Preaching of the Cross.

 

The Power to Know Christ.

 

Gospel Privledge

 (Excerpt- EJ Waggoner-)

Gospel Liberty.

Gospel liberty is the liberty that God gives men through the gospel.

It expresses His idea of freedom. It is the freedom seen in nature and in all the works of His hands. It is the freedom of the winds, blowing where they list; it is the freedom of the flowers, scattered everywhere through wood and meadow; it is the freedom of the birds, soaring unrestrained through the heavens; the freedom of the sunbeam, shooting from its parent orb and playing on cloud and mountain top; the freedom of the celestial orbs, sweeping ceaselessly on through infinite space. This is the freedom which flows out from the great Creator through all his works.

Tasting Freedom Now.

It is sin that has produced what is narrow and contracted and circumscribed, that has erected boundary lines, and made men stingy. But sin is to be removed, and then perfect liberty will be realized once more in every part of creation. Even now this freedom may be tasted, by having sin removed from the heart. To enjoy this freedom through eternity is the glorious privilege now offered in the gospel to all men. Who that claims to love liberty can let this opportunity pass unimproved?

(Recap-)

We have covered the introduction to the main body of the epistle. The first seven verses are the salutation; the next eight treat of personal matters concerning the apostle and the brethren in Rome, the fifteenth verse being the link which unites the introduction to the directly doctrinal portion of the epistle.

Let the reader note carefully the verses referred to, and he will readily see that this is not an arbitrary division, but that it plainly appears. If in reading any chapter, one will note the different topics touched upon, and the change from one subject to another, he will be surprised to find how much easier it is to grasp the contents of the chapter, and to hold them in mind. The reason why so many people find it difficult to recall what they read in the Bible, is that they try to remember it in bulk, without giving special thought to the details.

In expressing his desire to meet with the Roman brethren, the apostle declared himself to be debtor to both Greeks and barbarians, both to the wise and to the unwise, and therefore ready to preach the gospel even in Rome, the capital of the world. The fifteenth verse, and the expression, "preach the gospel," give the keynote to the whole of the epistle, for the apostle glides from this naturally into his theme.

To be continued….

Christ Went to the Lowest Depths.

 

Foreign World.

 We are owed nothing, but we are freely gifted with the opportunity for life in a future world- perfect in the way we can only long for now as life rips us apart at every turn.

Is God with you in all you do? If not, He should be. When we exclude God from any part of our lives we are only part-time Christ followers, and Christ won't know you at all when He returns.

Good or bad, whatever you're doing let God be there with you. Yes, even as you do something you know is contrary to the will of God, don't exclude Him. Acknowledge your weak flesh, acknowledge it -not as a way to excuse doing wrong when you know right from wrong, but because truly we are incredibly weak in our flesh. Acknowledge God not as an act of defiance, but as knowing you are weak and in need of rescuing. Acknowledge God in all honesty, He knows all truth and our acknowledging the truth before Him isn't wearisome to Him. Acknowledge your creature status before your Creator. Ask for miracles, ask for help, ask for forgiveness over and over again, without ceasing. 

The torment we experience right now in so many ways is excruciating to us on emotional, mental, spiritual and physical level. We can, and do ask God to release us from the myriad of agonies, and see no relief in sight. God answers us from His word, our treasures should be in heaven, our hope is in Christ, the world of the future is our reward. Right now we are but pilgrims, aliens in a foreign world knowing the corruption which has caused all the horrors of this existence are not the world we belong to. We know this world is temporary, we know our lives here are temporary and we can't ever take our eyes off that prize- eternity.

God help us as we seek to follow His will- serving others as He served, working hard now as He worked hard, all through HIS love! HIS LOVE!

*******

Excerpt - E.J. Waggoner-

"I Am Debtor." 

That was the keynote of Paul's life, and it was the secret of his success. Nowadays we hear of men saying, "The world owes me a living." But Paul considered that he owed himself to the world. And yet he received nothing from the world but stripes and abuse. Even that which he had received before Christ found him was a total loss. But Christ had found him, and given himself to him, so that he could say, "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. 2:20.

As Christ's life was his life, and Christ gave himself for the world, Paul necessarily became a debtor to the whole world.

This has been the case of every man who has been a servant of the Lord. "David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep." Acts 13:36. 

"Whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; and whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant; even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many."

Personal Labor. 

