Glory Only In God.

1Co 1:29  That no flesh should glory in his presence. 

1Co 1:30  But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: 

1Co 1:31  That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.

Jer 9:23  Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: 

Jer 9:24  But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD. 

*******

God looks for His Son in us to determine if we are His. When He sees His Son in us, all He sees is us forgiven, us redeemed! Christ in us, is our hope!

Col_1:27  To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory

Christ in us is our HOPE of GLORY.

We glory in the LORD, never in ourselves, never in the flesh.

If we are in Christ Jesus- Christ Jesus is wisdom, is righteousness, is sanctification, is redemption. We glory in the LORD.

Christ MUST be in us!

Gal 6:14  But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world. 

We glory in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. He alone is our hope, we have hope in no other, not even ourselves. We must glory in Him alone.

If we find ourselves glorying in the things we do, in our lives, in our actions, in our thoughts, we have to stop. We need to find our GLORYING in Jesus Christ our Savior. Too often when we glory in ourselves we are setting ourselves up for a tremendous spiritual fall. We will always FAIL ourselves and therein our glorying in ourselves comes to a screeching halt. We instantly start to berate ourselves. We allow Satan to whisper in our ears telling us how awful we are, how we are bad Christians, because if we were good Christians we wouldn't be acting as we are. We focus on our badness and take our eyes off Christ, and then we hate ourselves even more for getting further away from our Savior. A vicious, evil cycle and we've promoted it ourselves by ever believing we are good in any way and our goodness is to be glorified. What would happen if we continued to believe in our awfulness, truly believe it, not get sucked into the 'I'm a good Christian' theme when we are truly doing all we can do in Christ's name. We were never told to glory in ourselves and our accomplishment.  Remember this--

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

JOY- count it JOY when we fall into different temptations.  Why? Because of this--

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

Yet, do we stop as the temptations come and count them joy? Or do we fall victim to the temptations allowing them to because conceived in us and therefore sin? Do we take the temptations and count them as sins already- dooming ourselves when we haven't quite yet given into the temptations. Do we note the temptations assaulting us and let our hearts be filled with the joy of the Savior, knowing that somehow having to face that temptation and choosing Christ over the sin, we are letting the temptations work patience in us, patience that we need to be fully read for our Savior.

We know the closer to the return of our Savior our adversary the Devil will be working unceasingly to get every single person he can. Satan would have us look upon temptations as signed, sealed and delivered sins, but they aren't! The temptations aren't sin! We flail against the temptations as soon as they start interrupting our spiritual walk - thinking they are awful, miserable beasts to be despised. How can we despise something we are to call joy? We need to comprehend that temptations to sin will NOT cease, but by the GRACE of GOD through the HOLY SPIRIT we will be able to count the temptations joy- recognizing that they are but opportunities to grow ever closer to our Savior.

And, if we do fall into sin, we must quickly repent and seek forgiveness- NOT GIVE INTO DESPAIR!  Satan would have us give in to despair so we no longer live for our Savior.

May we truly glory ONLY in our God and not at all in ourselves.  All through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, now and forever!

The Power of God is in the Cross.

1Co 1:17  For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect. 

1Co 1:18  For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. 

1Co 1:19  For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. 

Preach the gospel NOT with wisdom of words.

If we preach with the wisdom of our own words, believing our words can bring anyone to salvation, we are NOT preaching the simplicity of the cross of our Savior!

We need to preach the cross because it only the cross that has the power of God.

The cross- where our SAVIOR sacrificed Himself for us.

The cross- the power of GOD- salvation through forgiveness, by grace.

God will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and bring to NOTHING the understanding of the prudent.

1Co 3:19  For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness. 

Mankind's arrogance is amazing. Each human being knows that they have a finite lifespan and yet so many seek to use their life for self-adulation. People seek the wisdom of the world over the wisdom of God, over the wisdom of the cross.

