times. But when I read it last Friday, the significance of one word jumped off the page ... something I have never said or heard in my life. That word was "purpose." 2 Timothy 1:9 speaks of God's purpose, where "purpose" is singular, not purposes, plural. I have not been able to find any verse in the Bible that speaks of God's purposes, plural. That is quite the opposite for man ... quite the opposite for almost all Christians. We have many different purposes, plural. Then, this past Sunday morning, another word in that verse jumped off the page ... the word "His." I highly recommend that every professing Christian read the first chapter of the Book of Ephesians every day until the Spirit of God makes the truth therein a living reality within us. In Ephesians, chapter 1, the words, "He, Him, His, and Himself," which refer either to the Father or the Son, occur 32 times. Further, the reference to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit occurs 17 more times. Ephesians 1, verses 3-14, speak of our spiritual blessings in Christ.
Verses 15-23 speak of the higher vision of God that we so desperately need. Often, when we Christians are faced with some difficult circumstance, we sincerely want to see, understand, and do the will of God, so we may pray from our heart, "Lord, what is your will in this matter?" Of course, the Lord wants to reveal His will to us in every circumstance of our life. But if we take that approach only when we are facing difficult circumstances, then we are missing the mark.
Paul prayed only one time that the Lord would show him the will of God ... when he was first apprehended on the road to Damascus. But after 30 years of ministry, the very first thing that Paul prayed for himself, in Philippians 3:10, was, "that I may know Him." Jesus undoubtedly had seen the lame man spoken of in Acts 3 many times. How did Jesus know that He was not to heal that lame man? Because Jesus, as a Man, always knew the will of the Father because they were One. How did Peter and John know they were to heal the lame man? Why not? because from Daniel 11:32, "the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits." Of course, as we journey on in our walk with the Lord, there will be many times that we pray, "Lord, show me your will in this circumstance." At the same time, we should always be praying, "Lord, show me who You are. Show me the hope of Your calling." Surely the Lord wants to reveal Himself to us more than we want to do His will. Knowing the Lord is more important than anything else. That does not mean knowing about the Lord; it means an intimate knowledge which exceeds the knowing of a man for his wife. Knowing the will of God is a byproduct of knowing Him. Now let us turn to Ephesians, Chapter 1 and verse 15.
15 Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints,16 Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers;17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him:
Every day of our Christian lives there is more spiritual truth that God wants us to see, but that is not what Verse 17 is saying. Paul prayed that the Father would give us "the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Christ." The Holy Spirit is that "Spirit of wisdom and revelation." From Verse 15 the Ephesian believers had faith in the Lord Jesus and love unto all the saints. Those are two prerequisites to receive the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him. That is far greater and more important than revelation of the meaning of Scripture. Many believers have written books about faith. Faith means surrender to the direction of the Lord through the Holy Spirit. The Ephesians practiced love unto all the saints, not just those who agreed with their interpretation of Scripture. Love is not just an emotional, sentimental feeling. A good definition of love is that I treat you in the same way that God treats me. God knows everything about you and me and every Christian. His desire for us is that we might come to know and enjoy Him forever.
18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of His calling, and what the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,
Paul's prayer request for us is that the eyes of our understanding would be enlightened. We sometimes say, "Boy, this revelation is a real eye-opener. That truth or reality was there all the time, but for some reason, I didn't see the truth before, but now I do." The word "eyes" in scripture usually talks about seeing spiritual realities. For example, Jesus said in
Matthew 6:22-23, "The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye is evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness."
In other words, the eye is like the "gateway" to our mind and soul. If our eye is "single" or primarily focused on Christ, we will be filled with spiritual light, but if our eye is focused on sinful things, then we are allowing spiritual darkness into our soul. Because we are all sinners by nature, every single one of us is born into this world with an eye that is "evil," and gravitates toward darkness. An unsaved man is blinded by his own sins and full of darkness. He cannot see or understand spiritual truth, even when he is exposed to it. Moreover, the god of this world, Satan, does all in his power to keep men in darkness. Jesus often described the condition of lost men by saying, "Having eyes, they see not." In Acts 26:18, Paul explained to King Agrippa that God's purpose for the Gentiles was "to open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God." When a lost man responds to the Gospel, repents and believes on Christ, his eyes are immediately opened. For the first time in his life, he sees Christ as his Lord and Savior. Spiritual truths which his blind mind had never comprehended suddenly become as clear as the noonday, and he wonders how he could not have understood them before.
