What Shall I Do - Part Eight Dec 11, 2022 by: John Herbert | Series: What Shall I Do... Audio Study Notes PDF https://s3.amazonaws.com/cornerstonejax/sermonfiles/T041_20221211.mp3 Refresh A Recap from the Sermon Eph 4:11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ......... We will continue to see what we may learn from the function of the Church before the leaven was introduced. The full text of this message can be found by clicking the PDF button. Sunday December 11th 2022 What Shall I Do…….. Part 8 1). Eph 4:11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head--Christ-- 16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love. We had seen last week that we have been given insight into how the ‘church’ worked collectively together at the beginning of this dispensation towards the salvation of their souls, through that written by Paul to the Ephesians. And as we know from previous studies, those in Ephesus to whom Paul wrote, had come into a mature understanding of the Word of the Kingdom. And this description of the collective working of the ‘church’ provides the model for how those seeking the Kingdom of the heavens and the salvation of their soul are to function towards the same end goal. a). And in conjunction with this we had also read the mandate given to those seeking first His Kingdom and His righteousness in – Heb 10:24 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching. Those within the early ‘church’, seen through Paul’s writings to the Ephesians, were doing exactly that mandated in Hebrews Chapter 10, but in Chapter 10 we also find a warning about ‘forsaking the gathering of ourselves together’, something that had become the ‘manner of some’. b). And so, if the church at its beginning was functioning collectively in the correct manner leading to being fruitful, what had happened that necessitated a warning in Hebrews Chapter 10 concerning this? c). The answer is an obvious one - Mt 13:33 Another parable He spoke to them: "The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened." Not only has the work of the tares, exemplified through the doctrine of Balaam, the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, and the doctrine of Jezebel, resulted in the complete corruption of the Word of the Kingdom in terms of teaching about Christ’s coming Kingdom in the Seventh Day, but it has also corrupted the way the church is collectively to function together in relation to that Word. And this is a part of the unnatural growth of the church seen in the parable of the mustard seed - Mt 13:31 Another parable He put forth to them, saying: "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, 32 "which indeed is the least of all the seeds; but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches." Needless to say, the deceiving spirits and the doctrines of demons, pictured through the birds of the air finding a home within the unnaturally grown church through the work of the tares, had, and have, a twofold purpose. Firstly, to prevent Christians from ever producing fruit, and secondly to try to stop those producing fruit from continuing to do so. d). And to that end, it is easy to see how preventing the body of Christ from functioning correctly in conjunction with false doctrine, can accomplish this. 2). With all of this in mind, let’s go back again to the very beginning of the Church, when nothing but the Word of the Kingdom was taught, the time before the tares were introduced into the midst of the wheat – Ac 2:42 ¶ And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. 43 Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. 44 Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, 45 and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need. 46 So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved. The called-out here, seen in Acts Chapter 2, continued in the apostles’ doctrine daily – in the temple and from house to house. They ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart. They praised God. They broke bread, had fellowship, and prayed. And all these things they continued to do steadfastly. a). And that which we see here in Acts is precisely what we have seen described for us in Ephesians Chapter 4 and mandated in Hebrews Chapter 10. b). And it is that which is seen described in these verses in Acts, that is the foundation for what we do here weekly. We begin with the Sunday message where the apostles’ doctrine is taught, and then beyond that comes our individual daily preparation, the breaking of the bread, to be ready to come together in the Bible studies, where we can encourage and exhort one another to love and good works by studying that taught, together. And what we learn through our studies is then taken on in preparation for the next Sunday. c). And if there is one phrase in the verses from Acts that should command our attention, it is that they ‘continued steadfastly’. The very thing that we are also admonished to do – 1 Co 15:58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. Col 1:21 And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled 22 in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight— 23 if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister. Heb 3:12 Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; 13 but exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. 