The smartest person alive- and yes, we have test to determine smartness- is truly the least intelligent alive if they do not have the wisdom of the cross. The brilliance of any person is simply nothing at all whatsoever without the wisdom of the cross of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Yet, people don't want to comprehend this, they want to hide behind their supposed superiority- being too smart to believe. They truly do count the preaching of the cross- foolishness. Salvation is foolishness to them. Grace is foolishness to them. Forgiveness given to us by our God, by our Christ, is foolishness to them. They may be the kindest, most generous people alive, giving of themselves completely to others, but if they choose to despise the cross and deny even the existence of God, then they are fools.

The power of God is in the Cross.

God is Faithful.

1Co 1:4  I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ; 

1Co 1:5  That in every thing ye are enriched by him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge; 

1Co 1:6  Even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you: 

1Co 1:7  So that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ: 

1Co 1:8  Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

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

We need the grace given to us by Jesus Christ.

We need to be enriched in everything by Jesus Christ.

We need our speaking enriched, we need our knowledge enriched- all by our Savior- Jesus Christ.

We don't want to get behind in any gift offered to us at any time, all the way until our Lord Jesus Christ returns.

Jesus Christ will confirm us to the end so that we are blameless when He returns.

God is faithful.

God calls us to the fellowship of His Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

Jesus Christ is our Savior- our daily Savior, our hourly Savior, our minutely Savior.

Jesus saves us and He will keep us as His.

When we start believing we have to save ourselves we take our eyes off our Savior.

Keeping our eyes on our Savior, this is our Hope.

Wise to Good, Simple to Evil.

Are we wise to that which is good?

Are we simple concerning evil?

Rom 16:19  For your obedience is come abroad unto all men. I am glad therefore on your behalf: but yet I would have you wise unto that which is good, and simple concerning evil. 

The Spirit will make us wise.

Eph 1:17  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

We need to be wise to the good we find in our Lord and Savior. We must comprehend through the Spirit that our Savior is everything. Good can ONLY come from our Savior. If we find goodness in anything other than our Savior and what He leads us too, is it really good? When we have a good time with others is it because our Lord is guiding us? Truly can the Lord join in with us in all we do? If CHRIST is in us, truly a part of us, we need to have the wisdom to comprehend all that means. Our life needs to be spend reveling in this relationship with our Savior.

Too often people spend a lot of time involved with evil, seeking evil, when truthfully we need to be simple concerning evil, not wise to is. We don't need to comprehend evil, we don't need to make evil a part of our lives. We never need to study evil.

Our study should be this--

2Ti_2:15  Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

Jas 3:13  Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom. 

Jas 3:14  But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. 

Jas 3:15  This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. 

Jas 3:16  For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. 

Jas 3:17  But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. 

Jas 3:18  And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace. 

Wise to that which is good--- Please, Lord, to this end may we seek to live in You, the Holy Spirit guiding us always! 

Love in the Spirit.

Rom 16:19  For your obedience is come abroad unto all men. I am glad therefore on your behalf: but yet I would have you wise unto that which is good, and simple concerning evil. 

Eph 1:15  Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints, 

Eph 1:16  Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers; 

Eph 1:17  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: 

Eph 1:18  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, 

Eph 1:19  And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, 

Eph 1:20  Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places

Praying that our Heavenly Father gives us the spirit of wisdom- the spirit of revelation in knowledge of Him. Praying that the eyes of our understanding is enlightened. Praying that we know what is the hope of our Savior's calling. Praying that we know the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints. Praying that we know the exceeding greatness of His power towards us who believe- according to the working of His might power. All of this through Christ Jesus who the Father God raised from the dead and set down at His own right hand in heaven.

SPIRIT of wisdom.  Praying that we comprehend truly and fully all that our Heavenly Father has done and will do for us through our Savior, Jesus Christ.

We NEED the SPIRIT of wisdom! We need to constantly comprehend that we have a HEAVENLY FATHER who THROUGH the sacrifice of HIS Son want us to KNOW HIM FULLY, to KNOW HIS LOVE, to KNOW HIS EXCEEDING GREATNESS of HIS POWER towards us who believe! 

We walk through this life with so many struggles- so much confusion and we need to believe through it ALL we are kept in God through our Savior. OUR HOPE IS ETERNAL in our GOD in our SAVIOR! This must be our daily HOPE, our hourly HOPE!