Paul prayed that the Holy Spirit would enable us to see three extremely important spiritual realities. The first spiritual reality that Paul wants us to see is the hope of the Father's calling. When we really see and understand "the hope of His calling," it will radically change the way we live! In the New Testament, almost every time the word "hope" is used, it is used to describe the "hope" that a Christian has. When people use the word "hope" in everyday speech, they usually do not use it in the way that it is used in Scripture. When people say, "I hope that this or that thing will happen," what they usually mean is, "That's what I want to happen, but I'm not sure that it will happen." However, that is not what "hope" means when it is used in the Bible in reference to believers. For us believers, there is no uncertainty in the word "hope." If God has promised something, then it is a settled matter. Though the fulfilment of the promise may be many years in the future, it is as sure as if it were already done.
Paul prayed that the Holy Spirit would enable us to see three extremely important spiritual realities. The first spiritual reality that Paul wants us to see is the hope of the Father's calling. When we really see and understand "the hope of His calling," it will radically change the way we live! In the New Testament, almost every time the word "hope" is used, it is used to describe the "hope" that a Christian has. When people use the word "hope" in everyday speech, they usually do not use it in the way that it is used in Scripture. When people say, "I hope that this or that thing will happen," what they usually mean is, "That's what I want to happen, but I'm not sure that it will happen." However, that is not what "hope" means when it is used in the Bible in reference to believers. For us believers, there is no uncertainty in the word "hope." If God has promised something, then it is a settled matter. Though the fulfilment of the promise may be many years in the future, it is as sure as if it were already done.
From Isaiah 7:10-14, seven hundred years before Christ was born, God promised the house of David that one day a virgin would conceive, and bear a son, and call His name "Immanuel," which means "God with us." The tense of that verb expresses an action that is completed - whether in reality, or in the mind of the speaker. In other words, the speaker could be talking about something that has been completed in the past, or he could be talking about something that is still in the future, but which, in his mind, is completed. In God's mind, the virgin birth of His Son was so certain that it was as though it were already done. That is how sure God's promises are! We may see God's promises as future events; but God sees them as "done." Jesus Christ Himself is called "the hope of glory" in Colossians 1:27. All His promises to us are true, and they are sure to be carried out. The Father has called us to be holy. Being holy is not a secondary matter to God. It is the whole reason that He saved us! He saved us so that we would have the ability to live holy lives. Before God created the world, He knew who would receive Him as Savior, and who wouldn't; and He predestinated those who He knew would receive Him to be conformed to the image of His Son. One day we will be completely holy, without spot or wrinkle, just like His Son. How can God call people who are unholy to be "holy"? From Romans 8:30, Paul says there are three steps. First, God calls sinners to receive His gift of salvation, which includes the call to a life of holiness after salvation. Next, He justifies those who respond to this call. This means that He imputes His Son's righteousness to their account, as though it were theirs, and declares them to be judicially "righteous." On this basis, God is able to forgive them, and accept them. Thirdly, God glorifies those who respond to the call. When the scripture speaks of our "glorification," it is talking about our future bodily resurrection. We who know Christ will be given a body that has no more sin or unrighteousness. It will be a body like Christ's resurrected body. All of the verbs "predestinated," "called," "justified," and "glorified," are in the past tense. We have been predestinated to be conformed to Christ's image; we have been called; we have been justified, but we have not yet been glorified because the Resurrection has not happened for us yet. But in God's mind, we are already glorified. In God's mind, our resurrection is so sure that it is as though it had already happened in the past! The Christian's "calling" is to be holy, but that calling will be ultimately fulfilled on Resurrection Day when we will be completely holy, because we will have resurrected bodies that are in the image of Christ. Of course, we will never be another Jesus because He is our Head; but we will have the nature of Jesus in eternity.
2 Peter 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."
What, then, is the "hope" of Christ's calling? It is the absolute confidence that God will perform His promises. It is the sure expectation that we will one day receive glorified bodies. 2 Corinthians 5:8 says that for the Christian, "to be absent from the body" is "to be present with the Lord." That is a wonderful hope for every believer. In Titus 2:13, the "blessed hope" is the hope that we will one day receive a new body which is free of sin, and live in heaven for eternity with a holy God. When we allow the Holy Spirit to enlighten our heart about this truth, it will radically affect the way we live our life. When we really understand the "hope of His calling," we will not be content to wait until the Resurrection Day to be free of sins. Of course, we will never be free of our sinful nature until that day; however, if we long and yearn for the day when we will be made completely holy, then we will strive to be holy right now! The Apostle Paul hated his sin. He couldn't wait to be rid of his old, sinful body. He couldn't wait for the Resurrection Day. Is this our desire? Are our eyes of understanding enlightened to the "hope of His calling"? Our attitude toward those sins in our life is a good indication of whether our eyes are wide open to this truth or not!