There is a foolish notion prevalent that ordinary labor is degrading, especially to a minister of the gospel. It is not all the fault of the ministers themselves, but largely the fault of the foolish people about them. They think that a minister must always be faultlessly attired, and that he must never soil his hands with ordinary manual labor. Such ideas were never gained from the Bible. Christ himself was a carpenter, yet many professed followers of him would be shocked if they should see their minister sawing and planing boards, or digging in the ground, or carrying parcels.

There is a false dignity altogether too prevalent, which is utterly opposed to the spirit of the gospel. Paul was not ashamed nor afraid to labor. And this he did not merely occasionally, but day after day while he was engaged in preaching. 

See Acts 18:3, 4. He said, "These hands have ministered unto my necessities, and to them that were with me." 

Acts 20:34. He was speaking to the leaders of the church when he said, "I have showed you all things, how that so laboring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive." Vs. 35.

Presence of the Spirit.

 Established by Spiritual Gifts.  (Excerpt- E.J. Waggoner)

"But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal." 

What is the profit? 

"For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ;  till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ." Eph. 4:12, 13.

The gifts of the Spirit must accompany the Spirit. As soon as the early disciples received the Spirit in accordance with the promise, they received the gifts. One of the gifts, speaking with new tongues, was manifested that very day. It follows, therefore, that the absence of the gifts of the Spirit in any marked degree in the church, is evidence of the absence of the Spirit, not entirely, of course, but to the extent that God has promised it.

The Spirit was to abide with the disciples forever, and therefore the gifts of the Spirit must be manifest in the true church until the second coming of the Lord. 

As before stated, the absence of any very marked manifestation of the gifts of the Spirit is evidence of the absence of the fullness of the Spirit; and that is the secret of the weakness of the church, and the great divisions that exist. Spiritual gifts establish the church; therefore the church that does not have those gifts can not be established.

Who May Have the Spirit? 

Whoever asks for it with earnest desire. 

See Luke 11:13. If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him? 

The Spirit has already been poured out, and God has never withdrawn the gift; it only needs that Christians should ask and accept. (End Excerpt)

*******

Remember the spiritual gifts we talked about yesterday…

Wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, discernment of spirits, different languages, interpreting different languages.

We can't assume we will each have all these spiritual gifts.

1Co 12:8  For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; 

1Co 12:9  To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; 

1Co 12:10  To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: 

1Co 12:11  But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will. 

DIVIDING to every man severally as HE WILL.

1Co 12:12  For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. 

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

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

1Co 12:15  If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? 

1Co 12:16  And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? 

1Co 12:17  If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling? 

1Co 12:18  But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him. 

1Co 12:19  And if they were all one member, where were the body? 

1Co 12:20  But now are they many members, yet but one body. 

1Co 12:21  And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you. 

1Co 12:22  Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary: 

1Co 12:23  And those members of the body, which we think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness. 

1Co 12:24  For our comely parts have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked: 

1Co 12:25  That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another. 

1Co 12:26  And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it. 

1Co 12:27  Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.

 

1Co 12:28  And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues. 

1Co 12:29  Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? are all workers of miracles? 

1Co 12:30  Have all the gifts of healing? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret? 

1Co 12:31  But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way. 

1Co 14:12  Even so ye, forasmuch as ye are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek that ye may excel to the edifying of the church. 

None of the spiritual gifts are given to us for self-satisfaction, self-glorying, self-serving, not a single one. All the spiritual gifts that we are zealously seeking are solely for the edification of others- for sharing Christ, and His salvation, His gospel with all others. Not a single spiritual gift is good for anything other than glorifying God! If you are seeking spiritual gifts so you may consider yourself 'good enough', 'accepted by God', 'importantly spiritual enough to be God's and used by Him', then you are seeking for the wrong reasons- IT'S NOT ABOUT US! Satan would have us make it all about US, but it's NOT, it's just not!  Pride will try to ensnare us at every turn of our existence and it will trap us over and over, but we need to recognize the trap and know that the release from that trap is putting Christ first, it is seeking Christ's righteousness only found in Christ, not given outside of Christ to us, but only found in Christ when Christ is in us! It's not about us. We have to tell ourselves that over and over and over… and yes, over! Christ will use us for His glory, not for us to glorify ourselves in any way. Spiritual gifts to Christ's glory! No glorying in ourselves or patting ourselves on the back , no, no, no!  All praise goes to GOD, not to ourselves!  

Lord, please keep me completely in You and not in myself. Help me not to seek self-adoration, self-congratulations, self-serving… please, Lord, let my life be all about YOU. Please kill the pride in me that threatens to rise up constantly as I seek selfish self-worth, as if I can be anything without You! You are everything! Be my everything! All glory to You, God! All glory to YOU now and forever!!!!!!!

Gifts