If we lose sight of our HOPE because this world steals our attention and pulls our focus downward instead of heavenward then we are in big trouble, constant trouble. Our focus must be heavenward where our Savior is, where our God is, where our Lord wanted us to forever look. He came preaching the gospel, the message of the heavenly kingdom.

Col 1:3  We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, 

Col 1:4  Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have to all the saints, 

Col 1:5  For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel; 

Col 1:6  Which is come unto you, as it is in all the world; and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth: 

Col 1:7  As ye also learned of Epaphras our dear fellowservant, who is for you a faithful minister of Christ; 

Col 1:8  Who also declared unto us your love in the Spirit. 

Col 1:9  For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; 

Col 1:10  That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; 

Col 1:11  Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness; 

Col 1:12  Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: 

Col 1:13  Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: 

Col 1:14  In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins

We will not enter the kingdom except we are born of the Spirit.

Gal 6:12  As many as desire to make a fair shew in the flesh, they constrain you to be circumcised; only lest they should suffer persecution for the cross of Christ. 

Gal 6:13  For neither they themselves who are circumcised keep the law; but desire to have you circumcised, that they may glory in your flesh. 

Things of the flesh will never save us. Anything we do will not save us.

Gal_2:20  I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

Gal_3:3  Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?

We live though we are crucified WITH Christ.

Christ LIVES IN US.

The LIFE we LIVE in the FLESH- we MUST LIVE BY FAITH - the FAITH of the SON OF GOD- who LOVES US, and GAVE Himself for us!

We CAN'T begin in the SPIRIT, and then think our flesh will perfect us in any way.

Remember this--

Joh 3:5  Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 

Joh 3:6  That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 

Joh 3:7  Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. 

Jesus said we CANNOT enter the kingdom of God UNLESS we are born of the SPIRIT.

Once we are born of the Spirit, we've begun in the Spirit and must continue in the Spirit.  When we say we accept Jesus Christ, and truly do accept Him, through faith- then we are born of the Spirit, it is through the Spirit we are given this NEW LIFE IN CHRIST. Just as we are- we are given the new life through the Spirit of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We come to Him heavy laden with so much sin and we find forgiveness for ALL of that sin, in Him. We are cleansed from our filthiness in that moment. But then… one hour, one day, one week, one month goes by and those sins that so easily beset us fight for us return to them. Temptation doesn't disappear, and often it intensifies. Our flesh is carnal, our flesh is easily tempted and seduced into sin. We MUST live in the Spirit, through the Holy Spirit. We are born again of the Spirit. Christ lives in us. These are truths we can't let ourselves forget.  We didn't do ANYTHING of the flesh to be born again of the Spirit. And we CAN'T do anything to keep ourselves in Christ.  Yet, Satan will wind us up so tight in the belief that we just can't be good enough, we can't do enough good, we can't stop sinning, we'll never stop sinning and disappointing God, we will never obey Him - love Him and Others more than ourselves. Satan will shout these in our ears over and over again steering us away from the Spirit and enticing us to be consumed by the flesh.  Satan wants us to believe we must LIVE by the flesh, getting our flesh to behave. Satan does NOT want us to rely upon the Holy Spirit, he wants us to find any victory over sin in ourselves. He wants us to work at ridding ourselves of sin, and then to take glory in our victories. He wants us by the flesh to tame the flesh because when we do he can take the credit and deceive us.

Excerpt-  The Spiritual Man Pg 116

'Should a believer be so self-confident that he dares to complete the task of the Holy Spirit in the energy of the flesh, he will not come into full spiritual maturity. He will instead drift until the sins he previously had overcome return to him again in power. Do not be surprised by what is said here. It is a spiritual truism that wherever or whenever the flesh is serving God, there and then the power of sin is strengthened. Why did the proud Pharisees become slaves to sin? Was it not because they were too self-righteous and served God too zealously? Why did the apostle chide the Galatians? Why did they manifest the deeds of the flesh? Was it not because they sought to establish their own righteousness by works and to perfect by the flesh the work which the Holy Spirit had begun?

The hazard for young believers is to stop short of the putting to death of the power of the flesh in doing good by only knowing what the cross does for the sinful side of the flesh. In so doing they retreat again into the sins of the flesh. The greatest blunder Christians commit upon experiencing victory over sin lies in not using the way of victory to sustain it; instead they try to perpetuate the victory by their works and determination. It may perhaps succeed for a while. Before long though they shall find

Pg  117

themselves sliding back into their former sins, which may differ in form but not in essence. They then either slump into despair by concluding that constant and persistent triumph is impossible to achieve or they try to camouflage their sins without honestly confessing that they have sinned. Now what is it that causes such failure? Just as the flesh gives you strength to do righteously so it also gives you the power to sin. Whether good acts or evil, all are but the expressions of the same flesh. If the flesh is not furnished  opportunity to sin, it is willing to do good; and if once the opportunity to perform good is provided, the flesh will soon revert to sin.

 Here Satan deceives God’s children. If believers would habitually maintain the attitude of the flesh being crucified Satan could have no chance; for “the flesh is Satan’s workshop.” if the flesh in whole, not just in part, is truly under the power of the death of the Lord, Satan will be totally dis-employed.

He is consequently willing to allow the sinful part of our flesh to be offered unto death if he may only deceive us into retaining the good part.

Satan is quite aware that should the good side remain intact the life of the flesh will continue to be kept alive. He still has a base from which to operate to recover that side which he has lost. He knows very well that the flesh could win and regain its victory in the realm of sin if the flesh succeeded in squeezing the Holy Spirit out in the matter of serving God. This explains why many Christians fall back into the service of sin after they have been set free. Should the spirit not actually be in complete and continuous control in the matter of worship, it will be unable to maintain dominion in daily life. If I have not yet entirely denied myself before God I cannot deny myself before men, and therefore I cannot overcome my hatred, temper and selfishness. These two are inseparable.

Through ignorance of this truth, the believers at Galatia fell into “biting and devouring one another” (Gal. 5.15). They attempted to perfect by the flesh what had been begun by the Holy Spirit, for they desired “to make a good showing in the flesh” in order that “they might glory in (their) flesh”

Pg 118

-(Gal. 6.12,13). Naturally their successes were very scanty in performing good by the flesh, while their failures in overcoming evil became quite numerous. Little did they realize that as long as they would serve God with their strength and ideas they doubtlessly would serve sin in the flesh. If they did not forbid the flesh to do good they could not prevent it from doing evil. The best way to keep from sinning is not to do any good by one’s self. Being unconscious of the utter corruption of the flesh, the Galatian believers in their foolishness wished to make use of it, not recognizing that the same corruption marked the flesh in boasting of doing good as in following lust. They could not do what God wanted them to do because on the one hand they tried to accomplish what the Holy Spirit had begun and on the other they vainly attempted to rid themselves of the passion and lust of the flesh. '

When Good Can Be Bad.

We've been talking about how even the seeming 'GOOD' in us can be a bad thing. How many who BELIEVE, truly, believe that they are Christ's will hear Him tell them to get away from Him, that He doesn't know them. Those people are going to tell the Lord He's wrong, they'll explain how they did so much in His name, they were GOOD Christians- they helped the poor, they fought against evil, they lived a good life and hurt no one! They'll be speaking the truth too, all but one point in fact, all that good they did was done in their flesh, on their own, without the Holy Spirit.  Just because we do good does NOT automatically mean we are living in the Spirit, that Christ is living in us.  Evil loves to do good, it's called deception and Satan is the master of deception.

I've been rereading the book - The Spiritual Man and the following is an excerpt- pg. 110

 'Yet, just here lies the danger. For the Christian has not come to learn how to hate the totality of his flesh. He merely desires to be liberated from the sins which spring from it. He knows how to resist somewhat the deeds of the flesh, but he does not realize that the entire flesh itself needs to be destroyed. What deceives him is that the flesh not only can produce sin but can also perform good. If it is still doing good it is evident it is yet alive. Had the flesh definitely died the believer’s ability both to do good and to do evil would have perished with it. An ability to undertake good manifests that the flesh has not yet died.'

Truthfully we must be crucified with Christ.

Gal 2:20  I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. 

Our entire life must be lived by FAITH and not faith in our own abilities, but faith in the Son of God.

Joh 3:6  That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

Gal 3:3  Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh? 

ANY good that we produce of ourselves without the Spirit, is not good at all. We must do ALL through the Spirit. 

Here is another excerpt-  The Spiritual Man Pg 116

'Should a believer be so self-confident that he dares to complete the task of the Holy Spirit in the energy of the flesh, he will not come into full spiritual maturity. He will instead drift until the sins he previously had overcome return to him again in power. Do not be surprised by what is said here. It is a spiritual truism that wherever or whenever the flesh is serving God, there and then the power of sin is strengthened. Why did the proud Pharisees become slaves to sin? Was it not because they were too self-righteous and served God too zealously? Why did the apostle chide the Galatians? Why did they manifest the deeds of the flesh? Was it not because they sought to establish their own righteousness by works and to perfect by the flesh the work which the Holy Spirit had begun?

The hazard for young believers is to stop short of the putting to death of the power of the flesh in doing good by only knowing what the cross does for the sinful side of the flesh. In so doing they retreat again into the sins of the flesh. The greatest blunder Christians commit upon experiencing victory over sin lies in not using the way of victory to sustain it; instead they try to perpetuate the victory by their works and determination. It may perhaps succeed for a while. Before long though they shall find

Pg  117

themselves sliding back into their former sins, which may differ in form but not in essence. They then either slump into despair by concluding that constant and persistent triumph is impossible to achieve or they try to camouflage their sins without honestly confessing that they have sinned. Now what is it that causes such failure? Just as the flesh gives you strength to do righteously so it also gives you the power to sin. Whether good acts or evil, all are but the expressions of the same flesh. If the flesh is not furnished  opportunity to sin, it is willing to do good; and if once the opportunity to perform good is provided, the flesh will soon revert to sin.

 Here Satan deceives God’s children. If believers would habitually maintain the attitude of the flesh being crucified Satan could have no chance; for “the flesh is Satan’s workshop.” if the flesh in whole, not just in part, is truly under the power of the death of the Lord, Satan will be totally dis-employed.

He is consequently willing to allow the sinful part of our flesh to be offered unto death if he may only deceive us into retaining the good part.

Satan is quite aware that should the good side remain intact the life of the flesh will continue to be kept alive. He still has a base from which to operate to recover that side which he has lost. He knows very well that the flesh could win and regain its victory in the realm of sin if the flesh succeeded in squeezing the Holy Spirit out in the matter of serving God. This explains why many Christians fall back into the service of sin after they have been set free. Should the spirit not actually be in complete and continuous control in the matter of worship, it will be unable to maintain dominion in daily life. If I have not yet entirely denied myself before God I cannot deny myself before men, and therefore I cannot overcome my hatred, temper and selfishness. These two are inseparable.

Through ignorance of this truth, the believers at Galatia fell into “biting and devouring one another” (Gal. 5.15). They attempted to perfect by the flesh what had been begun by the Holy Spirit, for they desired “to make a good showing in the flesh” in order that “they might glory in (their) flesh”

Pg 118

-(Gal. 6.12,13). Naturally their successes were very scanty in performing good by the flesh, while their failures in overcoming evil became quite numerous. Little did they realize that as long as they would serve God with their strength and ideas they doubtlessly would serve sin in the flesh. If they did not forbid the flesh to do good they could not prevent it from doing evil. The best way to keep from sinning is not to do any good by one’s self. Being unconscious of the utter corruption of the flesh, the Galatian believers in their foolishness wished to make use of it, not recognizing that the same corruption marked the flesh in boasting of doing good as in following lust. They could not do what God wanted them to do because on the one hand they tried to accomplish what the Holy Spirit had begun and on the other they vainly attempted to rid themselves of the passion and lust of the flesh. '

We're going to stop here for now and pick it up again tomorrow- by the GRACE of GOD.