The second spiritual reality that Paul wants us to see is the riches of the glory of the Father's inheritance. Verse 11 of Isaiah 1 speaks of the believer's inheritance in Christ. What is God's inheritance? After all, God created everything, and everything belongs to Him. If everything already belongs to Him, how can any part of His creation come to Him as an "inheritance"?
God created all things: yet, there is a portion of His creation that is still controlled by God's enemy, Satan. In Luke 4:1-6, Satan said that the kingdoms of the world had been "delivered unto" him! This happened in the Garden of Eden, when Adam and Eve sinned. At that point, Satan received dominion over this earth and mankind. That is why Scripture calls him the "god of this world" and the "prince of the power of the air"! That is also why the Bible says that Satan takes lost people "captive at his will." That is why Paul said that God desires for lost people to be turned "from the power of Satan unto God." Until a person receives God's gift of salvation, he belongs to Satan! But here's the good news. Satan's power was broken when Christ died on the cross for our sins. Satan is a defeated enemy. If we have received God's Son (repented of our sins and put our full trust in Him), we have been delivered back to the Father. That means that we believers are His inheritance! We have been delivered to the Father; and He will come into His full inheritance of us when His Son appears in the clouds and gives us our glorified body. We are like a precious jewel to Him, and one day He will gather up His jewels! (Malachi 3:17). When Christ returns to earth, He will cast Satan into the bottomless pit, and will rule on His throne in Mount Zion for 1,000 years; and the overcomers will rule and reign with Him! Have the eyes of our understanding been enlightened to this spiritual reality? Do we really understand just how much God values us as His inherited possession? He bought us back at a tremendous price. He gave all He had to redeem us and to snatch us out of Satan's kingdom. Either we have been delivered back to God or we are still in Satan's kingdom. There is only one way to be translated from Satan's kingdom into God's Kingdom: we must repent (change our thinking about our sins), and turn to Christ. We must believe, with our heart, that His sacrifice for us on the cross is all we need to be saved.
19 And what is the exceeding greatness of His power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of His mighty power,20 Which He wrought in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead, and set Him at His own right hand in the heavenly places,
The third spiritual reality that we need to see is "the exceeding greatness of His power to us-ward who believe." We sometimes find ourselves saying (or thinking), "I can't do what God wants me to do. It is beyond my power." Yet, in Christ, we have all the power we need to live the Christian life. Verse 19 is packed with references to "power," which comes from the Greek word dunamis, from which we get our English word "dynamite." God's Word gives many examples of men and women who did great things through the "working" of the Holy Spirit in their lives. The issue is not whether we have the power to live the Christian life - the issue is whether we will use the power that is available to us. All the power that we need is in the Holy Spirit, who lives within us, but we must let Him work ... we must submit to Him. If there is sin in our life that we want to hang onto, and we are not submitting fully to Him, He cannot work His power in us. If we are not communing with God daily, He cannot work His power in us. The power Source is always inside us, and His power never wears down. The only question is, "Is there something in my life that is hindering the Spirit from working His mighty power?" The Power residing within the believer is exceedingly great. It is the same power by which the Father raised His Son from the dead! Why did He say that Christ's resurrection power is the power that energizes the believer? God's creation of the universe was not the basis upon which He was able to redeem us. The resurrection of His Son from the dead is the basis upon which He was able to redeem us, impart a new nature to us, and conform us to His image on the resurrection day! That is why Paul said,
"That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death" (Philippians 3:10).
Why must we know the weakness, worthlessness, and nothingness of our natural life? Emphatically, that His strength may be "made perfect in weakness." And what is His strength? "The exceeding greatness of His power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He wrought in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead."
Are the eyes of our understanding enlightened to the hope of His calling, to the glory of the riches of His inheritance in the saints, and to the exceeding greatness of His power in us? Salvation is a miracle of God. We can't save ourself any more than we can raise our body from the dead. Christ, by this same power, can wash our sins away, give us spiritual life, declare us "justified," and one day present us faultless before God with a perfect, sinless body.
21 Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:22 And hath put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be the head over all things to the church,23 Which is His body, the fulness of Him that filleth all in all.
Whatever God has purposed, God will perform. He does not need any help. We found out many years ago that He can do things all by Himself. His purpose will be accomplished. It will be completed on His schedule. Most of the fruitless endeavors we engage in (in the Name of the Lord) are caused by us trying to do what only God can do. That produces only wood, hay, and stubble.