14 For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end….. For the called out that we read about in Acts, their race of the faith was their life, it was their daily preoccupation and their priority, even though the Kingdom remained two thousand years in the future for them, not just around the corner as it is for us. And it appears that their pursuit of the Kingdom was not burdensome to them but a joy. And they lived in a world under a brutal Roman occupation, amidst injustice, persecution, disease, and poverty, with the daily pressure of just staying alive, as well as raising a family in those conditions. d). So how, amid their daily struggle in this hostile environment, with the pressures they faced, were they able to remain steadfast? Acts 2:44-45 will give us the answer - 44 Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, 45 and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need. And the key to this is found at the beginning of v44, ‘all who believed were together’. And this goes way beyond the idea that they were in each other’s physical presence every day. They were together, of one mind, in their calling and purpose. e). Their focus was not on self, but because of the hope that was set before them, they had a selfless care for the spiritual and physical wellbeing of those in pursuit of the Kingdom with them – Php 2:2 fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. 3 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. 4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. We don’t have to rush off and sell all we have, rather, what we need to learn from the action of those in Acts is that we are to have as greater care for our brothers and sisters who have the same hope as us, wherever they may be, as we have for ourselves, and the desire to have this same care cannot be manufactured, it can only come about as we are brought forth from above through the Word of the Kingdom. It is part of the process to spiritual maturity – 2 Pe1:5 But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, 6 to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, 7 to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. 8 For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. We cannot have the love for one another that is seen as the pinnacle of spiritual maturity in these verses from 2 Peter, apart from being brought forth from above. f). We need to allow the work of the Spirit within us to bring us to the place of being in one accord concerning our hope and our care for one another, having the same mind, and receiving the Word of the Kingdom with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God. And then continuing in it, daily – 1 Pe 3:8 Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous; 9 not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing. With all this in mind we might ask ourselves the question – ‘Is my life framed by seeking His Kingdom and His righteousness first, or does seeking His Kingdom and His righteousness have to fit somewhere into the framework of my life?’ Am I focused on what would be best for me or what would benefit the whole body? Am I truly looking from this world unto Jesus, or am I like Lot’s wife, fixated upon a world system that has an expiration date? – 1 Jn 2:15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. 17 And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever. With respect to the present world system within this age that we will not escape from until the resurrection/rapture, let’s look at what the Lord said in - Joh 16:33 "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." So, let’s ask the questions, how did Jesus overcome the world while He was still in the world? - Php 2:8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. 9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, Jesus overcame the world through His faithful obedience to the point of death. He completed the will of the Father, not counting the cost, for the joy set before Him. And because He has overcome the world, the world in which we will have tribulation, and He has been raised from the dead to the right hand of the Father having been highly exalted we are told– 1 Pe 5:6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, 7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. And following His resurrection and exaltation He sent the Holy Spirit to guide us into all truth toward the same end - 1Pe 1:3 ¶ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, 5 who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. Here is our hope, here is the object of our faith. This is the end to which we need to be transformed by the renewing of our mind, if we are to overcome the world as our Lord did by faith, through faithful obedience, through dying to self and walking in resurrection through the Spirit, in submission to the will of God. Being brought forth out of water and the Spirit. 3). 1Jo 5:1 ¶ Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of [brought forth out of] God, and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him. 2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. 4 For whatever is born of [brought forth out of] God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world--our faith. 5 Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? Those who believe that Jesus is the Christ have been born, have been brought forth, out of God – ‘flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven’. And it is that which is brought forth out of God alone, that we are to receive with gladness and simplicity of heart, the Word of Truth, the Word of the Kingdom, that will enable us to overcome the world by our faith. And this is exactly what we find at the end of 1 Jn 5:4. a). The victory that will overcome the world is our faith, our faith to the saving of the soul - Ro 1:16 ¶ For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "The just shall live by faith." And the faith that we have to the saving of the soul can only come as we are brought forth from above, through receiving with meekness the implanted wisdom from above, the Word of the Kingdom. Allowing us to grasp the reality of our citizenship in heaven and our change in allegiance so that we don’t see ourselves as anything other than strangers and pilgrims on the earth on our journey to our homeland, to the city that God has prepared for us and to the church of the firstborn. b). That stated in 1 John Chapter 5 provides a sure indication that 1 John, like John’s Gospel, was written during the time of the re-offer of the Kingdom of the heavens to that eternally saved generation of Jews who had previously rejected it. But what we will note in v5 is that Jesus is used rather than ‘the Christ’, alongside the phrase ‘the Son of God.’ c). Son of course speaks of rulership, as only sons can rule within God’s Kingdom and only firstborn sons in the realm of men in the Seventh Day. Jesus is used in this context, not so much as a reference to the Lord’s name, but as to that which must be seen in conjunction with rulership in the Seventh Day, that which can only be found in Him, through His name, salvation - Heb 9:28 so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation. And the salvation that will be brought to those who are eagerly waiting for the second appearance of the One whose name means salvation, those already in possession of the free gift of eternal life, those who have subjected their will to the will of the Lord in seeking first His Kingdom and His righteousness as His bondservant, is the salvation of the soul. That which is the goal of our faith. d). And inevitably, believing that Jesus is the Son of God will take us back to the promise given to David in 2 Samuel Chapter 7. But here is the thing that we must remember, 2 Samuel Chapter 7 does not exist in a vacuum. To get to that Book and that Chapter we must first pass-through the first thirty-four verses of Genesis and follow the Scriptures. This seemingly simple expression, ‘he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God’ – implicitly requires the understanding and acceptance of everything God has said about His plans and purposes for His Son, which include Man, past, present, and future, purposes that have been set in place from the foundation of the world, purposes that will be brought to their glorious conclusion in the Millennial Kingdom – Heb 1:1 God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, 2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds [ages]………….. 5 For to which of the angels did He ever say: “You are My Son, Today I have begotten You”? And again: “I will be to Him a Father, And He shall be to Me a Son”? 6 But when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says: “Let all the angels of God worship Him.” 7 And of the angels He says: “Who makes His angels spirits And His ministers a flame of fire.” 8 But to the Son He says: “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom. 9 You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You With the oil of gladness more than Your companions.” 10 And: “You, LORD, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth, And the heavens are the work of Your hands. 11 They will perish, but You remain; And they will all grow old like a garment; 12 Like a cloak You will fold them up, And they will be changed. But You are the same, And Your years will not fail.” 13 But to which of the angels has He ever said: “Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool”? It is exactly as recorded in - Lu 24: 26 Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?”27 And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself. And it will be our faith brought forth from above with respect to this, encapsulated here in Luke, that will result in us overcoming the world, because through our faith, our focus won’t be on self but on our living hope, the risen Christ, and the promise of glory – 1 Co 2:6 However, we speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. 7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory……… And we will embrace the challenge and the struggle of each day of our life, remaining steadfast as we do, because we know that each day provides us with a steppingstone on the pathway to that glory – Ro 10:17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. And this verse from Romans brings us right back to the very reason why we are here today, the purpose that we gather together to receive the Word of the Kingdom with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God. It is the bringing forth of our faith from above as we continue steadfastly in it throughout the week ahead, exhorting one another with respect to it, whenever and however we come together during the week, and praying for ourselves and others, both individually and collectively, because of it. e). There is no place for the world to be found within our midst as we gather together to receive that brought forth from above. Rather we are to be the light that shines amid the darkness of this age, through the love we have one for another. f). We are to be those who are in the world but not of the world, who walk by faith and not by sight, who set their minds on things above and not things on the earth - Php 2:14 Do all things without complaining and disputing, 15 that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, 16 holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain. Heb 6:10 For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister. We have often looked at this verse from Hebrews Chapter 6 as an encouragement to take care of visitors at our Conference, but let’s remember from Ephesians Chapter 4 that we are being equipped through the Word brought forth from above for the work of ministry to the saints. g). The saints are those seeking first His Kingdom and His righteousness, both here in this room and all who comprise our extended family. h). And it is this ministry to one another as we exhort one another to love and good works and speak the truth of the Word of the Kingdom to one another in love, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, that the Lord will not be unjust to forget as it is a labor undertaken through love. The ‘agape’ love that can only be brought forth from above – 1 Jn 5:1 Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him. 2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. We will continue with this in the new year if we remain and the Lord is willing, and we have prayed. What Shall I Do - Part Eight Dec 11, 2022 Speaker: John Herbert Series: What Shall I Do... Category: Sunday Morning https://s3.amazonaws.com/cornerstonejax/sermonfiles/T041_20221211.mp3 Download Audio x
Refresh A Recap from the Sermon Eph 4:11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ......... We will continue to see what we may learn from the function of the Church before the leaven was introduced. The full text of this message can be found by clicking the PDF button. Sunday December 11th 2022 What Shall I Do…….. Part 8 1). Eph 4:11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head--Christ-- 16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love. We had seen last week that we have been given insight into how the ‘church’ worked collectively together at the beginning of this dispensation towards the salvation of their souls, through that written by Paul to the Ephesians. And as we know from previous studies, those in Ephesus to whom Paul wrote, had come into a mature understanding of the Word of the Kingdom. And this description of the collective working of the ‘church’ provides the model for how those seeking the Kingdom of the heavens and the salvation of their soul are to function towards the same end goal. a). And in conjunction with this we had also read the mandate given to those seeking first His Kingdom and His righteousness in – Heb 10:24 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching. Those within the early ‘church’, seen through Paul’s writings to the Ephesians, were doing exactly that mandated in Hebrews Chapter 10, but in Chapter 10 we also find a warning about ‘forsaking the gathering of ourselves together’, something that had become the ‘manner of some’. b). And so, if the church at its beginning was functioning collectively in the correct manner leading to being fruitful, what had happened that necessitated a warning in Hebrews Chapter 10 concerning this? c). The answer is an obvious one - Mt 13:33 Another parable He spoke to them: "The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened." Not only has the work of the tares, exemplified through the doctrine of Balaam, the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, and the doctrine of Jezebel, resulted in the complete corruption of the Word of the Kingdom in terms of teaching about Christ’s coming Kingdom in the Seventh Day, but it has also corrupted the way the church is collectively to function together in relation to that Word. And this is a part of the unnatural growth of the church seen in the parable of the mustard seed - Mt 13:31 Another parable He put forth to them, saying: "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, 32 "which indeed is the least of all the seeds; but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches." Needless to say, the deceiving spirits and the doctrines of demons, pictured through the birds of the air finding a home within the unnaturally grown church through the work of the tares, had, and have, a twofold purpose. Firstly, to prevent Christians from ever producing fruit, and secondly to try to stop those producing fruit from continuing to do so. d). And to that end, it is easy to see how preventing the body of Christ from functioning correctly in conjunction with false doctrine, can accomplish this. 2). With all of this in mind, let’s go back again to the very beginning of the Church, when nothing but the Word of the Kingdom was taught, the time before the tares were introduced into the midst of the wheat – Ac 2:42 ¶ And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. 43 Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. 44 Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, 45 and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need. 46 So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved. The called-out here, seen in Acts Chapter 2, continued in the apostles’ doctrine daily – in the temple and from house to house. They ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart. They praised God. They broke bread, had fellowship, and prayed. And all these things they continued to do steadfastly. a). And that which we see here in Acts is precisely what we have seen described for us in Ephesians Chapter 4 and mandated in Hebrews Chapter 10. b). And it is that which is seen described in these verses in Acts, that is the foundation for what we do here weekly. We begin with the Sunday message where the apostles’ doctrine is taught, and then beyond that comes our individual daily preparation, the breaking of the bread, to be ready to come together in the Bible studies, where we can encourage and exhort one another to love and good works by studying that taught, together. And what we learn through our studies is then taken on in preparation for the next Sunday. c). And if there is one phrase in the verses from Acts that should command our attention, it is that they ‘continued steadfastly’. The very thing that we are also admonished to do – 1 Co 15:58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. Col 1:21 And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled 22 in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight— 23 if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister. Heb 3:12 Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; 13 but exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. 14 For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end….. For the called out that we read about in Acts, their race of the faith was their life, it was their daily preoccupation and their priority, even though the Kingdom remained two thousand years in the future for them, not just around the corner as it is for us. And it appears that their pursuit of the Kingdom was not burdensome to them but a joy. And they lived in a world under a brutal Roman occupation, amidst injustice, persecution, disease, and poverty, with the daily pressure of just staying alive, as well as raising a family in those conditions. d). So how, amid their daily struggle in this hostile environment, with the pressures they faced, were they able to remain steadfast? Acts 2:44-45 will give us the answer - 44 Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, 45 and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need. And the key to this is found at the beginning of v44, ‘all who believed were together’. And this goes way beyond the idea that they were in each other’s physical presence every day. They were together, of one mind, in their calling and purpose. e). Their focus was not on self, but because of the hope that was set before them, they had a selfless care for the spiritual and physical wellbeing of those in pursuit of the Kingdom with them – Php 2:2 fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. 3 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. 4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. We don’t have to rush off and sell all we have, rather, what we need to learn from the action of those in Acts is that we are to have as greater care for our brothers and sisters who have the same hope as us, wherever they may be, as we have for ourselves, and the desire to have this same care cannot be manufactured, it can only come about as we are brought forth from above through the Word of the Kingdom. It is part of the process to spiritual maturity – 2 Pe1:5 But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, 6 to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, 7 to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. 8 For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. We cannot have the love for one another that is seen as the pinnacle of spiritual maturity in these verses from 2 Peter, apart from being brought forth from above. f). We need to allow the work of the Spirit within us to bring us to the place of being in one accord concerning our hope and our care for one another, having the same mind, and receiving the Word of the Kingdom with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God. And then continuing in it, daily – 1 Pe 3:8 Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous; 9 not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing. With all this in mind we might ask ourselves the question – ‘Is my life framed by seeking His Kingdom and His righteousness first, or does seeking His Kingdom and His righteousness have to fit somewhere into the framework of my life?’ Am I focused on what would be best for me or what would benefit the whole body? Am I truly looking from this world unto Jesus, or am I like Lot’s wife, fixated upon a world system that has an expiration date? – 1 Jn 2:15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. 17 And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever. With respect to the present world system within this age that we will not escape from until the resurrection/rapture, let’s look at what the Lord said in - Joh 16:33 "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." So, let’s ask the questions, how did Jesus overcome the world while He was still in the world? - Php 2:8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. 9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, Jesus overcame the world through His faithful obedience to the point of death. He completed the will of the Father, not counting the cost, for the joy set before Him. And because He has overcome the world, the world in which we will have tribulation, and He has been raised from the dead to the right hand of the Father having been highly exalted we are told– 1 Pe 5:6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, 7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. And following His resurrection and exaltation He sent the Holy Spirit to guide us into all truth toward the same end - 1Pe 1:3 ¶ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, 5 who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. Here is our hope, here is the object of our faith. This is the end to which we need to be transformed by the renewing of our mind, if we are to overcome the world as our Lord did by faith, through faithful obedience, through dying to self and walking in resurrection through the Spirit, in submission to the will of God. Being brought forth out of water and the Spirit. 3). 1Jo 5:1 ¶ Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of [brought forth out of] God, and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him. 2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. 4 For whatever is born of [brought forth out of] God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world--our faith. 5 Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? Those who believe that Jesus is the Christ have been born, have been brought forth, out of God – ‘flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven’. And it is that which is brought forth out of God alone, that we are to receive with gladness and simplicity of heart, the Word of Truth, the Word of the Kingdom, that will enable us to overcome the world by our faith. And this is exactly what we find at the end of 1 Jn 5:4. a). The victory that will overcome the world is our faith, our faith to the saving of the soul - Ro 1:16 ¶ For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "The just shall live by faith." And the faith that we have to the saving of the soul can only come as we are brought forth from above, through receiving with meekness the implanted wisdom from above, the Word of the Kingdom. Allowing us to grasp the reality of our citizenship in heaven and our change in allegiance so that we don’t see ourselves as anything other than strangers and pilgrims on the earth on our journey to our homeland, to the city that God has prepared for us and to the church of the firstborn. b). That stated in 1 John Chapter 5 provides a sure indication that 1 John, like John’s Gospel, was written during the time of the re-offer of the Kingdom of the heavens to that eternally saved generation of Jews who had previously rejected it. But what we will note in v5 is that Jesus is used rather than ‘the Christ’, alongside the phrase ‘the Son of God.’ c). Son of course speaks of rulership, as only sons can rule within God’s Kingdom and only firstborn sons in the realm of men in the Seventh Day. Jesus is used in this context, not so much as a reference to the Lord’s name, but as to that which must be seen in conjunction with rulership in the Seventh Day, that which can only be found in Him, through His name, salvation - Heb 9:28 so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation. And the salvation that will be brought to those who are eagerly waiting for the second appearance of the One whose name means salvation, those already in possession of the free gift of eternal life, those who have subjected their will to the will of the Lord in seeking first His Kingdom and His righteousness as His bondservant, is the salvation of the soul. That which is the goal of our faith. d). And inevitably, believing that Jesus is the Son of God will take us back to the promise given to David in 2 Samuel Chapter 7. But here is the thing that we must remember, 2 Samuel Chapter 7 does not exist in a vacuum. To get to that Book and that Chapter we must first pass-through the first thirty-four verses of Genesis and follow the Scriptures. This seemingly simple expression, ‘he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God’ – implicitly requires the understanding and acceptance of everything God has said about His plans and purposes for His Son, which include Man, past, present, and future, purposes that have been set in place from the foundation of the world, purposes that will be brought to their glorious conclusion in the Millennial Kingdom – Heb 1:1 God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, 2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds [ages]………….. 5 For to which of the angels did He ever say: “You are My Son, Today I have begotten You”? And again: “I will be to Him a Father, And He shall be to Me a Son”? 6 But when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says: “Let all the angels of God worship Him.” 7 And of the angels He says: “Who makes His angels spirits And His ministers a flame of fire.” 8 But to the Son He says: “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom. 9 You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You With the oil of gladness more than Your companions.” 10 And: “You, LORD, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth, And the heavens are the work of Your hands. 11 They will perish, but You remain; And they will all grow old like a garment; 12 Like a cloak You will fold them up, And they will be changed. But You are the same, And Your years will not fail.” 13 But to which of the angels has He ever said: “Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool”? It is exactly as recorded in - Lu 24: 26 Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?”27 And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself. And it will be our faith brought forth from above with respect to this, encapsulated here in Luke, that will result in us overcoming the world, because through our faith, our focus won’t be on self but on our living hope, the risen Christ, and the promise of glory – 1 Co 2:6 However, we speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. 7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory……… And we will embrace the challenge and the struggle of each day of our life, remaining steadfast as we do, because we know that each day provides us with a steppingstone on the pathway to that glory – Ro 10:17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. And this verse from Romans brings us right back to the very reason why we are here today, the purpose that we gather together to receive the Word of the Kingdom with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God. It is the bringing forth of our faith from above as we continue steadfastly in it throughout the week ahead, exhorting one another with respect to it, whenever and however we come together during the week, and praying for ourselves and others, both individually and collectively, because of it. e). There is no place for the world to be found within our midst as we gather together to receive that brought forth from above. Rather we are to be the light that shines amid the darkness of this age, through the love we have one for another. f). We are to be those who are in the world but not of the world, who walk by faith and not by sight, who set their minds on things above and not things on the earth - Php 2:14 Do all things without complaining and disputing, 15 that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, 16 holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain. Heb 6:10 For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister. We have often looked at this verse from Hebrews Chapter 6 as an encouragement to take care of visitors at our Conference, but let’s remember from Ephesians Chapter 4 that we are being equipped through the Word brought forth from above for the work of ministry to the saints. g). The saints are those seeking first His Kingdom and His righteousness, both here in this room and all who comprise our extended family. h). And it is this ministry to one another as we exhort one another to love and good works and speak the truth of the Word of the Kingdom to one another in love, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, that the Lord will not be unjust to forget as it is a labor undertaken through love. The ‘agape’ love that can only be brought forth from above – 1 Jn 5:1 Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him. 2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. We will continue with this in the new year if we remain and the Lord is willing, and we have prayed.