Isaiah 14:24, "The LORD of hosts hath sworn, saying, Surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass; and as I have purposed, so shall it stand:"Proverbs 19:2, "There are many devices in a man's heart; nevertheless the counsel of the LORD, that shall stand."Acts 5:38, "And now I say unto you, Refrain from these men, and let them alone: for if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nought:"
Who helped to bring Jesus Christ on the scene at precisely the right day? Was the world ready for Him to arrive? Did they have the stage set for Him by their extensive preparation? From whom did He seek permission to pour out of His Spirit upon the believers on the day of Pentecost? NO ONE!
Will He ask for or need our help or permission to do the quick work which He has promised to do in the near future? He will do it Himself! I am sure He will be able to get the job done, with or without any help or permission from either you or me. That is the God we worship. The Father will have what He wants, with or without you and with or without me.
God our Father wants a family of children who will grow up to be mature sons, co-heirs with Christ, and joint-reigners with Him in the government of the universe. He WILL have such!!! It is safe to say that it was never God's purpose to create man, save him, and make him "better" or more like Jesus. Anything that emphasizes man is off-center. Whenever man corrupts that which God has done, God never makes that thing "better." Rather He replaces that corrupt thing. The Book of Hebrews has many examples of that truth: the law and grace; the Levitical priesthood and the priesthood after the order of Melchizedek; animal sacrifice and the sinless sacrifice of Jesus at Calvary; the old covenant and the new covenant; the first Adam and the last Adam. Christ in you, the hope of glory. Nothing must be of me. Everything must be of Christ.
Two sets of verses clearly set forth God's purpose.
Ephesians 1:10-12, "That in the dispensation of the fulness of times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in Him:
In Whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of Him who worketh all things after the counsel of His own will:
That we should be to the praise of His glory, who first trusted in Christ."
1 Corinthians 15:24-28, "Then cometh the end, when He shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when He shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign, till He hath put all enemies under His feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. For He hath put all things under His feet. But when He saith, all things are put under Him, it is manifest that He is excepted, which did put all things under Him. And when all things shall be subdued unto Him, then shall the Son also Himself be subject unto Him that put all things under Him, that God may be all in all."
Some more of the many verses that speak of the fulfillment of the purpose of God are the following.
Isaiah 46:10, "Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure:"
Philippians 2:13, "For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure."Daniel 2:21, "And He changeth the times and the seasons: He removeth kings, and setteth up kings: He giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding:"
Twenty-six times in the Book of Ezekiel the Lord says that He will do specific things "that they shall know that I am the Lord."
For it became Him, for Whom are all things, and by Whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the Captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. Hebrews 2:10
The Father had so much pleasure in the Son that He desired to have many sons. The Father's purpose in creating man was to have many sons ... to give to the Son a glorious Body in which to express His life, and a family of brothers with whom He might enjoy fellowship. The Father also has declared that in all things the Son shall have pre-eminence.
Colossians 1:19, "For it pleased the Father that in Him [in Christ] should all fullness dwell."
Therefore, it is imperative that we understand and cooperate with His purpose for Himself.
Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for Thou hast created all things, and for Thy pleasure they are and were created. Revelation 4:11And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28
Does that Verse still apply if we respond to His call but only for MY purposes? In the natural realm if you had one son in whom you found unspeakable delight, would it not be normal as a father to want many more? So it is with Abba, Father, Who by His nature and choice has desired and purposed to have a vast family of human-divine sons who are made in the image of His only begotten Son. Christ in you, the hope of glory.
Genesis 1:26, "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth."
It was the Father's original intention that man was first to be a created son, enjoying all that God by creation could give him. His intention has never changed and will never change. God then designed before the foundation of the world for man to become a mature son ... to enter into a living union and enjoy sonship by a relationship with Christ ... to be IN Christ. God has planned for man to share many things from Himself as the son by faith appropriates them in his life. Further, we were designed to become heirs of God provided that we choose to suffer with Him.
The Lord currently is still in the process of "making" man in His image. There are numerous references to this truth; e.g., Luke 15:19, the parable of the "prodigal son," where the younger son repented and asked his father to "make" him as one of the hired servants.
Philippians 2:5-11, "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
Why did God foreordain His purpose for each one of us? That in all things, God might be glorified! What an honor and privilege it is to know, understand, and fulfill our specific calling on earth! How can we know, understand, and fulfill our specific purpose? only by the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20, "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? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's."
How do we glorify God? By our life! By fulfilling the purpose for which we have been called. By walking in the works that God has prepared for us before the foundation of the world. For on the seventh day, God rested from all of His works.
Jesus said, in John 17:4, "I have glorified Thee on the earth: I have finished the work which Thou gavest Me to do."
As we conclude this word, may it ever be in our heart, "In the beginning, God; in the end, God; and everything in between, God." May the word and call of the Lord in this hour burn within the very depth of our heart. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment